Over 300 professionals will identify good practices and solutions for the development of incoming Romanian tourism

By Sorin Rusi On 24 Sept 2014

Thursday, 25 September 2014, Innovation Travel, National Authority for Tourism and InfoTravelRomania.ro, in partnership with the Tourism Press Club - FIJET Romania, organizes, at the Elisabeta Complex in Bucharest (BD. Elisabeta no. 45), INCOMING ROMANIA TRAVEL FORUM - the first Romanian forum dedicated to the incoming segment - receiving tourism.

The event will bring together over 300 tour operators, representatives of the diplomatic corps, representatives of central and local public authorities, hoteliers and other owners of accommodation structures, tourism professionals, media representatives and tourism bloggers.

The theme of the event is the importance and development of incoming tourism for the Romanian economy, as a form of export. Incoming, that is, receiving tourism, bringing in foreign tourists, is the most effective form of tourism, after which Romania can take full advantage. This is normal, because incoming is the export of services, perhaps even the simplest (apparently) form of export. You promote the tourist destination Romania abroad, and the money comes to the country, brought by foreign tourists. So we "sell" our country very efficiently. This form of tourism should be a national priority. And being a national priority means being a subject of communication between all approved state institutions and the private sector. On the other hand, unfortunately, in Romania we have at most dozens of important tour operators specialized in bringing foreign tourists (and specialized in outgoing, ticketing, etc. there are thousands of agencies). Most of them focus on traditional markets: France or German.

Purpose of the event:

- Better communication between incoming and MICE tour operators, Romanian hoteliers and media representatives, in order to raise awareness of the importance of tourism for the economic development of our country.
- Identifying solutions to promote and capitalize on the potential of Romanian tourism, following the debates during the Forum
- Requesting legislative changes in favor of the development of Romanian tourism and the promotion of incoming.
- Possibility to access European funds.
- Creating clusters to support incoming. Practical explanation of the notion of cluster.

Questions we will try to identify answers to:

 What are the first 6 countries that send us tourists?
 What travel agencies do incoming?
 How many tourists and where does each agency bring?
 What travel agencies do we work with abroad?
 What tourist packages do we promote?
 Where and how do we promote Romania?
 What problems do we have?
 What are the solutions for increasing incoming in Romania?

How is Romania doing in the INCOMING chapter?

- The first 4 countries that send us tourists are:
Germany; 2. Italy; 3. Poland; 4. Austria - both the number of overnight stays and the number of foreign visitor arrivals.

At present, about 20-25 of Romanian travel agents are doing INCOMING at a higher level and constantly. According to the data of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), we have 1,7 millions of foreign tourists per year 2013, of which 80% are on the events and business tourism side (1.360.000 persons) and 20% on the leisure side (340.000 persons). The vast majority of foreign tourists coming to Romania do not come through the travel agencies.

The real estimation of the number of foreign tourists (including on the business and events side) is by 400.000 brought to Romania by the travel agencies, respectively by 1,3 millions coming on their own / through other travel arrangements.

Foreign tourists spent last year in Romania 3,5 millions of nights, among the lowest levels of overnight stays in the EU, more than four times below the results of Hungary or Bulgaria.

According to the National Association of Tourism Agencies (ANAT) and the National Institute of Statistics (INS), last year 1,7 millions of foreign tourists visited Romania. They spent 3,5 million nights in our country, 4 times less than in Bulgaria (14,3 million nights), 3,5 times less than in Hungary (12,3 million nights), 6 times less than in the Czech Republic ( 20,8 million nights) and 22 times less than in Austria (78,1 million nights) ”.

Foreign visitors spent in Romania 4,79 billion (the equivalent of 1,08 billion, respectively 635,29 euros per person), the largest share being held by the amounts allocated for accommodation. Foreign tourists represent only 18% of Romania's tourism market, compared to 67% in Bulgaria, 49% in Hungary, 53% in the Czech Republic and 71% in Austria. And the annual occupancy rate of the accommodation structures in Romania does not exceed 30%. Currently, the reduced rate of 9% applies only to accommodation and accommodation services with breakfast included. The rest of the tourism services, including those of the agencies that sell tourism products in Romania, are taxed with the full quota of 24%.

According to ANAT, other countries that together attract hundreds of thousands of Romanian tourists annually practice a reduced VAT for tourism services: Bulgaria applies a 9% quota from April 2011 for holidays bought through travel agencies (over 102.000 Romanians went to Bulgaria through travel agencies, in 2013), Greece reduced VAT for restaurants to 13% during the economic crisis (approximately 100.000 Romanians left in 2013 through travel agencies), Spain has a share of 10% for both accommodation and for restaurant services (over 53.000 Romanians) Cyprus (9% accommodation, 9% restaurant, approximately 2.000 Romanian tourists in 2013), Italy (10% accommodation, 10% restaurant - approx. 45.000 Romanians), France (10% accommodation, 10,58% restaurant - approx. 26.000 Romanians), Austria (10% accommodation, 10,62% restaurant - approx. 27.000 Romanians), Malta (7% accommodation, 18% restaurant - approx. 4.500 Romanians), Germany (7% accommodation, 19% restaurant - approx. 28.000), Croatia (13% accommodation, 13% restaurant - approx. x. 5.000 Romanians), Czech Republic (15% accommodation, 21% restaurant - over 3.200 Romanians).

As a contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, last year tourism had a total contribution of 5,1% to GDP, which places Romania in the 154 place in the world, from 184 of countries, behind Albania (16,7% of GDP), Bulgaria (13,3% ), Hungary (10,6%), Czech Republic (8,4%) and Slovakia (6%), according to a report by the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC). The total contribution of tourism to GDP includes the businesses directly generated by this activity, such as accommodation, transport, attractions, entertainment, shopping, expenses for food and investments in the tourism and hospitality sector, to which are added indirectly generated revenues, as well as the profits of the providers who serve projects. or tourism facilities and the expenses generated in the economy by employees in the sector.

Also the specialists of the World Council of Tourism and Travel, together with those of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), recommended that we "forget" about mass tourism for incoming - namely, the coast and the mountain tourism, especially skiing and sports. in winter, where we are not competitive - and we focus on spa tourism, event tourism, cultural, ecological and rural tourism, adventure and religious tourism. But the regions where mass tourism is practiced account for well over 50% of Romania's tourist capacity. What's left to do?