On April 24, the Government approved the final version of the Tourism Law project and sent it to Parliament for approval.
The project includes a series of provisions regarding tourism heritage, with regulations on the construction regime in tourist areas, including beaches, and establishes a national system for data collection and interpretation for a more accurate assessment of tourism revenues.
Among the provisions, however, is the possibility for tourism inspectors to check companies without prior identification, pretending to be tourists, as well as the obligation for owners to register in advance with the Ministry of Tourism to rent properties on specialized sites.
Thus, according to the project, the inspector, acting as a „Mystery Guest/Mystery Client,” will not be required to identify themselves, checking a tourist unit only as a visitor. Only at the end of the undercover inspection can the hotel or guesthouse owner be presented with the result of the control act, without being consulted regarding alleged irregularities found.
The project also introduces an obligation for sites or platforms such as Airbnb, through which private homes are rented, to promote only properties that owners have registered for this activity with the relevant ministry. Registration will only involve informing the authority about the conduct of such rental activities and the obligation to report the number of tourists accommodated annually.
The project also establishes, on one hand, the prerogatives of the Ministry of Tourism, and on the other hand, clarifies the responsibilities of local public administration authorities regarding tourism. It also establishes the legal framework for setting up 20 external offices for tourism promotion.
A chapter is dedicated to tourism heritage and contains special regulations regarding urban planning documentation, land use in tourist resorts, the Black Sea coastal area, and tourist beaches. Thus, hoteliers who own accommodation structures near the beach will have a right of preference at an equal price for renting neighboring beaches.
The new law also regulates control activities in the field of tourism and the primary legal framework necessary for establishing destination management organizations. For efficient information management, a national system for collecting and interpreting data and information in the field is established, aiming for an exact estimation of revenues obtained by tourism operators.
Tourism service providers will collect the following information from tourists: name, surname, date of birth, place of birth, citizenship, residence data (country, locality, street, number), identity document data (type, series and/or number, date of issue and issuing institution, issuing state), personal numerical code or personal identification number, except for foreign tourists who do not possess such a number, arrival and departure dates, purpose of travel, payment data, including billing address, “loyal customer” profile data, if any, and the travel agency or agent through which the reservation was made or the ticket was purchased.
The full Tourism Law project can be consulted HERE
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the “Mystery Guest” inspection entail?
Tourism inspectors can check accommodation units without initially identifying themselves, acting as regular tourists to evaluate service quality objectively.
What are the new rules for platforms like Airbnb?
Owners are required to register with the Ministry of Tourism and report the annual number of tourists accommodated to be allowed to promote their offers on specialized websites.
Who has priority in leasing tourist beaches?
Hoteliers who own accommodation structures in the proximity of beaches will benefit from a right of preference, at an equal price, for leasing neighboring beach sectors.