Romanians would go to local seaside resorts this summer, but they want hotels to take safety measures

More than 78% of the respondents to a survey conducted in May by online travel agency Litoralulromanesc.ro said that they want to return to Romanian seaside resorts this summer. Still, they want hotel operators to take safety precautions.

"The special measures taken by hotel owners represent the most important criterion for tourists planning a vacation at the seaside, most of them saying that the installation of disinfectant dispensers, the wearing of masks by staff and the disinfection of children's playgrounds would make them feel safe," reads the survey quoted by News.ro.

Most respondents believe that hotel operators should install disinfectant dispensers (88.2%), the hotel staff should wear protective masks (70.4%), and children's playgrounds should be disinfected (62.3%). Some tourists would also want disposable bed linen, while others would want hotel owners to give up the use of beach mattresses, to disinfect the rooms after each tourist, and to check the temperature of employees and tourists daily.

However, the same survey revealed that, although most Romanians would want hotel staff to wear protective masks, not all of those planning a vacation at the seaside would accept the obligation to wear masks in enclosed public spaces. In this case, the share of those planning a seaside holiday this summer decreases from 78% to 64%.

Asked to say why they would choose a local seaside resort instead of a beach destination abroad this summer, most respondents (48%) said they usually prefer to spend their holidays in Romania, while 17% said they choose Romanian resorts at the Black Sea because they feel safer here. For more than 15% it's important that they can reach their destination by car, while 10.3% prefer local resorts because they are closer to home, and 7.5% feel safer because they do not have to cross the border.

The survey was conducted online between May 10 and May 19, on a sample of 1,181 people.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Mircea Manole)