Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Irineu Darau said on Friday in Sfantu Gheorghe that support measures are needed for the HoReCa sector, which is going through a difficult period amid falling consumer spending and broader economic challenges.

Following a meeting with entrepreneurs from Covasna County, the minister said representatives of the hospitality industry had reported difficulties comparable to those experienced during the pandemic, mainly due to the sharp decline in consumer spending.

'The feedback we received from the HoReCa sector was largely about how difficult this period is for tourism. Investments in tourism are continuing and efforts are still being made, but consumer spending has fallen significantly and the impact is being felt severely. I also believe that reasonable support measures need to be found, because those in the HoReCa sector are right when they say that the current situation is as difficult as it was during the pandemic. Perhaps not quite like the very beginning, when everything was shut down, but there is a major downturn being felt and we cannot allow this entire industry to collapse, even though I do not believe in excessive state intervention, with the state stepping in to solve everything,' Irineu Darau said at a press conference.

The minister stressed that solutions should be found as quickly as possible to ease the difficulties faced by operators in the HoReCa sector.

'I believe that in the second half of this year, or, if not, right from the beginning of next year, we need to come up with solutions that will make things a little easier for them,' he added.
AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Malina Negrea; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)

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