INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION IN SUPPORT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ROMANIA

Globalization, migration trends, information’s, changes in rural policies and theemergence of important non-farm niche markets put rural regions in direct competitionconfronting them with threats and opportunities that require new policy approaches at thenational and sub-national level. Against this fast changing scenario, policy makers need tore-think their priorities for rural investments. These research’s paper try to answer to keyquestions: 1) What sectors hold potential for rural development? 2) What kind of investmentsand policies can help release such potential? Evidence from across the OECD shows that thecapacity of regions, whether urban or rural, to support processes of learning and innovationis a key source of competitive advantage. Innovation in rural areas can be about ââ¬Ëdoingtraditional activities in a new way’, about starting up new businesses or about changing theway government interacts with citizens. In all these cases innovation is strongly linked withsocial processes such as the creation of networks, the strengthening of local identities, andthe creation and dissemination of knowledge.innovation, support of development, technology platforms

The profile of the tourism information center officer in Romania

Local destinations incorporate various stakeholders, often including a host community, and can form a network with other destinations to shape larger destinations. To attract tourists, destinations must consider the travel basic costs, convenience, and timelines. Like other consumers, tourists weigh costs against the benefits of specific destinations and investment of time, effort, and resources against a reasonable return in education, experience, fun, relaxation, and memories. Convenience takes various meanings in travel decisions: time involved in travel from airport to lodging, language barriers, cleanliness and sanitary concerns, access to interests (beaches, attractions, amenities) and special needs (Kotler, 2002). Tourist Information Officers are our front line in all tourism matters, along with Travel Consultants and with the front-desk personnel of other tourism stakeholders. Working in tourist information centers around Romania, they are able to promote tourism destinations, tourist attractions and provide information and reservation services for sightseeing, travel, accommodation and tours. They also assess tourist opportunities for local communities. The purpose of this paper is to deliver a brief status quo of the TICs Officers in Romania and some suggestions for the improvement of the service of tourism information centers.tourism information officer, destination management, destination marketing, tourism center certification, profile of TIC Staff, tourism

The importance of stakeholders and policy influence enhancing the innovation in nature based tourism services Greece, Austria, Finland and Romania case studies

This paper aims to illustrate in the context of the challenges of the Europeanization process what kind of co-operation models there exist between nature-based tourism companies and the critical stakeholder groups effecting the business activities and social sustainability of the companies. The following topics are part of our current research: which are the cooperation strategy; which are the management models applied in countries with competitive market and strong innovation policy; which are the costs of implementing innovation policies for co-operation strategies enhancing the innovation in nature based tourism services; which barriers avoid the entrepreneurship development and how innovative can be the firm management. We intend to analyze the importance of stakeholders and policy influence enhancing the innovation in nature based tourism service, in Greece, Austria, Finland and Romania case studies. The research will continue with a comparison between these cases, including the perspective of supporting entrepreneurship and regional competitiveness in Romania.peer-reviewe

Heritage tourism and authenticity: the case of Voroneț

Culture is an essential component that adds to the attractiveness of a destination and contributes to the authenticity of an area through its ‘unique imprint on the cultural landscape’ Timothy, 2011, p. 58). To capitalize on this, cultural tourism has been proposed in many destinations as a path to economic prosperity, better job opportunities for locals and increased tax revenues. This study focuses on heritage tourism, a popular choice among visitors and an area of research that has recently attracted increased attention from academics. Heritage is seen as one of the main tourism drivers for many regions, helping destinations to differentiate between one another in a very competitive environment. The literature on this form of tourism has expanded rapidly since the initial debates in the late ‘80s, with the topic being included by Cohen and Cohen (2012) among the current issues deserving further attention from researchers. Additionally, the present work looks at the role that authenticity plays in tourist destinations, ‘an important attribute of heritage tourism […] or at least the perception of it’(Chhabra et al., 2003). While there is a wealth of research on authenticity and its applicability,this is mostly focused on Western countries. This research therefore contributes to filling this gap by exploring the applicability of the concept in a non-Western context, which it does by looking at the importance of the cultural landscape and traditional houses for the sustainable development of tourism in a heritage site from a former communist country in Eastern Europe. Specifically, the study focuses on objective authenticity and looks at the importance of preserving the built environment (i.e. traditional houses) for the sustainable development of tourism in the Voroneț area in Romania. Situated in the North-East of Romania, Voroneț is considered to be one of the main tourist attractions in the region of Bucovina, and one of the most important destinations for cultural, heritage and religious tourism in the country

The importance of cultural landscape for sustainable development of tourism in Bucovina

