US film production company Warren Miller to shoot winter destination film in Romania

A production team from the US film production company Warren Miller Entertainment will spend two weeks in Romania to shoot a film promoting the Carpathian mountain and winter tourism in the country. Romania's Tourism Ministry will spend around EUR 18,500 showing the team of producers around, to areas like Sinaia, Brasov, Azuga, Balea Lac, the Peles Castle, the ministry has announced. The visit coincides with the end of infrastructure work on the Prahova valley- the area the Americans will visit - , as Romania will host the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2013. “The presence of the production team is an excellent opportunity to promote internationally the fact that Romania will host the event,” writes a statement from the Tourism Ministry.

The film produced by Warren Miller Entertainment will be distributed from the fall of 2012 to cinema halls across 80 metropolitan areas in the US and in 88 cities in Canada, UK, Germany, Austria, Australia and the New Zealand, as well as broadcast on TV and on the Internet. The film producers are known for films dedicated to ski and snowboard lovers, presenting a new winter sports destination at the beginning of every winter season. The country's Tourism Ministry is currently organizing public tendering procedures for the products and services included in the EUR 18.500 budget for this promotion project. Romania has started to promote its tourism in recent years, struggling to become more visible internationally, while also working on improving domestic tourism infrastructure. The Tourism Ministry invested in new ski slopes and winter sport equipments, the most recent being the opening of two new slopes and an artificial snow installation plus a night lighting system in Busteni mountain resort, at a cost of EUR 850,000, most of which covered by EU funding. The largest ski area in Romania was also recently opened in Poiana Brasov mountain resort in the country, following an investment of EUR 25 million. The ski slopes in Romania’s Poiana Brasov currently have a total length of 24 km and spread over an area of 85 ha. Former Development and Tourism Minister Elena Udrea said she signed EU-funded contracts worth EUR 5 billion, when handing over the helm of the ministry to her successor, Cristian Petrescu. editor@romania-insider.com