More foreign tourists came to Romania in October but Romanians still book most of the hotel rooms

Italian, German and French tourists appeared to be the most important income generators for the Romanian hotel industry in October this year, while Israeli, American and Swiss visitors also ranked high up on the biggest spenders list, according to the National Statistics Institute (INS).

A little over 5 percent more foreign tourists sought shelter on Romanian shores during October, while almost 10 percent more Romanian tourists checked into a hotel during the same months, as compared to last year’s figures for October. A break-down by purpose of visit sees 65 percent of tourists come to Romania for business, and only 35 percent for private visits to friends and families. Accommodation, which eats up almost 60 percent of budgets, restaurant and bar treats, which take 15 percent out of visitors’ pocket money and other miscellaneous purchases are the three main directions in which business visitors’ money gets spent. Transportation fares are also high up on this expenditure list, while half of the remaining finances get pumped into Romanian casinos. Tourists coming to Romania for non-business purposes show different spending habits. Most of the money they spend goes on bed and breakfast/hotel packages. The hotel industry had its share of this pie with 642,500 people accommodated in Romania this October, which puts hotel use up by almost 10 percent as compared to last year’s records. Roughly three quarters of incoming tourists were Romanian, with foreigners accounting for almost a quarter of arrivals, an overall situation very similar to last year’s. Hotels appear to be the preferred form of accommodation, with almost 80 percent of tourists checking into them. As for Romanians going abroad, in October 2012 there was a 5.8 percent increase in departures, as compared to last year’s situation. The preferred means of transportation was by car and bus - three quarters of the total. A look at the overall image of short, overnight stays in hotels for the month of October 2012 points to most visitors being Romanian (82.8 percent). This situation is consistent with last year’s figures which reflects Romanians’ financially motivated preference for domestic trips – three quarters of them - rather than for travel abroad. Ioana Jelea (photo source: sxc.hu)