More Romanians prefer romantic city breaks abroad on Valentine’s. How much do they spend?

Romanians have started to take advantage of the cheaper plane tickets to spend their Valentine’s Day abroad. More and more couples pamper themselves with city breaks in Europe while some prefer more expensive getaways in exotic destinations in Africa or the Middle East. Most of the couples who choose to spend a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend abroad prefer city breaks in European cities, such as Rome, Paris, London, followed by Munich and Prague, according to Romanian online tour operator Paravion.ro. “The average budget is around EUR 300 per person, which includes plate tickets and two nights in a 3- or 4-star hotel,” said Remus Visan, managing director of Paravion.ro. More Romanians offer their loved ones holidays abroad as Valentine’s Day gift, as plane tickets are significantly cheaper than last year. The average value Romanians paid for a round trip between February 9 and February 22 went down to just EUR 75 (per person) from EUR 200, in the same period of last year, according to Romanian online travel agency eSKY.ro. The significant decline was determined by more destinations covered by low-cost airlines and the special offers launched during this period by both cheap and regular airlines. Most Romanians prefer flying to Italy in this period (some 29%), followed by the UK (20%), Belgium (11%), Germany, Spain, and France. London, Brussels, Rome, Venice, and Amsterdam, are the most popular cities, followed by Nice, Paris, Barcelona, Milano and Istanbul, according to eSKY. The minimum value of a ticket purchased by eSKY’s clients in this period was EUR 17, for a flight from Timisoara to Milan, while the most expensive was EUR 315, for a trip to Hurghada, in Egypt. There are also tourists who are willing to spend more and to have longer holidays. The most expensive package sold by Paravion.ro was a seven-night holiday for two in Dubai in a five-star hotel, for which one client paid EUR 1,700. State airline marks Romania’s love holiday with EUR 99 return tickets this February editor@romania-insider.com