Following the conflict between Turkey and Russia, more and more countries are trying to attract the 5 million Russian tourists who visited Turkish resorts in 2015. Among the countries trying to attract Russian tourists is Romania.
The Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism in the Litoral-Danube Delta, led by Corina Martin, visited Moscow to present the offer for the Romanian seaside to travel agencies there. The rate announced by her, of 10 EUR/night/person, shocked many people. However, this rate does not include breakfast and refers only to stays in the months of May and September, stated Corina Martin.
„Agencies in Russia were asking us for special rates to choose Romania over Bulgaria or Israel, which provide direct financial support for each tourist. Under these conditions, I had to come out with something special for the Russian market. They were not familiar with the ‘Seaside for Everyone’ program because, in general, they do not know much about Romania; until now, it has not been promoted in Russia at all,” stated Corina Martin, president of the Federation of Tourism Promotion Associations in Romania, FAPT.
Seaside hoteliers, members of the FPTR, claim they were not consulted by Corina Martin and that the rates promised by her are unrealistic, according to an FPTR press release.
The announcement made by Corina Martin on the Russian market, without consulting the FPTR, which also represents seaside hoteliers, risks calling into question Romania’s seriousness in external relations and compromising the seaside hotel industry when it is discovered that the vast majority of hotels cannot support the rates put forward by the FAPT president.
Romanian tourism authorities are banking on the Russian market to attract tourists after Russian travel agencies announced they would no longer send tourists on vacation to Turkey following recent attacks.
In recent years, the established target markets have been the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the USA, and Romania has work to do regarding its image, especially on the Russian market, if it wants to attract a large number of Russian tourists.
For example, Italy already has a website in Russian, and the Bulgarians have a telephone line for Russians who want more information about Bulgarian resorts. At the same time, our neighbors want to grant free visas to children up to 16 years old and to groups coming to the 600 festivals taking place across the country throughout the year.
Although Romania was present at tourism fairs in Moscow in 2014 and 2015, the number of tourists from Russia who came to Romania decreased by 40% in just one year, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics.
Along with the decrease in the number of tourists, spending also decreased. In 2012, 33,646 tourists from the Russian Federation spent 18.4 million EUR, of which only 5.6 million EUR was on vacations, shopping, or medical treatment. The rest of the money was spent on business trips, congresses, conferences, or participation in fairs.
In 2013, 46,026 non-residents from the Russian Federation came to Romania and spent over 19 million EUR for business, while for vacations they spent 7.4 million EUR.
In 2014, however, the decline began: 28,526 non-residents from Russia, a 40% decrease compared to the previous year. For business trips, 12.3 million EUR was spent, and for vacations, 3.9 million EUR.
In the first six months of 2015, just over 11,000 Russians had arrived in Romania, spending 1.7 million EUR, while they spent 6.3 million EUR on business trips.
Source: Economica
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the €10 rate proposed for Russian tourists?
The rate was proposed to compete with destinations like Bulgaria and Israel in attracting the 5 million Russian tourists who are no longer vacationing in Turkey.
What does the €10 per night offer include?
The offer applies exclusively to the months of May and September, is per person, and does not include breakfast.
What is the FPTR’s position on this proposal?
The Federation of Romanian Tourism Employers (FPTR) claims the rates are unrealistic and that hoteliers were not consulted before the announcement was made.