Felicity Long
Is Romania ready for prime time? The Romanian Tourist Office thinks so and has launched a new media strategy aimed at attracting the attention of international visitors.
The tourist office unveiled a campaign and logo in New York earlier this month, showcasing what Simion Alb, director for North America for the Romanian Tourist Office, calls "the idea of natural Romania which, we believe, will be as important as history and culture in engaging our international visitors."
To come up with the new campaign, the tourist office pulled from the results of a survey of past visitors, spearheaded by the Ministry of Regional Development and funded by the European Union.
The survey discovered that the country's natural beauty, from the Danube and the Black Sea coast to the Carpathian Mountains, as well as the combination of Latin and Byzantine influences in its culture, defined much of Romania's appeal.
Recent statistics show that the destination has already made some inroads in the U.S. market, given that nearly 120,500 Americans visited Romania in the first eight months of 2010.
Projected out over a full year, that number would down slightly from the record 185,000 Americans who visited the country in 2008. The dip, however, mirrors tourism declines in the rest of Europe and can be attributed to the worldwide economic downturn.
Alb is looking to increase visitor numbers, targeting the more than 25 million Americans who have already been to Europe at least once and who may be looking to venture off the beaten path on their next trip.
"Our goal is to continue to introduce more and more Americans to our land and people and to make it easier to them to experience the real, authentic Romania," he said.
Travel agents looking for an event to build a leisure itinerary around in Romania can consider the George Enescu International Festival, set to take place in Bucharest September 1 to 25, 2011. The 20th biennial music festival will feature top international orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Berliner Kammerorchester, the Choir of the Bucharest National Opera House and dozens of others.
Next year's event takes on special significance, as it marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Enescu, considered the country's most famous composer.
For more on Romania, visit www.romania.travel.