Eximtur, one of the main tour operators domestically, last year saw its revenues from domestic travel packages shrink by 28%, to around 24% of overall turnover.
"We will try to offset the lower volume of seaside holidays by launching some weekend travel packages mainly for customers from Bucharest and from areas that are closer to the Black Sea," stated Lucia Morariu, Eximtur chairperson.
Morariu also said the only unit that would not witness significant increases in 2007 is that of domestic travel, with Eximtur chairman expecting this segment to stagnate at the level of last year. Thus, growth will be mainly triggered by our country's rising attractiveness in the eyes of Western tourists.
EU integration and the events related to Sibiu, European capital of culture, started generating important changes especially in the incoming and business travel segments.
In the first weeks of this year ticketing posted growth by 20% and the emergence of new low-cost airlines is going to strengthen this trend.
According to Eximtur information, ticketing registered a 20% increase in the first days of January alone compared with the same period of last year, with most ticket demands coming from businesspeople and from Romanians wanting to emigrate.
Ticketing weighs 51% in the company's turnover and according to its own estimates, Eximtur ranks third on the market on this segment.
Eximtur representatives expect this year's turnover to reach 33 million euros, up 25% against 2006, when this indicator revolved around 27 million euros.
Romanians' preferences for foreign destinations also reflected last year in the rising outgoing sector. In the case of Eximtur, this sector soared by 60% last year and the weight of this unit increased from 15.5% to 20% in the overall turnover.
For 2007, Eximtur management projects growth by at least 30% on this segment, because of improving living standards, and also the improvement of the outgoing travel packages both in terms of quantity and quality.
In 2006, Eximtur posted 30% higher turnover against 2005. Last year, the company also registered double sales of TUI packages, beyond 2 million euros, as the number of tourists who chose these packages rose by almost 99%.
"The overall activity growth was due to the rising number of customers on our traditional markets of Transylvania and Banat and also to the expansion of our activity in Bucharest, by over 80% last year," specified Lucia Morariu.
As a result of its expansion in Bucharest, Eximtur is poised to open its second agency in the capital city late this month.
The company also plans to open its second agency in Cluj-Napoca at the end of this year.
Eximtur currently owns 8 agencies in Cluj, Bucharest, Oradea, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Arad and two in Timisoara.
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