FAPT's Martin: We'll sell Russian tourists experiences, stories and not focus only on hotels

For the Russian tourist market we have to propose that the vacation in Romania be an experience, taking into account that Bulgaria has a higher promotion advantage, President of the Federation of Romania's Tourism Promotion Associations (FAPT) Corina Martin stated.

The FAPT organised an infotrip for Russian tour-operators (mostly from St. Petersburg) on the Romanian seaside and the Danube Delta, after 27 years of absence, thus promoting Romania this way on the Russian market, according to a release of the FAPT sent to AGERPRES on Friday.

"We are addressing tour-operators of St. Petersburg, a city with five million inhabitants which annually attracts over eight million tourists, a city twinned with Constanta for 10 years. We are approaching a market with a huge potential, a segment of tourists with higher education studies, with large holiday budgets, tourists who necessarily choose seaside resorts between their minimum two holidays per year. I have only presented top locations of the Romanian seaside and we continued doing the same in the two days spent in the [Danube] Delta," said Corina Martin.

She appreciated that Romania currently has a disadvantage due to the lack of promotion on the Russian market, especially in relation to the promotion that Bulgaria is doing, but our country has top services in exceptional locations. These must be presented and promoted as special, authentic Romanian products on the Russian market, a market considered by the FAPT as desired and approached by any international tourist destination.

"Certainly Bulgaria has a higher promotion advantage. This is why I have insisted over the past two years on a void which means 27 years, because I knew that here there is an extremely large market, tourists who are very good consumers. In this event, I have also promoted the mountain and spa holiday destinations of Romania, with promotion materials from the Tourism Ministry and promotion associations that are members of the FAPT. In lack of a direct flight between the seaside and St. Petersburg, we are already talking with the Turkish Airlines company about special flight rates on the St. Petersburg - Istanbul - Constanta route," Corina Martin stated.

FAPT representatives intend to offer seaside stays (leisure and wellness & spa), mixed stays seaside - the Danube Delta, eco-holidays in the Danube Delta and Bucharest-Transylvania-Danube Delta - seaside tourist circuits, as well as routes in other tourist regions of Romania.

On the other hand, the Russian tour-operators showed their surprise to see that the Romanian seaside has "beautiful hotels, but Romania has not been promoted at all in Russia as a holiday destination."

However, Russian tourists insist on benefiting from some essential elements that must be found in hotels, such as Russian speaking staff, baby sitting services, beach facilities included in tourist packages, information and promotional materials in Russian, a rich offer of tours and local excursions, early booking discounts and competitive rates, especially taking into account the comparison with Bulgaria, a much more known market to them. AGERPRES (RO - author: Carmen Marinescu, editor: Oana Tilica; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Adina Panaitescu)