Growth in tourism sector slows down in Romania in February

The total number of tourists who checked into Romanian hotels and guesthouses went up by 3.9% in February versus the same month of last year, to 705,900, according to the National Statistics Institute (INS). In January, the number of tourists increased by 9.6%, to 722,100. The slowdown in February was mainly on the Romanian tourists segment, which only grew by 3.2% year-on-year, down from a growth rate of 10% in January. The number of foreign tourists who checked into local hotels reached 144,800 in February, up 6.8% over February 2017. In January, the growth rate on this segment was 10%. In the first two months of this year, the number of incoming foreign tourists reached 293,800, up 8.4% year-on-year. Asia was the fastest-growing market for new tourists, with a 17.7% in the number of visitors compared to 2016 data. Israel and Italy surpassed Germany as the main countries of origin for foreign tourists in Romania. Over 33,000 Israeli tourists and 32,000 Italians visited Romania in the first two months. How much does a foreign tourist spend on average in Romania? editor@romania-insider.com