Tourism is priority sector, current Government has taken concrete steps

Tourism is a priority sector in Romania, and the current Government has taken concrete steps that have led to its substantial growth, Deputy Prime Minister Viorel Stefan said on Thursday at the opening of the 41st edition of Romania's Tourism Fair (TTR). "The current Government has taken the concrete measures that have led to a substantial increase in this sector - holiday vouchers, a 5pct VAT reduction, and the creation of a Special Investment Fund to support the spa sector. (...) We have seen that the measure of granting holiday vouchers has materialized in a support of 400 million euro for the industry, and the Ministry of Tourism has a generous budget this year," Stefan said. The Deputy Prime Minister said that due to the positive effects, the Government will maintain the granting of holiday vouchers in the years 2019 and 2020. The Government of Romania has also adopted the Emergency Ordinance on the establishment of measures for the financing of investments in tourism. According to the normative act, investments in tourism can be funded for a period of up to 4 years, with the possibility of extension for another 2 years. "The introduction of the multi-annual budget was more than necessary, given that we want to develop long-term tourism. With this ordinance, we have proven the commitment of the Romanian Government to the support of the Romanian industry. The investment in tourism requires a long period of time so that this legislative change is a direct help given to the local authorities who plan to develop tourism infrastructure projects," Tourism Minister Bogdan Trif said in his turn. He said the Tourism Ministry's investment budget is 600pct higher in 2019 compared to last year. On the occasion of Romania's Tourism Fair, Romania and Moldova launched the "Route of the Ruler Stephen the Great and the Holy", the newest cultural tourism project developed in partnership by the Agency for Investment of the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian Ministry of Tourism. "This will cross several vine-growing areas and localities in both countries, and the route will also be presented on the international markets, and we expect it to be visited by tourists from Japan, China and Israel. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the Republic of Moldova, chosen in 2018 by National Geographic, Lonely Planet and New York Post as one of the top 10 global destinations," said the Executive Director of the Investment Agency of the Republic of Moldova, Rodica Verbeniuc.AGERPRES (RO - author: Carmen Marinescu, editor: Oana Tilica; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi, editor: Simona Iacob)