Revenues are expected to reach 350 million euros on the Romanian Black Sea coast during the summer season, up 20% against the same time last year, with 1.4 million travel packages estimated to be sold.
According to travel agency representatives, the rise in demand is noticeable particularly on the three-star segment, with Romanian tourists becoming increasingly demanding as their standard of living increases. Richer Romanian tourists remain rather conservative and do not opt for additional holiday pursuits, such as diving, but prefer instead classic packages, which include accommodation and meals.
Foreign tourists are still difficult to attract, with foreigners' top summer destinations being Turkey and Greece. However, there is a category of "foreigners" who choose local beaches: Romanians working abroad, who return home for holidays.
"We estimate around 1.4 million packages to the Black Sea coast will be sold from May through September. We expect an around 20% increase, both in terms of the number of packages sold, and in terms of the total value of revenues, which we think will reach around 350 million euros," says Traian Badulescu, spokesman of the National Association of Travel Agencies in Romania (ANAT).
According to the ANAT representative, the increase in demand has to do, in part, with the improved accommodation on the Romanian coast, after many hotels underwent renovation last year. "I think we will see 100,000 foreigners coming at the most. We are not doing very well when it comes to attracting foreigners onto the local market, and I don't see the situation changing, because most foreign tourists prefer the offers available in Turkey and Greece," Badulescu explains.
According to him, the most popular resort is Mamaia, followed by destinations such as Eforie Sud, Saturn and Neptun.
"This year, I think we will see an around 10% increase in demand for the Romanian coast. There has been an around 20-30% increase on the three-star-hotel segment compared with last year, while for two-star hotels, the rise has amounted to around 10%," says Marius Usturoiu, general manager of tour operator Mareea, one of the leading providers of travel packages on the local market.
"I don't think we can talk about a peak in demand in one month in particular. Rather, I would say this is a balanced season. Demand from foreign visitors is slightly on the rise, but this segment accounts for a rather low percentage of our turnover," says Usturoiu.
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