A month ago, the Ministry of Tourism decided to abolish external promotion offices, citing irregularities found by the Romanian Court of Accounts. Tourism associations and sector representatives criticized this measure, arguing it would have negative effects and that there were no prior consultations.
The Minister of Tourism, Mircea Titus Dobre, stated that current representatives from external tourism promotion offices are being recalled to the country and will have the status of Ministry of Tourism employees, but will be able to participate in the contest organized for the establishment of the Tourism Attaché Corps.
The Ministry of Tourism will establish a corps of tourism attachés, with diplomatic rank, under the direct guidance and coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Tourism specified that external offices “will not be hosted in the premises of Romania’s diplomatic missions, but will operate in rented spaces,” thus as before.
Future rented premises “will be contracted after prospecting the real estate market in the countries where the offices will operate, following clear rules and with established maximum ceilings.”
The start of the process for establishing the tourism attaché corps will be preceded by an internal analysis regarding the institution’s need for external relations, as well as the identification of target markets to be won/regained by local tourism operators specialized in incoming tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism mentions that it will decide, taking into account market studies and following consultations with the private sector, to move some tourism promotion offices to countries that can provide tourists for Romania, such as the Scandinavian countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, the total number of external representations being, according to the organizational chart, 14.
At the same time, the ministry’s leadership provides assurances that Romania’s promotion activity on external markets will not cease from an institutional point of view, but will be repositioned and strengthened.
Source: Economica
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Tourism Attaché Corps?
It is a new external representation structure consisting of specialists with diplomatic status, designed to streamline Romania’s tourism promotion under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why were the previous promotion offices closed?
The decision followed irregularities flagged by the Court of Accounts, necessitating an institutional reorganization for better transparency and efficiency.
Where will the new external representations operate?
There will be 14 offices in rented spaces, targeting priority markets such as the Scandinavian countries and Benelux, determined through consultations with the private sector.