"They are tourists for whom the conditions of a 2-star hotel are better or comparable to their everyday life"

Aurelian Marin is the manager of the Paradis Vacanţe de Vis company in Constanta and the former president of the National Association of Travel Agencies. A man who fought for Blue Air to maintain domestic summer flights and even took a loss in the first year in this sector. He gambled and won by offering accommodation packages with free flights if the vacation exceeded six nights.

You run one of the most powerful seaside travel agencies with a portfolio of thousands of rooms all over the coast . Can you explain to me why Romanians continue to choose dilapidated two-star hotels instead of spending their holidays in at least three stars, even if they pay a few dozen lei more. What prompts them to make these choices?

The vast majority of tourists choose 3 and 4* hotels. In recent years, 2* tourists have migrated to 3*, and 3* tourists have migrated to 4*. There are not many 2* hotels on the Romanian coast anymore . There are a few, and those who choose them either have a very small budget or are not particularly interested in any conditions or facilities.

They simply want a low budget, clean room with hot water to sleep in. There are tourists for whom the conditions of a 2* hotel are better or comparable to their everyday life, so they do not perceive a 2* hotel negatively. Some 2* hotels are well positioned in front of the beach or other points of interest for them, and then this matters in the choice they make.

"There is a possibility that tourists who traditionally went to hotels will start choosing apartments due to the lower costs. In any case, the holiday apartment market cannot be ignored, especially since it is already very large on the entire coast"

The fashion for holiday apartments has spread along the entire coast from north to south. Is there a market for both segments or is it a battle between the two camps to win tourists?

It's not a fight yet! At the moment there is a market for both segments. Moreover, the customer profile is different in the 2 segments. It is not a struggle given that, at this moment, the coast is a sought-after destination. When there are syncopes in terms of demand, it is possible that there will be a "conflict" between hotels and apartments. There is a possibility that tourists who traditionally went to hotels will start choosing apartments due to the lower costs. In any case, the holiday apartment market cannot be ignored, especially since it is already very large along the entire coast.

"Many times, pictures or information on the net can be misleading and create higher expectations for tourists than reality offers"

Why should I choose a travel agency and not plan my vacation myself?

There are some clear reasons. Most of the time, tourists benefit from lower rates. They have advice, especially for destinations they have not been to before or which are not very common. They have the possibility to pay in installments and personalized, depending on the periods in which they could pay. They can benefit from various discounts or loyalty facilities. They are constantly kept up to date with news or special offers and, very importantly, they have someone to turn to in case of any problems. Many times, pictures or information on the net can be misleading and create higher expectations for tourists than reality offers. A good consultant has the necessary experience to distinguish these situations and give good advice to tourists.

In hotel jargon, the prices charged at hotel receptions are called "sucker rates" because they are excessively high. How did this policy come about?

All over the world the reception rate is higher or much higher than a rate contracted between the hotel and a tour operator. The rate is much higher precisely to encourage customers to make reservations in advance through other channels and not to come to the reception. Those who do not do this and still arrive at the hotel without a reservation and want to stay... have no choice but to pay this very high rate because they have no alternative anyway. That's how it is in business!

How much does a five-night accommodation package for 1 cost me today and how much does one cost in April?

For example, today a five-night offer, at a four-star hotel in Mamaia , for a double room with half board, will cost you 1041 lei/person. At a three-star, also in Mamaia, with breakfast, you will pay between 405 lei and 570 lei per person for a three-night package.

Describe the resort of Mamaia in one word?

Holidays!

“ Family travelers are the main tourists on the Romanian coast”

The southern coast has managed in recent years to attract tourists from the west of the country and less from the south and east where the population still prefers all-inclusive holidays in Greece and Turkey . How do we bring Romanian family members back to our coast?

 Families are the main tourists of the Romanian coast. I think that the investments in the still unrenovated hotels (many of them with great potential) and the opening of hotel resorts with many facilities and options for tourists are what can keep tourists on our coast.

"You're expensive. A somewhat failed experiment. It was built a lot, stupidly and chaotically"

Let's take an x-ray of the Romanian coast! What are the resorts that have chances to grow and what is happening at Costinesti, the resort where everything seems to be in place for good years?

There are several resorts with real growth potential and I will explain why. The order is random, there is no ranking:

1. Neptune-Olympus. It is in a rather accelerated process of changing the owners of the old and still unrenovated hotels. In 2-3 years most will be sold and we expect that in a maximum of 5 years we will have a different Neptun-Olympus. They could become top resorts again.
2. Saturn.The resort still has only one owner on most of the hotels, but a wind of change is felt here as well. I think that in the near future, some of these hotels will be sold one by one. The material base is good, many of these hotels are renovated, and the resort is directly on the beach. Saturn has enormous growth potential, especially for families, respectively for the all inclusive system.
3. EforieNorth/South. An enormous, little-exploited potential in the spa area. The two can become resorts of 11 months/year instead of 3-4 months now. I am looking forward to a major transformation of the Eforie Sud resort, one of the most beautiful resorts on the coast (not now an almost abandoned one).
4.  You cost. A somewhat failed experiment. It was built a lot, stupidly and chaotically. There are few economic operators who do the performance and who are professionals. Lots of unfair competition!