GREEN MARKETING STRATEGIES WITHIN ROMANIAN TOURISM ENTERPRISES

The present trends in the tourism sector reveal a constant pressure to implement sustainable development practices. The reduced number of eco-certified accommodation units in our country is an element which shows, on the one hand, the reluctance of owners to introduce environmental management practices and specific green marketing tools, and on the other hand, the lack of tourists’ interest to consume green accommodation services. At the same time, tourism intermediaries show reduced interest in promoting eco-certified tourism products. This article aims to identify through a comparative analysis which is the actual status of Romanian eco-certified accommodation units, the extent to which Romanian intermediaries promote eco-certified tourism products and, also, to evaluate the perspectives of Romanian tourism enterprises to apply green marketing strategies

M-Devices` Use For Purchasing Tourism Products by the Young Generation

The development of information technologies has revolutionized the buying process for tourism products. Visitors' access to information has greatly expanded, their selection alternatives have multiplied, the acquisition modalities have diversified, and the devices that allow all these changes are getting more and more performing. The use of mobile phones for information and also for buying tourism products is currently a habit for a growing number of visitors. But, indisputably, the majority is represented by the younger generation. This article analyzes the purchasing behavior of tourism products by the young generation and presents the results of a quantitative marketing research conducted among students from Transilvania University of Brașov. Findings indicate the extensive use of m-devices, the major benefits being usefulness and time saving, but also the fact that m-devices generate pleasure, relaxation and fun. In the future, respondents believe the interest of users will grow even more

GRADUATES’ WILLINGNESS TO BUILD A CAREER IN TOURISM. A VIEW POINT OF THE STUDENTS IN THE TOURISM PROFILE ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES FROM THE TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY OF BRAŞOV

The sustainable development of the society is based on a solid and efficient educational system. At the same time, the sustainable development of the tourism sector can be achieved only with competent and responsible employees. Such goals represent the foundation in designing academic programs in all universities. But it cannot be ignored the fact that many university graduates do not follow a professional career in the same profile for which they have been prepared. In this context, it was conducted a quantitative marketing research among students in their final years from the Bachelor’s and Master’s academic programmes in the tourism profile at the Transilvania University of Brasov. The research aimed to reveal the level of students’ satisfaction regarding their knowledge and skills acquired during the academic studies. The results which have been obtained highlighted the fact that the majority intends to have a career in the tourism field but, at the same time, the students consider necessary to continue their studies in universities from Romania and other countries. This is a prerequisite in order to improve their knowledge and to increase their chances to be employed in a suitable job. The results are also relevant for improving the education curriculum, to optimize the didactic process, and especially for reshaping the training practice conten

The Travel Agency Website – Factor for Business Success

E-commerce is a constant of contemporary life. The online purchase of tourist products is a complex and delicate process, and in this respect, the website has a decisive role. The way the website is designed, the information provided and the functional characteristics can make a difference between an ordinary and a successful travel agency. This article provides an analysis of the websites of the best known travel agencies in Brașov County. The evaluation highlight that, in terms of product, non-product and reservation features, the analyzed websites meet the desired characteristics. But as concerning payment, functionality and customer relationship management features, these elements are poorly highlighted. This assessment suggests the preference of travel agencies to address to local inhabitants, thus demonstrating their propensity on the outgoing component of the intermediary activities they carry out

THE ASSESSMENT OF ATTRACTION WEBSITES IN BRAȘOV COUNTY

On-line communication is fundamental for tourism development. The possibility to access desired websites favors not only the attractiveness of a tourism destination, but also encourages visits. The ease of access, the content of the websites, the professionalism reflected in the website organisation and up-dating are elements that highlight the tourism operators’ interest towards their present and future clients. In Romania, the potential for the e-commerce development is huge. The statistical data included in this article support this statement. But, a careful analysis of the toursm websites reveals the existence of an unexpected and negative situation at the same time. The author analyzed the attraction websites in Brașov County, a famous tourist destination in our country. Although the number of tourism attractions is high, only three of them have their own websites. These websites were analyzed based on six groups of features, namely product information, non-product information, reservations, payment, functionality and customer relationship management. The results reveal the low degree of fulfillment for these parameters, the lack of online bookings, the lack of relevant tourist information such as the description of services offered within the tourist attraction or local transport modes, etc. The author proposes the completion of these websites, setting up new websites for prestigious tourism attractions included on the UNESCO Heritage List, as well as marketing researches among visitors in order to identify their expectations and the websites’ management accordingly

The Development of Boutique Hotels in Brașov City

Boutique hotels are hotel businesses dedicated to addressing a well-defined segment ofcustomers. The development of the concept is an ongoing process, these accommodation units arealready well known on the hotel market, thus reflecting their attraction among the guests. Thepaper highlights the main features of the boutique hotels, the specificity of the offer and analyzesthe major global hotel groups in order to highlight their concerns in the direction of developingtheir own chains of boutique hotels. Aiming to identify the development of this hotel concept in ourcountry, the paper also analyzes the units that fall into this category of establishments whichoperate in Brasov city

The Assessment of Restaurants’ Authenticity from the Perspective of Young Population

This article presents an analysis of the elements that assess the authenticity of a restaurant. Theanalysis was realized from the young population perspective. This segment of population has beenchosen following the idea that in Romania, like in all developed countries, representatives of thisage group will use the restaurants services at a much greater extent than older generations. In thisrespect, it was conducted a quantitative marketing research based on a sample of 228 studentsfrom the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, from the TransilvaniaUniversity of Brașov. The results have enabled a hierarchy of factors that are considered relevantfor evaluating the authenticity of a restaurant and, also, to identify the profile of an idealrestaurant

Study on the awareness of the concept of volunteer tourism

This paper presents the results of a qualitative research conducted among the master students at the study programme Business Administration in Tourism, within the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, which targeted the awareness of the concept of volunteer tourism.The research has shown that the subjects have little information about this type of tourism, which should be better promoted in the future, among young people, especially among those who study tourism

Resilience Innovations and the Use of Food Order & Delivery Platforms by the Romanian Restaurants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, the blocking of activity by the government and the restrictions imposed in Romania had detrimental effects on the activity of restaurants, imposing their adaptation to new situations and generating creative innovations that caused changes in the way restaurants deliver food to consumers through food order & delivery platforms. Exploring the nature and implications of such innovations on resilience, this study analyzes their impact on the attitude and intention to use food delivery platforms by restaurant managers in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the proposed structural model, the authors integrate innovations in resilience by joining together the new components of the established TAM model. This research was conducted on a sample of 402 restaurant managers in Romania. The data was collected based on a questionnaire, and it was analyzed with the SmartPLS3 software. The results of the study show that the four variables of innovation, namely business strategy innovations, technological innovations, financial innovations and social innovations, exert different effects on behavioral intention and attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms. The results of the study can be key points in the more efficient management of material, financial and human resources, thus improving the commercial performance of restaurants