Survey: Romanian tourists choose local destinations

A total of 83% of respondents to a study carried out by lender Raiffeisen Bank in partnership with market research company Appinio have already made their vacation plans. A share of 6% will not go on holiday, while 12% have not yet finalized their vacation plans.

About half of those who already have vacation plans in place prefer a five-to-ten-day stay at the seaside. Next in popularity are weekend getaways, either mountain destinations (32%) or seaside ones (25%). A quarter of participants opt for city breaks, and 21% choose distant destinations, which involve longer vacations of up to three weeks.

Local tourism remains the main choice for 70% of respondents, followed by stays in Greece (24%), Bulgaria (18%) and Turkey (15%).

The increase in costs determined by inflation and the current economic context significantly influences holiday decisions. The average holiday budget for two people reaches RON 7,200 (about EUR 1,440), according to the survey. One in five Romanians estimates that they will spend less than RON 3,000 (approximately EUR 600), 35% will have a budget between RON 3,500 and RON 6,000 (approximately EUR 1,200), and 5% say that they will spend over RON 15,000 on their next holiday.

A total of 40% of those who are not going on holiday or do not yet have a plan mention a lack of money or have not yet made a decision regarding their holiday.

Other constraints on the holiday budget include lack of time, the need to be present at work, or other plans that involve higher expenses, such as home renovation.

At the same time, 63% of the respondents estimate increases in vacation expenses between 10% and 50% compared to last year.

Inflation and the local context (political, economic) are the main causes for the increase in planned expenses for outings and vacations in 2025 compared to 2024.

Romanians who have planned their summer vacation use, on average, two ways to pay for expenses. A share of 58% of respondents save for vacations, 43% pay from their disposable monthly income, while two out of ten use a credit card or vacation vouchers. The CAWI-type study, representative at the national level, was conducted among 1,000 people from May - to June 2025.

(Photo: Aleksandar Todorovic | Dreamstime.com)