EUROSTAT – Romania is rising
According to Eurostat, last year, the people that visited Romania spent 4,5 million nights here, 18,3%, more than in 2014. Romania also registered the fastest advance in the rising of travel marget at EU level, having 16% more travellers in general (local and foreign), reaching 23,4 million nights paid at hotels.
In 2015 Romanian counted 2.231.000 foreign visitors that where hosted in hotels or other similar facilities. They spent over 1,2 million euros. The data from the National Research Institute confirms for last year the same trend noted the years before: many of the visitors from outside Romania come here for business, participating in congresses, conferences, fairs and exhibitions – that is 55,9% of the total. 77,8% of the total number of foreign travellers have chosen to come by plane. July 31st 2015 Romanian was counting 1.545 hotels in all in country.
August in Haferland
The 4th edition of the Haferland Week, the largest cultural event dedicated to promoting the Saxon area of Transylvania (Romania), will take place this year between 10 and 15 of August. The main theme of the present edition is the family, the slogan of the event being “The Saxons wait for you at home!” In the villages of Fișer, Rupea, Saschiz, Viscri, Roadeș, Criț, Cloașterf and Meșendorf will be plenty of activities: hand-made local products exhibits, classical music concerts and gospel in the fortified churches, the traditional Saxon ball and traditional handicraft making demos.
The region of Transylvania inhabited by Saxons received the name the Oat Country due to the fact that the locals used to cultivate mostly oat in the past, hence the name Haferland. In 2016 the organizers of the event, the Michael Schmidt Foundation together with Tabaluga Foundation, Mihai Eminescu Trust, Adept and The Association of Transylvanian Saxons in Germany, set as a goal to bring over 3.500 tourists in the area.
Bucharest is 3rd
According to the market research company STR Global, the Romanian Capital city of Bucharest is listed number three, after Prague (Czeck Republic) and Budapest (Hungary), in what concerns the numer of luxury hotels. Warsaw (Poland) and Sofia (Bulgaria) follow. The study takes in account not only the 5 stars hotels but also the properties that fulfill certain conditions agreed worldwide as standards for luxury. „There is a system used internationally according to which the luxury hotels are classified, valid for decades“ – said Sorin Ionescu, founder and CEO of Fivestar Hospitality. STR Global listed in Bucharest 7 luxury properties, two times less than in Prague – nowadays the most visited capital city in Central and Eastern Europe.
OLIMP – Blaxy Premium lures the clients
Starting with this summer Blaxy Premium Resort&Hotel in 23 August – Olimp will also offer hotel rooms – as the developpers of the project have announced. Out of the 7 areas designed with a total of 900 studios (condos) 3 have been opened so far (540 rooms). A part of them have been already contracted as time-share and 250-300 will be used as hotel rooms for the 2016 season. For the time being the hotel services are rated 3 stars.
The total surface of the complex is 72.000 sqm and offers exterior pools for childern and adults, restaurants, bars, clubs, child area and a summer amphitheater. The complex has a private beach of about 10.000 sqm. The project, requiring 100 million euros investment will be finalised in the next three years.
Paravion expands
Paravion, the most important online travel agency in Romania and one of the most active in Central and Eastern Europe, makes its debut on the US, Orient and SE Asian markets. The company management believes that in 2017 about 25% of the business will be generated by the new markets: USA, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Indonesia, Filipines, Malaysia and Taiwan.
”Paravion is already present in all the euro zone countries through the website paravion.uk.com, that generated consistent growth in the first part of 2016, comparing with the similar period of last year: 580% in traffic and 840% in transactions. Due to the technology that now allows to easy replicate the business in other countries, we decided to launch simultaneously on all the new markets the website www.paraviontour.com. We decided to expand on the mentioned markets due to the high degree in which the clients use English as a language, but also due to the preference in using the American dollar as a payment currency” said Remus Vișan, Managing Director Paravion.
PREDEAL: Bucovală invests in mountain resort
Owner of five hotels on the Romanian sea side – located in Mamaia (Tomis), Venus (Cupidon) and Eforie Nord (Delfinul, Meduza and Steaua de Mare) -, the business man Nicolae Bucovala announced he will invest next year in a hotel in the ski resort of Predeal. The complex will be located near Cioplea ski slope. The plans that costed 140.000 euro showcase a 100 rooms property, to totalise 3000 sqm.
In the meantime the restoration works at Steaua de Mare Hotel are almost ready. The sea side resort brings a modern spa and wellness centre, that requested a 3,5 million euros investment alone. The aquisition of the hotels in Eforie Nord plus their remaking totalizes an investment of 15-16 million euro.