Cultural tourism is considered a well-established field of study and a focus for many destinations that wish to encourage international visitation. Yet, there is little research published on cultural landscape, a concept that refers to the interrelation between landscape, nature, human culture and people that populate a specific region (Buckley, Ollenburg & Zhong, 2008). Cultural landscape is however a very important component of the Romanian tour operators’ and travel agents’ offer to potential visitors, particularly when it comes to historic regions such as Bucovina. Bucovina is located in the North-East of Romania and is considered to be one of the most important destinations for cultural and heritage tourism in the country. The region is well-known for its customs and traditions, beautiful landscapes and, most importantly, for the medieval monasteries famous for their painted exterior walls included among the UNESCO World Heritage sites. The most popular and famous such monastery is located in Voronet, and therefore this rural area will be the focus of this study. Following the fall of the Communist regime in 1989 and the opening of the borders to western visitors, over the past 20 years there has been a considerable increase in the number of tourists in Bucovina. As with many other destinations, the development of tourism in the area brought not only benefits but also negative impacts, in particular for the cultural landscape. Among the most noticeable are the rapid changes in the style and architecture of local houses and accommodation units which threaten the authenticity of the area. As highlighted by many researchers, authenticity is a very important motivator for visitors to travel to destinations, in particular for those who are interested in the local cultures and traditions, or in heritage tourism (Kolar & Zabkar, 2010). This study aims to better understand the importance of the cultural landscape for the sustainable development of tourism in the region of Bucovina, Romania. In doing so, it adopts a case study methodology, which allows the researchers to analyse the destination from more than one perspective by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. It also allows the collection of data from different stakeholders involved in tourism development in the region, such as visitors, the tourism industry and the local authority. As this is work in progress, the authors expect the findings to contribute to the limited knowledge that exist on tourism development in Bucovina, a popular region among international tourists who visit Romania. Moreover, it would help policy makers to find solutions in implementing sustainable measures for the development of tourism in this region while protecting the authenticity of the area

ROMANIA AS TOURISM DESTINATION – AN EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Only few steps have already been pointed towards bringing Romania at its proper place on the European tourism market. And big challenges are still there, outside, waiting to be settled. Tourism is indeed a very nice sector, but, if we all consider ourselves tourists, it doesn’t, necessary, mean that we all know tourism is done. The present paper offers an outside perspective of Romanian tourism; a perspective based on a research done among the German tour operators and reveals some strengths and weaknesses of Romania, as a tourism destination. These points are delivering an original view, through the eyes of foreign tour operators or tourists that visited the country or the destinations within

ROMANIA AS TOURISM DESTINATION – AN EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Only few steps have already been pointed towards bringing Romania at its proper place on the European tourism market. And big challenges are still there, outside, waiting to be settled. Tourism is indeed a very nice sector, but, if we all consider ourselves tourists, it doesn’t, necessary, mean that we all know tourism is done. The present paper offers an outside perspective of Romanian tourism; a perspective based on a research done among the German tour operators and reveals some strengths and weaknesses of Romania, as a tourism destination. These points are delivering an original view, through the eyes of foreign tour operators or tourists that visited the country or the destinations within.destination, external perspective, strengths and weaknesses of Romanian tourism, sustainable development

Changes in the Behaviour of Tourists After the Covid-19 Pandemic. A Credingreen Research

The COVID-19 pandemic left a strong mark on the tourism sector and represents a turning point in its evolution. After the activities were gradually resumed, substantial shifts in both industry practices and tourist behavior were observed. The knowledge of these changes is of strategic importance for the future because they will determine the managerial decisions at the microeconomic level and the trends at the macroeconomic one. The present paper aims to discern the shifts in tourist behavior, as perceived by tourism companies, and to investigate how these changes influenced business decisions. This investigation was conducted as part of the CredinGreen international project– `Responding to tourism market changes caused by COVID-19 and the EU Green Deal through micro-credential-certified upskilling of SME tourism managers`. The research addresses the response to tourism market fluctuations generated by the pandemic conditions and the results could enhance the tourism policies and the micro-credential certified upskilling initiatives

BUCOVINA AS A TOURIST DESTINATION AND THE IMPACT OF THE RECENT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A MODERN DESTINATION MANAGEMENT APPROACH IN INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION MARKETING

Bucovina is a cultural landscape in the triangle bordered between the Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Based on a theoretical planning approach in destination marketing management, Bucovina is to be regarded as a destination situated at the end of the involvement stage of the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC). Literature, internet research, qualitative interviews, and on site-observations depict Bucovina as a travel destination. The authors explore the impact of the financial crisis on Bucovina and forecast the destination trend for the next few years. Finally, they give recommendations for development of the Bucovina region in a sustainable, rapid and regulated manner

The Importance of Stakeholders and Policy Influence Enhancing the Innovation in Nature Based Tourism Services Greece, Austria, Finland and Romania Case Studies

This paper aims to illustrate in the context of the challenges of the Europeanization process what kind of co-operation models there exist between nature-based tourism companies and the critical stakeholder groups effecting the business activities and social sustainability of the companies. The following topics are part of our current research: which are the cooperation strategy; which are the management models applied in countries with competitive market and strong innovation policy; which are the costs of implementing innovation policies for co-operation strategies enhancing the innovation in nature based tourism services; which barriers avoid the entrepreneurship development and how innovative can be the firm management. We intend to analyze the importance of stakeholders and policy influence enhancing the innovation in nature based tourism service, in Greece, Austria, Finland and Romania case studies. The research will continue with a comparison between these cases, including the perspective of supporting entrepreneurship and regional competitiveness in Romania.cooperation, innovation and development policies, stakeholders, supporting entrepreneurship, tourism services