The tour operator litoralulromanesc.ro , one of the most important players on the seaside , with a portfolio of 500 accommodation structures in 13 resorts, has carried out the first analysis of the 2023 season. The data collected shows that tourists paid, on average, 546 euros for two people, maintaining a similar level to that of 2022. Of the total reservations, 26% were paid with holiday vouchers. The average length of stay was 4,8 nights. On the other hand, the tour operator claims that an increasingly obvious trend has been accentuated in recent years: Romanians are very attentive to the quality-price ratio when they want a stay on the local seaside and are willing to allocate larger holiday budgets if the tourist package includes other services in addition to accommodation and meals.
"More and more tourists include in the list of criteria according to which they choose a seaside accommodation unit access to a private beach or swimming pool, sunbeds as part of the package cost, leisure options and entertainment options. The most sought after are 3 and 4 star hotels, which have adapted to the demands of tourists and created complex packages. Under these conditions, the degree of satisfaction of tourists has also increased slightly compared to last season", adds Ionuț Nedea.
Here are the marks the Romanians gave to the hotels where they spent their vacations on the coast
According to the almost 12.000 tourists who gave feedback at the end of their stay at the seaside, the cleanliness of the hotels was rated 8.59 out of 10, the services received - with 8.28, the positioning of the hotel - with 8.99, the hotel staff - with 8.56, the quality ratio - price - by 8.15, and the equipment of accommodation units - by 7.82. On the other hand, the feedback left by tourists for the way they interacted with the travel advisors within the agency exceeds the average of 9 in all the analyzed categories, namely responsiveness, friendliness, information provided, procedure and recommendation.
Over 36% of all those who chose the Romanian coast this summer are from the capital. In second place is the county of Prahova, with 5,92% of the total number of tourists coming to the seaside, and in the third position is the county of Cluj, with 5,27% of the total. Next, the top 10 counties from which tourists come to the sea are: Timiș (5,20%), Brașov (4,44%), Iași (4,30%), Argeș (2,75%), Bacău (2,14%), Dolj (2,14%) and Suceava (2,10%). At the opposite pole are the counties of Tulcea, Ialomița, Mehedinți and Sălaj, which, cumulatively, do not add up to even two percent.
According to data from Litoralulromanesc.ro, the main category of tourists who choose the Black Sea resorts as a vacation destination, namely 68% of the total, is made up of families. The next category is represented by couples, 22% of the total. Regarding the ranking by the “age” criterion, 41,9% of the tourists who choose the local seaside are between 25 and 44 years old, followed by those in the 45-54 age segment, which represents 28% of the total. In third place are seniors in the 55-64 age category, respectively 12%.
The first packages of the 2024 Early Registration program have been released
The first reservations in hotels in seaside resorts for 2024 have already been made, announces Litoralulromanesc.ro, the largest tour operator in this holiday segment, which states that most packages for next year will be available from the end of September, under the reservation conditions of the Early Registration program.
“Overall, the 2023 season was quite complicated for seaside tourism operators. However, our agency managed to adapt to the context and register a 25% increase in bookings compared to last year, which is due to the continuation of the digitalization process, the implementation of software solutions, as well as the rapid response to tourists' needs. We had periods when our agents could barely cope with the large flow of requests, but also periods of calm, caused mainly by external factors, such as the education strike in June, which slowed down the pace of bookings. However, the local seaside did not lack tourists, the busiest intervals being the end of June and mid-August. Some of them, generally loyal tourists to this destination, contacted us to book their 2024 stay right from the moment they ended their vacation this year ,” says Ionuț Nedea, CEO Romanian Coastline.ro.
According to the tour operator's data, many Romanians prefer to book their seaside vacation in advance to benefit from the advantages of the Early Registration program, namely a discount of up to 50% and the possibility to pay the package in installments.
