Oil prices of 140 dollars per barrel are leaving their mark on the prices Romanians pay for holidays.
Travel agencies say summer holidays spent abroad are this year 12-20% more expensive on average than last year, amid double oil prices and the around 45% higher cost of plane tickets. Still, market players say Romanians are not willing to give up such holidays away from home.
According to Dan Goicea, manager and owner of Prompt Service Travel, it is hard to specify how much holiday prices will rise until the end of the year, because it is hard to assess the impact of oil prices over each element that makes up a holiday.
Lucian Boronea, general manager of Accent Travel & Events agency, says a 10-12% increase in holiday prices has been felt compared with last year, due to rising oil prices internationally and the impact they have over plane ticket prices.
According to Nicolae Demetriade, general manager of Happy Tour travel agency, the ongoing increase in oil prices is sure to have an impact over winter holiday prices, as well. However, most agencies are reluctant to specify growth percentages due to the high volatility of oil price.
Travel agencies will face a difficult situation, as most players say this price increase does not make Romanians travel less. "This will generate real problems for travel agencies, which, after publishing offer catalogues, will find it hard to modify their rates and communicate the new rates to their customers," explains Boronea.
During last summer's season, which lasted from May to September on favourable temperatures, Romanians spent around half a billion euros on holidays abroad. Thus, according to the National Association of Travel Agencies of Romania (ANAT), around 700,000 Romanians spent their holidays abroad in 2007.
This year, say ANAT representatives, over 300,000 Romanians will head for Greece to spend their summer holidays, while the number of Romanians who choose Bulgaria as a holiday destination will revolve around 250,000. Around 100,000 Romanian tourists will leave for Turkey, while Spain will attract around 35,000 Romanians.
Tourism revenues hit 1.068bn euros last year, up 34 million euros from 2006. Romania thus registered a deficit from travel activities for the second consecutive year.
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