How much do Romanians plan to spend for Christmas and New Year’s?

Romanians will spend an average of RON 1,500 this year (some EUR 340) for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the budget being similar to the one in 2013, according to a recent study conducted by Mednet Marketing Research Center. “If in 2013 we enjoyed a budget increase of RON 300 compared to December 2012, this year, we have no significant differences from a statistical point of view, compared to last year," according to Mednet. Over 35% of the surveyed urban population said they intend to spend under RON 1,000 (EUR 225) for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, while the budget of 26.4% of respondents slightly climbs towards the average of RON 1,500 (EUR 340). The average amount allotted for food and drinks is of some RON 602 (EUR 135) this year, similar to the one the previous year, while the average budget for non-food products is of RON 467 (EUR 105), down from RON 498 (EUR 110) in December 2013. There are more urban residents who plan to go on trips/tours during winter holidays, but the allotted amount for these activities dropped from RON 1,524 (some EUR 341) in 2013, to RON 1,149 (EUR 258), the study shows. Another category of costs related to the winter holidays is the “going out/to a restaurant”. For this category, Romanians intend to allocate an average budget of RON 372 (EUR 83), the same as last year. Almost 90% of respondents plan to offer Christmas and New Year’s Eve gifts this year, the main products being shoes/clothing items, toys and cosmetics. The average amount they plan to spend on these gifts is of RON 470 (EUR 105), slightly up from December 2013. Over half of respondents will not buy a natural Christmas tree this year, mainly because some 43% already own an artificial one, according to the study. More than 90% of the Romanians plan to spend the New Year’s Eve in the country, while only 3.5% intend to go abroad. The study was conducted between November 25 and November 28 on a sample of 800 people representative for Bucharest and cities with over 100,000 inhabitants. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com