Romania's tourism and HoReCa sectors should not have to bear the full brunt of the drop in consumption, and I hope that next year we will once again grant the incoming tourism bonus, Irineu Darau—the interim Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism—stated on Wednesday during a press conference reviewing his six-month term.

'We need to have a serious discussion about the drop in consumption and how it has affected the tourism sector. We must take proportionate steps to ease the burden on the hospitality industry. There are countless tools available for this, and we need to invest in marketing. I hope that next year we can once again offer that 'incoming' bonus—rewarding the effort of bringing each foreign tourist to Romania. (...) I am neither a proponent of state control nor an interventionist, but we cannot leave the hospitality sector to bear the full brunt of the decline in consumption,' the minister said.

He stated that he would soon submit several proposals to the Government to support Romanian tourism and the hospitality industry.


'I know there is a need for this, and that is the message I am receiving. Flexibility in workforce management is also required. The sector went through a difficult period during the pandemic. Naturally, the VAT hike affected it, as did—to some extent—the narrowing of the scope for holiday vouchers. (...) I have already submitted the matter for analysis and will put forward several proposals, though I do not know if the Government will choose even a single one of them,' Darau noted.

He added that, upon arriving at the ministry six months ago, he found a 'semi-functional' Tourism Advisory Council, whose activity he has since intensified.

'This year, we doubled the tourism promotion budget compared to the previous year, improved our participation in industry trade fairs on short notice, and are seeking more innovative, modern ways to promote tourism in order to attract foreign visitors. We officially recognized Via Transilvaniei as Romania's first hiking trail of national interest—a landmark with the potential to become an international symbol of Romanian tourism. We cleared 98 outstanding payment files dating back to 2015 for tourism operators and modernized the classification standards for tourism facilities; for the first time, we introduced accessibility requirements for people with disabilities and digital information access via QR codes, while also removing numerous provisions that were no longer relevant to current realities. The last update had been made in 2013. We launched a €10 million PNRR call for proposals dedicated to Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), which are essential for the professional promotion of local destinations. Five Romanian beaches received the international Blue Flag certification this year,' the head of the Economy Ministry added during the review.

Irineu Darau emphasized that the ministry will define the legislation and governance for the destination management organization at the national level.

'We will also improve Romanian legislation to implement European regulations and ensure market fairness. We will urgently digitize the guest registration form and simplify the classification registration process because, in my view, we need to rapidly create a simple, digital ecosystem that allows booking platforms to quickly implement European obligations and brings the tourism sector—including short-term rentals—fully into the formal economy (...),' the minister stated. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache;EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)

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