The Romanian smart flying carrier Blue Air received the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), becoming a IATA member . The IOSA program is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. As explained by Rafael Schvartzman, Regional Vice President Europe, during the audit, which involves approximately 900 standards and recommended practices the following areas are assessed: flight operations, operational control and flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground handling operations, cargo operations and security management. After obtaining the IOSA certification Blue Air became, beginning of 2016, a full member of IATA (International Air Transport Association). IATA reunites 260 airlines in 119 countries. „Our adheration to IATA is an important step in the history of the company, opening the door to partnerships with other carriers. In such a way that we will be able to offer to passengers more options and in the same time more accesible” – said Gheorghe Racaru, General Director of Blue Air.
ORBIS HOTEL expands in Europe
The main hotel Group of Poland, Orbis Hotel, took over from Accor 46 hotels in 6 countries of Europe, among which Romania too. The plans on the local market are to open two new locations in 2017, both in Transilvanya: ibis Styles in Arad and a Mercure in Brașov.
The ibis Styles Arad will be a new construction, with 72 rooms, and will be a 3 stars hotel. ibis Styles Arad is a property of FAB Industry, a member of Mr. FAB.
Mercure Brasov Hotel & SPA will offer 120 rooms, being the second Mercure to open in Romania and the first one out of the Capital city of Bucharest. The opening is scheduled at the end of 2017.
Orbis Hotel Group is the largest hotel network in Poland and Eastern Europe, having AccorHotels as a strategic investor. Gilles Clavie, President and CEO of Orbis Hotel Group said: “Romania is promising, with a great potential. It is one of the key markets of the region and an important element in our development strategy.”
What CNN recommends in Romania?
The travel writers at CNN made a list of 16 destinations that are worth visiting in 2016. Romania is listed together with places like Mongolia, Papua New Guinee, Iceland, Geenland, Norway, Madagascar or Iran. The tourists are encouraged to visit the center of the country, the city of Cluj-Napoca and Bran Castle in Transilvanya, as well as the Danube Delta : “Central Romania is engulfed in the soaring Carpathian mountain range, filled with green groves and ski and hiking trails for adventure-heads. What isn’t well known is that Romania catches the Danube Delta at its southern tip, where wetlands prove fertile ground. Head here for hiking, birding and fishing. Or go gallery hopping in Cluj-Napoca, a hotly-tipped future art scene. But of course the nation is best known for bloodsucking myths of Dracula, werewolves and ghosts.” CNN online edition recommends to visit Romania springtime or in the autumn months.
Google votes the Palace of Parliament
The Chamber of Deputes and Google launched at the end of January an online platform that allows to virtually visit the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest – Romania. The initiative belongs to a Romanian, emplyee of Google Ireland.
Valeriu Zgonea, president of Chamber of Deputes said that almost 150 paintings can be seen on Google Cultural Institute, together with the rooms and halls of the Parliament that are regularly opened for the public to visit. According to the Director of Google Romania, Dan Bulucea, the istitution is the first Parliament of Central and Eastern Europe that can be visited using the platform provided by Google Cultural Institute.
Gura Humorului is in TOP JATA
The Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA) published a chart of the most beautiful 30 European small towns, less known to the travelling public. JATA used the suggestions of the travel agencies in Japan but also of the visitors to the Continent. For Romania the votes went to the town of Gura Humorului in the northern part of the country, in the historical region of Bucovina. Gura Humorului, located in a mountainous, among forests, at the confluence of Humor and Moldova River, is appreciated by the voters also for its beautifully colored architectural sites, being one of the gateways to the Unesco Heritage Painted Monasteries. Other destinations liked by the Japanese public in Europe are: Berat, in Albania; Civita di Bagnoregio, in Italy; Lech, in Austria; Hindeloopen, in Holland; Lefkara, in Cyprus; Rovinj, in Croatia; Piran, in Slovenia; Marianske-Lazne, in Czech Republic; Quedlinburg, in Germany; Golyazi, in Turkey; Sopron, in Hungary etc.
EXPEDIA: Romania is 25 in Shopping
Expedia, one of the largest on-line travel agencies, created a top for last year, ranking the most attractive 25 cities of the world where one should go shopping. The producers rated the attitude of the retailers, the annual visitors’ number and the purchasing power. The Capital of Romania, Bucharest, obtained 11 points out of 30 and got the 25th position, having a 9 for purchasing power. The ranking producers underline how cheap the local transportation is (0,24pp), while a pair of Levi’s is 39,62 GBP, and a pair of Nike is 44,67 GBP.
The first 5 places to shop, in the vision of Expedia, are: New York, Berlin, Los Angeles, London and Kuala Lumpur, while the five positions before Bucharest are taken by Edinburg, Melbourne, Vienna, Cape Town and Amsterdam.
