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.
Daniel Christian Hulea, a Romanian man accused of contributing to the NetWalker ransomware attacks, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, according to a public announcement from the US Department of Justice. NetWalker was a Ransomware-as-a-Service operation launched in 2019, which recruited […]
The new Romanian government, headed by the same Social Democratic prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, recently made its governance program public. Among its objectives are reducing the level of bureaucracy, maintaining the flat tax rate, and reducing the budget deficit to 7% in 2025. To reach its goals, the government reduced the number of ministries to […]
The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, December 23, that it disbursed payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Czechia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Romania, totaling EUR 26.8 billion in loans and grants. Under this latest disbursement, Romania received EUR 37.05 million as part of its second payment request. By comparison, according to the...
Romanian film trilogy Moromeții, directed by Stere Gulea, will be presented at the 54th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, taking place from January 30 to February 9, 2025. This renowned European event, which annually presents hundreds of films across more than 20 sections, will feature the three films - Moromeții (1987), Moromeții 2 […]
Romania issued state aid worth EUR 1.3 billion during 2019-2023, with 62% of the projects being granted to foreign companies, according to an analysis conducted by EY Romania. The sectors that benefited the most from aid were the automotive industry, technology, manufacturing (light industry), medical industry, and the food and beverage industry. According to the […]
The Abracadabra – Secrets of Magic interactive exhibition will transform Arcub – Hanul Gabroveni in Bucharest into a magical universe starting December 27, 2024. Running until May 4, 2025, the event offers visitors the opportunity to explore a labyrinth of magic, featuring over 20 interactive attractions and more than 500 live performances by MAGITOT and […]
