As many as 121,000 visitors welcomed this New Year's Eve at a Romanian tourist destination, by 32 percent less compared to two years ago, with traveler spending on this occasion standing at almost 25.6 million euros, 40 percent down from the same period of 2019, which is a landmark for pre-pandemic domestic tourism, the Federation of Romanian Tourism Employers (FPTR) said in a release on Monday.Unlike the previous years, New Year's Eve bookings were made at the last minute and the length of stay was cut from 5 to 3 nights of accommodation compared to the year before, because the legally non-working days of January 1 and 2 were on the weekend.As a result, many of Romania's tourist accommodation facilities only had a low occupancy rate or were even empty, FPTR notes.The New Year's Eve tourist flow was highest in rural facilities - at approximately 48,000 bookings, yet 20 percent down from the 2019/2020 New Year's Eve.Second in the ranking of domestic destinations chosen by New Year's travelers were mountain resorts, where over 40,000 tourists celebrated the start of 2022, 18 percent less than in 2019.The most sought after resorts were the widely popular attractions in Prahova Valley, Poiana Brasov, the Rucar-Bran area, Paltinis, Ranca, Straja, as well as those in Maramures and Bucovina. A novelty was the opening of Romania's first Olympic ski slope and of the gondola lift in the Borsa mountain resort located at the foot of the Pietrosul Rodnei Mountains.Also, 16,000 Romanians spent New Year's Eve in spa resorts, down 37 percent compared to 2019.The steepest slump in bookings - 57 percent, hit Bucharest and major city hotels and restaurants, causing many locations to close due to the lack of tourists and staff. Only 13,500 Romanians spent New Year's Eve at a hotel located in a large urban center, and the minimum stay was of mere 2 nights.The Danube Delta and the Romanian seaside also saw a slimmer number of tourist bookings compared to other destinations.FPTR first executive vice-president Dragos Raducan explained that with no holiday vouchers in circulation, the number of tourists in unclassified structures has increased.
Druid AI today announced it has secured USD 31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim. The investment was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures. Kim has more […]
Drivers in Bucharest lose, on average, 12 working days annually due to congestion, according to Traffic Index 2025, an analysis carried out by the Institute for Visionary Cities. The index compares how much circulation slows down on working days compared to a free-flow regime, for the 41 county seat municipalities and Bucharest. According to the analysis, […]
Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies held a moment of silence on Monday, September 15, for American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at a university event on September 10. The marking of Kirk’s death came at the initiative of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians, or AUR. Both Kirk […]
A mountain shelter is scheduled to open this fall in the Făgăraș Mountains' Curmătura Bratilei area following a EUR 60,000 investment. The shelter, located at an altitude of 2,100 meters, is built by the private ophthalmopediatric hospital Infosan in partnership with the non-profit Carpați Mountain Association and the Brașov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU Brașov). The […]
The official trailer for The Yellow Tie/Cravata Galbenă, a major international production about the life of renowned Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, has been released, with the film set to hit cinemas nationwide on November 14. The cast includes John Malkovich and Miranda Richardson, both double Academy Award nominees, along with Ben Schnetzer, Kate Phillips, Sean […]
The presidential elections held in November 2024 in Romania were influenced by a large-scale hybrid war orchestrated by Russia before they were cancelled, according to general prosecutor Alex Florența. Romania’s presidential election was annulled last December after declassified reports alleged Russian involvement in cyber activities aimed at undermining the integrity...
