Small towns in Romania go for marketing spin to unlock tourism potential

Local authorities and NGOs that want to promote three areas of Romania try to unlock their potential by giving a marketing spin to what they offer, in a quest for tourists. Local festivals and town branding are part of the recipe they use. Romania-Insider.com looks at how Bistrita, Blaj and Sfanta Ana lake use their brands to attract tourists.

By Irina Popescu Every town, city, or region in Romania has its own story to tell, its own places to be seen, and its own people to be met, but most of the time, very few know about them without proper promotion. That is, maybe, the reason why some regions in Romania are less known and why either the local municipalities or non-governmental organization started to promote them. St. Ana Lake gets its own festival On such example of unlocking the tourism potential of an area is the debut edition of the "St. Ana Lake Day" (Ziua Lacului sfanta Ana) festival, which will take place on Sunday, July 24, in one of Romania's beautiful places. Sfanta Ana Lake (in main picture), at the border between the counties of Harghita and Covasna, at the altitude of 946 m, in the Ciomatu mountain, is the only lake of volcanic origin in Central and Eastern Europe. This event, together with similar ones across Romania's smaller towns, marks a new stage in the promotion of the Romanian tourism. Financed with European funds and organized by the foundation Eco-Hangu, the Sf. Ana lake festival wants to bring back traditions and local values and fuel tourism in the area. The event includes cooking contests, boat competitions on the lake, guided boat competitions for children, and folk dance. The local music sounds will be brought on stage by the folk-rock band "Szekler Band". MAP for the Sfanta Ana Lake. Bistrita's new logo and slogan: Transylvania's gate

The Romanian town of Bistrita, with 83,000 inhabitants, tries to promote itself with a new branding campaign, this time started by the City Hall. The authorities have created a tourism brand to promote Bistrita, namely the Medieval Bistrita Citadel. This was part of the "Medieval Bistrita Citadel Tourist Promotion" program, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Regional Operational Program. The total value of the project is of around EUR 230,000. The town has a new logo and a new mascot, inspired by the ostrich with a horseshoe in its beak, along with a new slogan: “Bistrita, Transylvania's gate”. Later this year, a Medieval Tourism Fair is also planned for Bistrita, an event that will help promoting the city.