Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pritchard, 1998) - is another component of the
attempt
present Romania as a modern European
country, is a further way of emphasizing a
heritage which pre-dates state socialism. This is
something that Romania shares with the other
formerly socialist countries of the region, many
of which are now EU members.
During the campaign for the parliamentary
elections in November 2004 (and following the
European Commission report that recognized
Romania to be a functioning market economy)
the country's politicians declared that the pro-
longed 'transition period' had finally come to an
end. While Romania is expected to join the EU
in January 2007 the impacts for tourism in the
country are less easy to predict. One govern-
ment source suggested that the most immediate
effect would be the migration of skilled tourism
workers to other EU countries in search of
higher wages. On a more positive note,
Romanian tourism is likely to benefit from the
country's accession to the EU (and eventually
the adoption of a common currency). This is
likely to be expressed in a number of ways:
through greater foreign investment, increased
business tourism, and, in the longer term,
increased arrivals from other EU countries,
particularly for post-mass and niche forms of
tourism for which the country has so much to
offer. Nevertheless, while Romania has suc-
ceeded in closing accession negotiations with
the EU, the country is still regarded with uncer-
tainty by much of Western public opinion. As
such, tourism promotion in the short to medium
term will have a continuing role in legitimizing
Romania's place within the Union.
to
erase
the
socialist
period
from
national
memory
and
affirm
the
country's
post-socialist status.
Conclusion
Tourism promotion is as much a political as an
economic activity and Romania, like many
other countries, illustrates the ways in which
tourist promotional materials are intended to
present and affirm national identity. Since the
country decided in the mid-1990s to adopt a
more integrationist foreign policy and embrace
the values and agenda of the EU, it has engaged
in a concerted (and successful) campaign to
present itself as a stable democratic country
and a serious contender for membership of
both the EU and NATO. However, given the
long-term under-performance of Romanian
tourism there are few people from Western
Europe with first hand experience of the
country. As a result, Romania is viewed in terms
of predominantly negative stereotypes (such as
orphans, instability and, at least in Britain,
asylum seekers) within the long-established
Balkanist discourse that constructs the country
as not 'fully' European. Hence, Romania
has recognized the need to reposition and
're-image' itself in order to convince Western
public opinion that it can be a credible partner
within Euro-Atlantic integration processes.
Tourism promotion has been one element
of this strategy and as this chapter has dis-
cussed, in addition to presenting Romania's
abundant attractions for tourism, such promo-
tion has been circumscribed by an imperative to
demonstrate the country's post-socialist and
European credentials. As such, various themes
are emphasized within the language and ima-
gery of tourist promotional materials. These
include an emphatic rejection of totalitarianism
and the construction of a 'new' Romania, com-
mitment to the same political and economic
values as the Western European countries, and
an insistence on historical and cultural links with
Western and Central Europe which were only
temporarily disrupted by state socialism. The
priority given to rural culture and lifestyles,
although seemingly antithetical to efforts to
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank a senior Romanian civil
servant (who wished to remain anonymous) for
a stimulating discussion on the current state of
Romanian tourism, and David Phinnemore for
his comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.
Note
1
These data were obtained from a former
employee of the National Tourist Office (Oficiul
Na
3
ional deTurism).
