Marian Constantinescu got again the TOSCAR
At the Travelport Gala, held in Bucharest, the editor and writer Marian Constantinescu received the prize for Best Media Partner 2011, consisting of the TOSCAR distinction. The prize was awarded by Anca Stănese, Travelport regional manager for South-Eastern Europe. This is the second distinction of this type given to Marian, after the Best Travel Author in 2009. These trophies complete the list of the other 16 prizes that have been underlining the contribution of Marian Constantinescu, author of 10 books, in the development of the tourism media and literature in Romania. In the same Gala other names where called: Dana Rodea (Most Dedicated Agent), Viorica Ionescu (Career Excellence Award), Luisa Scripcaru (Graduate of the Year) and the companies Aerotravel, Olimpic International, Vola.ro, Aqua Development, Eximtur, Eurolines, and Hotelair, etc.
TUI Romania makes business with TUI Turkey
Nova Travel agency, part of Eurolines and TUI Travel Center Romania, announced that
will operate, starting June, its first charter for the resorts in Antalia (Turkey). The flights will be assured by the Turkish company Pegasus Airlines, the complete product being a partnership with TUI Turkey. Metin Girgin, commercial director of TUI Turkey said that „from now on Romanian tourists will benefit of holiday packages with real prices, offering over 45 hotels, serious and financially solid partners.” At his turn Nicolae Lech, director of Nova Travel, said: „For this year we estimate that a number of 3.500 tourists will but the Charter TUI Turkey product. For 2015 we expect this number to reach 15.000.”
Air Vallee unites Florence with Bucharest
The Italian “low fares” company Air Vallee, operating also from Otopeni in Bucharest, announced that, starting March 25th, will bring a new connection for the city. This is the Florence – Bucharest route, three times a week, each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Tickets started to be booked January 13, with prices from 29 EUR/ segment, including taxes. A 20 kilos luggage can be check-ed in. Davide Strinna, country manager of Air Vallee, said: “Our decision comes to meet the requests. Florence is one of the favorite destinations of Romanian tourists but also a gate to the Romanian community in Tuscany.” The flights will be operated with Fokker 100 airplanes.
Tourism for the Arch of Triumph
The major of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, announced that the Arch of Triumph will benefit of financing through the POR mechanism, in order to be restored and properly conserved. The monument will also be included in the list of places to visit in the city due to the new interior project. Exhibition spaces, art gallery and pedestrian access are to be conceived. The project is coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism and Regional Development and will create 12 permanent jobs. It has as a target 25.000 visitors, in the first year after reopening. The total value of the project, that need three years for completion, is 30 million lei.
March 25th makes Băneasa a business airport
The “Aurel Vlaicu” Airport in Băneasa, the second aerial gate of Romania will become, starting March 25th, 2012, an exclusive airport for business flights.
As a result, all low-cost flights will be shifted to International Henri Coandă Airport in Otopeni. This step marks also the increase of operation tariffs, valid starting with the summer schedule. In order to meet the requirements of the new travelers a 2.5 million EUR investment finalized in Baneasa, in a business terminal. With two gates it has a 30.000 passenger capacity per year. “The other two terminals of Baneasa are to be modernized, and the call for studies was organized in December 2011” – said the representatives of Bucharest Airports National Company
Bucharest is COOL!
To be noted: according to a study of slate.fr the Capital of Romania is number 2 in the Top 
25 coolest places to go and study abroad. The 11 compared elements are related to: hosting, eating out, beverages, transport and the number of students (24% of the total population of the city in this case), etc. The first place went to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
Also, in a research of Euromonitor International, Bucharest in no. 55 among the 100 most visited cities in the world, by international travelers. In 2010 the capital received 2.1 million guests, 5.4% more than in 2009. The top rated cities in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe where Prague and Moscow (3.7 million visitors for each), followed by Vienna (3.5), Kiev (3.3) and Budapest (2.6 million).
New manager for Novotel Bucarest
Luc Gesvret, regional director of Accor for Czech Republic and Romania, presented the new general director of Novotel Bucarest City Centre Hotel: Stéphane Barbazan.
He has been activating in the hotel industry for the last 22 years in units in Europe, Indian Ocean, North Africa and the Caribbean. Barbazan comes to Bucharest from Shenzhen (China) where he managed the five stars Grand Mercure Oriental Ginza. “The Romanian market presents a high potential and my mission is, together with a young and highly motivated team, to create new quality services that will bring more value to this great brand of Accor chain”- said Barbazan.
The Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a Memorandum and an Agreement in order to cofinance the making of the pilot-project for the development of the tourist resorts of Borsec, Băile Herculane and Sulina. The cooperation is a part of the Country Program 2010 – 2012.
In an exclusive declaration for our magazine Jim Flannery, reprezentantive of World Travel Organization (WTO) in the experts team of UNDP, underlined the importance of the correct development of the three resorts: “Building somethig with the thought that visitors will fall from heaven could be assimilated to an economic suicidal. This is why we need marketing activities, which can be characterized more often as an investment and not as a spending process, because this costs bring money. In order to respond to the needs of international tourism the resorts will need a high standard make-up, starting with the hotels and ending with the services to be offered.”
