Tourism Workforce Has Partly Migrated to Other Sectors
Călin Ile, president of FIHR, stated according to Agerpres on Wednesday that the greatest loss suffered by the Romanian tourism industry was losing over 30% of its workforce in approximately 18 months.
“In 2020, we recorded 14.4 million overnight stays, compared to approximately 30 million in 2019, so a decrease of over 50%. In 2021, we have nearly 20 million overnight stays, an increase of 5 million compared to 2020. The greatest damage to our industry is that we lost over 30% of the workforce. A workforce forced to migrate to other sectors—it’s natural and absolutely fair. Some went to retail, IT, construction. I saw chefs who were now working in courier services. To lose 30% of the workforce in about 18 months is an enormous loss that we will compensate for with great difficulty, especially given that there is no reaction from the state, so we must react through recruitment campaigns, increasing salaries to the extent that businesses prove sufficiently sustainable.”
The total lack of external promotion as a tourism destination was added to the other problems and deepened the gap compared to high-performing tourism countries.
“Another major damage we recorded in this sector during these 18 months was the fact that Romania completely exited the promotion zone. Our reaction as a state was ‘It’s a pandemic, people aren’t traveling, and we’re stopping our presence in everything related to external promotion’.”
“For two years, Romania did not matter. You can imagine how hard it will be now to reverse this message. This gap we had compared to high-performing tourism countries has unfortunately deepened. Instead of taking advantage of the fact that there was a crisis that brought us all to a lower level of tourism and gave us a chance for a better start, we didn’t do it, and unfortunately, these gaps have widened. The Romanian state still has no strategy regarding tourism or promotion. Our work as a federation is to support the existence of a medium and long-term tourism strategy. Unfortunately, we think too much about tomorrow. Whether we like it or not, tourism will have to rely on foreign labor because Romania no longer produces enough to cover the necessary jobs in tourism.”
Călin Ile added that a problem to be solved in 2022 refers to reducing the deficit that tourism produces in Romania’s trade balance year after year:
“Another issue where we will have to focus during the next year is reducing the extremely large deficit that tourism produces in Romania’s trade balance year after year. That is, the money spent by Romanians abroad is much more than the money foreigners bring to Romania. From my point of view, I believe there are also some registration deficits for this money. I have some fears that the commission amounts from Booking or Airbnb, which are registered in Romania, might enter the deficit. We must stimulate incoming tourism and offer Romanians alternatives in a competitive spirit, and not rely on the fact that they have no choice and must go to the Romanian seaside out of tradition or emotional attachment. If we do not realize that we are in a global competitive environment, day by day we will lose this game to other markets, especially in the coastal tourism area, where it will be very difficult to compete with Mediterranean countries.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Romanian tourism lose 30% of its workforce?
Due to pandemic-induced instability, employees migrated to more stable sectors such as retail, IT, construction, or courier services.
How did the lack of external promotion affect Romanian tourism?
The absence of promotion deepened the gap with competing countries, making it difficult to reposition Romania as a tourist destination post-pandemic.
What is the solution for the industry’s personnel shortage?
Solutions include recruitment campaigns, salary increases, and relying on foreign labor to cover the necessary job openings.