We have to rely on the fascination that Bucharest exerts, saytravel operators, who estimate the number of foreigners who havevisited Bucharest this year is 5% higher than last year. The cityis conservative but interesting, say foreign tourists.
"I find Bucharest to be very conservative, but also interesting. Itis probably because of this mixture of new and old that comes fromglass buildings being located next to communist ones. So far I havewalked through the city's old centre," says Abdeel Ammah, 57, anIsraeli tourist who had intended to visit the Parliament Palace, abuilding that was closed for visitors that day.
Abdeel Ammah had been in Bucharest for only 24 hours when he talkedto ZF, and was on his first visit to Romania, after having passedthrough several European capitals.
"Now I will have a bad image of Bucharest," Abdeel says smilingly,after a Parliament Palace official announced visitors would only bereceived starting the next day. The Parliament Palace was closedfor visitors because conferences were organised during that period,and the rooms were booked, but normally, the palace is open forvisits daily between 10 AM and 4 PM.
"The number of foreign tourists that came to visit Romania throughour agency is higher than last year, when there was an almost 100%increase," said Iulian Andrei, general manager of Blue Line travelagency, which brings to Romania tourists from Israel, on culturaltours across the country, to the Black Sea coast, and toBucharest.
Foreign visitors who come to Bucharest are also reflected in thenumber of tickets sold by museums. In the first nine months of thisyear, the National Village Museum (Muzeul National al Satului) wasvisited by 5% more foreign tourists than in the same period of lastyear, with a ticket costing 6 RON.
"The number of visitors has risen, but not significantly. In all wehad 226,200 Romanian and foreign tourists. In general, the numberof foreign visitors ranges between 350,000 and 400,000 per year, athird or a fourth of whom are foreigners," says Paula Popoiu,general manager of the National Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum inBucharest.
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