The number of foreign tourists who visited Romania increased by 10.7% in the first nine months of 2014, compared to the same period of 2013, to 1.48 million, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INS).

The number of European tourists increased by 6.2%, to almost 1.15 million. There were also 171,000 tourists from Asia, up by 35% compared to the first nine months of 2013, and 103,000 tourists from North America, a 26% increase year-on-year.

Most foreign tourists came from Germany (185,000), Italy (138,000) and Israel (106,000). Next come France, with 96,000 tourists, and the U.S., with 88,400, INS data shows.

More than three quarters of foreign tourists came to Bucharest and other big cities, as business travelers.

INS data reflects the number of check-ins into Romanian hotels and guesthouses. Almost 5.1 million Romanian tourists also checked in local hotels in the first nine months, 4.9% more than in the same period of 2013.

This brings the total number of tourists registered in local accommodation units to 6.57 million, up by 6.1% compared to the first nine months of last year.

In September, the total number of tourists in local hotels increased by 10.8%, to 826,000. There were 614,000 Romanian tourists, up by 11.4% compared to September 2013, and 212,000 foreign tourists, up by 9%.

editor@romania-insider.com