Cluj-based Eximtur, one of the main tour operators on the Romanian market, forecasts sales of foreign travel packages for the winter season will increase by 20-24%, if the RON/EUR exchange rate stays at its current level.
During the same period, the company's management expects to see its volume of sales for domestic travel rise by 15-19%. "Short, weekend trips will be this winter's trend in the case of domestic holidays. People opting for holidays in Romania will most probably choose either weekend ski packages, or traditional travel packages for the New Year's Eve period," specified Radu Morariu, Eximtur's general manager.
In the first half of this year, Eximtur registered turnover worth above 18 million euros, 44.3% higher than the level reached during the same period last year.
Early this year, the company's management forecast domestic travel would stagnate because many Romanian and foreign tourists avoided the Romanian seaside, due to the poor quality of services and infrastructure, which is not highly accessible.
"At the beginning of this year, we did not foresee the longevity of the summer season, which this year lasted longer than last year. At the same time, weekend travel packages, mainly put together for Bucharest residents and customers from areas closer to the Black Sea, also drove our financial indicators up," Morariu added.
The company also experienced a stagnation on this segment last year, while revenues generated from domestic travel packages dropped from 28% to approximately 24% in overall turnover.
On the outgoing segment, in the first six months of this year the company posted a 67% increase in the number of customers. Another growth driver in the first half was ticketing activities, which saw the number of customers increase by 29% and the volume of sales advance by 15.3% to 8.75 million euros.
Company representatives forecast turnover worth 33 million euros for this year, up 25% from 2006.
Eximtur currently owns nine agencies, in Cluj, Bucharest, Oradea, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Arad and two in Timisoara, as well as 550 travel agencies across the country that resell the company's products. The firm was formed in 1993, in line with information provided by its chairman.
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