TravTalk India Online Magazine
Travel Agents Association of India-Northern Region (TAAI-NR) invited Cristina Lonela Tarteata, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Romania, to showcase the country’s tourism offerings to the trade.
Discerning Indian travellers are now looking beyond the regular European destinations for vacations. Rajan Sehgal, Chairman-Northern Region (TAAI), says, “In the last few years, Eastern Europe has come up in a big way with countries like Budapest, Czech, Romania, Bucharest, catching the fancy of Indians. These destinations are very economical, safe and offer views of scenic landscapes. In fact, the travel cost is 30 per cent less than that in normal European countries.” Cashing in on Cristina Lonela Tarteata’s recent visit to the national capital, Sehgal requested the Romanian ambassador to invite her for TAAI members’ meet. “Indians are looking for new outbound destinations and Romania could be a great option,” he adds.
The purpose behind Cristina Lonela Tarteata’s visit to India was to analyse the Indian travellers and know more about their preferences. “I wanted to understand what Indian tourists are looking for in a potential travel destination and use the information to attract more tourists to Romania. Over the years, the number of Indian tourists has increased to Romania, but we are always looking to attract more,” she says.
Speaking on what Indians can expect on a visit to Romania, she says, “Romania has a lot to offer tourists and boasts various attractions. We have many similarities with India as well. People visit Romania for various purposes such as adventure tourism, wilderness tourism, as well as for nightlife and city breaks. One can go to the Danube Delta in the summer and skiing in the winter. We have shopping as well as golf, which Indians like a lot.” However, there are no direct flights between India and Romania. Tarteata says, “We are working on it and direct flight could be a possibility in the future if there is a steady increase in the number of tourists from India. However, at the same time Romania is very accessible for Indian tourists as there are various connecting flights to Romania from a host of major European cities.” In terms of competitive pricing, Tarteata said that they have hotels of all kinds, and hence the destination is fit for anyone from a backpacker to luxury connoisseur.
