ANT Presents the Development and Marketing Strategy

To view the Development and Marketing Strategy CLICK HERE    

The National Tourism Authority (ANT) presents the Development and Marketing Strategy, featuring proposals for the tourism promotion of Romania. Among other things, it envisions the organization of a competition, broadcast as part of an international television show, where participants from abroad will experience traveling by “mocănița” (narrow-gauge steam train), sleep in haystacks or in caves in the Apuseni Mountains, or prepare “sarmale” (cabbage rolls) and “mămăligă” (polenta).

One of the ideas promoted in the strategy is the organization of a competition broadcast within a television show—modeled after the TV show „Survivor,” for example.

A total of 20 participants, selected internationally, will undergo several trials, solve mysteries/quizzes, and live specific experiences in different areas of the country within predefined time intervals. The competition will last 30 days and will be based on stimulating the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, plus a 6th sense, specific to Romania, the strategy states.

Each key will be a symbol of Romania: a Dacian mask, a Dacian knot, a “mărțișor,” garlic, a crucifix, and any other symbol whose notoriety can be increased through a story.

This competition is included in the category of promotion through offline communication, which also includes promotion through placement campaigns in popular “new age” TV series, produced mainly in the USA or Bollywood – using locations in Romania for filming parts of TV productions, locations that will later be included in tourist routes based on these popular films.

The marketing vision promoted is „projecting the image of Romania as a quality, unique, innovative, and green tourist destination, by continuing the positioning exercise carried out in previous years and permanently adapting it through modern policies and tools.”

Thus, the plan considers, among other things, the digitalization of cities, attracting national and international hotel chains, promoting youth tourism, city break packages, tourist circuits around major cities, the development of historical centers, smart cities, cyclotourism, yachting, the development of dental, medical, and aesthetic tourism, revitalizing the anti-aging treatment and therapy sector, supporting innovation, wellness treatments and products, gastronomic and oenological tourism, developing cultural routes, speleological potential (developing new caves) and salt mines, ecotourism and adventure tourism, thematic specialization of tourist and agritourism guesthouses, promotion in the online environment and on social media, capitalizing on artisanal creation, and agritourism.

Alba County can be involved by focusing communication and promotion messages in 2018 on the theme “100 years since the Great Union,” continuing the association with tourist attractions – the Alba Carolina Fortress, the Mocănița, and promoting events with local specificity – “Ziua Iei” (Romanian Blouse Day) or mountain bike circuits on the Transalpina.

In the category „Green Roads – tourist routes in traditional ethno-folkloric areas,” the strategy mentions exploring heritage sites – monasteries, archaeological sites, and fortified churches.

As an example, Țara Moților, with traditional villages in the Arieș Valley, including wooden churches and the Apuseni Natural Park (unique karst phenomena in Romania, the Focul Viu Glacier, Scărișoara Cave, etc.).

In the category „Capitalizing on and conserving traditional architecture,” the initiators of the strategy provide the village of Rimetea in Alba County as a case study – the first and only rural locality in Romania awarded the “Europa Nostra” prize in 1999 by the European Commission for the conservation of cultural and architectural heritage.

It is proposed to organize an online competition through which the Romanian public can choose three Romanian products to become national symbols.

Furthermore, the development of the „Romanian Tourism Ambassadors” brand is planned – internationally recognized personalities who will share their own experiences.

The country mascot will initially be a virtually drawn character, with a name and appearance relevant to the Romanian character, which will make online interaction friendlier for tourists. The choice of the country mascot will be made through an online ideas competition.

„Passport to Romania”: a souvenir shaped like a passport; its pages will have the main tourist attractions of Romania drawn in the background.

To view the Development and Marketing Strategy CLICK HERE