For weeks, there was a real fight between representatives of the HORECA industry and the higher-ups of the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment (those who have a Tourism department after the abolition of the dedicated ministry) for the opening of hotels, terraces and guesthouses. If in Romania no one knew clearly what and how to do for the 2020 summer season , states with experience in tourism were already preparing online promotion campaigns. Half of June coincided with the opening of hotels and terraces on the coast , but also those in mountain resorts. I think that even the doorman of the Ministry of Economy realized that 2020 is a great chance for domestic tourism. Unfortunately, I note that the only ones who started promotion campaigns were also private companies, and the state, through the only tourism department, did like the old owners of seaside hotels . "And they have nowhere to go! They're going to Romania anyway , why bother?"
We promote Romania with messages from some officials on Facebook...and that's it
I bet many of you didn't even know, but the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, through the General Directorate of Tourism, launched the "Be an ambassador of Romanian tourism!" campaign, a digital challenge that aims to support the hospitality industry, which has been hard-pressed this year, thus encouraging Romanians to rediscover the beauty of our country and promote it online. The initiative is supported by well-known names in Romania, through positive video messages, encouraging domestic tourism.
And the messages come!
So as not to be accused of subjectivism, I will also repeat the official call launched for this promotional campaign. “The challenge is open to all those who wish to support Romanian tourism and thus be ambassadors of the much-loved places they wish to rediscover.”
Don't ask me what to do with the video messages that tourists will record because I do NOT know how to answer you even though I tried to find out. Such indications were probably lost in the rail file of this campaign.
I looked in the yard of the "neighbors" in Greece, Egypt and Dubai and I seem to forget about Romania altogether
It's not just tourism in our country that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. The problem is global, the solutions are different! We have selected the promotional campaigns that the authorities in Greece , Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have created.
EGYPT
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Tourism employers criticize the initiative of the Ministry
"While competing countries: Bulgaria , Greece, Egypt, rely on 90% incoming tourism, Romania has never had this type of tourism developed, although we would have liked it, which in the current pandemic situation is an advantage. We could have taken advantage of this aspect and made a simple, effective campaign, presenting the beauties of Romania, health safety and the good and effective measures that have been taken in hotels, arousing the desire to travel to Romania, thus countering the furious campaign of competing destinations, which are attacking from all sides. In conclusion, an intelligent campaign made by "amateurs" who work in tourism would have been much more effective", claims Dragoș Răducan, first executive vice president of the Federation of Tourism Employers in Romania.
