Romania promotes its destinations at Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair

Starting April 23, Romania participates in the 23rd edition of the Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair (KITF), promoting at its stand picturesque destinations such as Mures, Harghita, Bucovina, but also the seaside attractions of Constanta - Mamaia."Romania's entry to the Schengen Area made us the star destination at the fair this year, where tour operators from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Asian countries stormed Romania's stand, just like the year before. If at any tourism fair in Europe we are 'just' another European country, being outshined by the large and generous stands of competing European destinations which have much larger promotion budgets, at the Kazakhstan Fair we are a star destination, as we represent the gateway to a holiday experience in Europe," declared Corina Martin, secretary general of the Employers Federation of Romania's Hospitality Industry (FPIOR) and honorary consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Romania, as cited in a release.She underscored that participation in the fair is extremely important in order to be able to showcase Romanian destinations to Kazakh tourists "right at their home"."For the first time last year we proposed the public ministry and the colleagues in the industry that we start promoting ourselves on an extremely important tourist market, not yet tapped into by Romania, and I thank Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, Digital Transformation and Tourism Bogdan Ivan and our colleagues from Mures, Harghita and Bucovina - present with us here, for enabling us to further rely on the timeliness and importance of presenting Romanian destinations on the Kazakh tourist market, at home, through Romania's participation in this fair," said Corina Martin.According to her, there are several thousand Kazakh employees at the refineries Petromidia Navodari and Vega, Ploiesti, and they are visited annually by family and friends, who return and spread the word about "Romania's unique tourist attractions". Among the favorites are: Dracula's Castle in Bran, Peles Castle in Sinaia, the Transfagarasan mountain motorway, Transylvania, the Danube Delta and the multiethnic and rich region of Dobrogea with its diversified littoral resorts and Ana Aslan rejuvenation therapies.An official meeting took place on Wednesday at the fair with Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sport Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, where the sides agreed to conclude a Memorandum of Cooperation on the cross-promotion of the two destinations - Romania and Kazakhstan."I am glad that we received the Kazakh official's approval and we will submit as soon as possible the proposal for the cross-organization of info trips with Kazakh journalists, bloggers and tour operators in Romania, and Romanians in Kazakhstan, respectively. Currently, the Port of Constanta has become a nodal center of major interest in the movement of goods between the Caucasus basin and Western Europe, which has generated a substantial increase in the volume of business trips between Kazakhstan and Romania; Kazakh officials and business people are discovering Romania with amazement, a country that was not promoted until last year in Kazakhstan, but which they then want to revisit as tourists," added Corina Martin who is also president of the RESTO Constanta Employers' Association.Last but not least, the hospitality association representative argued that promoting on a niche market can represent a real opportunity to attract Kazakh tourists to holiday destinations and cities in Romania.Alongside representatives of the mentioned destinations, the Romanian stand also accommodates the Employers Federation of Romania's Hospitality Industry (FPIOR) and RESTO Constanta, as well as a well-known hotel complex in Bucovina and the tour operator Mistral Tours.The Kazakhstan Tourism Fair brings together exhibitors from many countries, including Georgia, the U.A.E., the Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand, Azerbaijan etc., but also an impressive series of hotels and resorts that come to promote themselves at this fair.