romania in the eyes of german tour operators tit october 2007 dr. winfried hildebrandt

1

ROMANIA

in the eyes of

German Tour Operators

TIT October 2007

Dr. Winfried Hildebrandt

Dr. Carmen Chasovschi

2

How we proceeded.

Questionnaireto all 135 Tour Operators

28 Questions

36 % Answers

Almost all with name and phone number

3

The Results in a Nut Shell.

Again very polarising answers.

Playing back the Positioning of Romania.

NATURA si CULTURA

Answers again with a Great Heart for Romania.

Positive with Emotion.

Even criticism with emotional affection.

4

Not very amusing results first.

A Number of Tour Operators

have dropped Romania:

Majors and Specialists.

5

Majors Giving Up.

FTI, Neckermann, TUI.

Two others will follow soon.

The reason: Litoral is not competitive.

6

Specialists Giving Up.

Two main reasons:

• Lack of client response

• RO Aktiv stopped operations as wholesalerand affected more than

ten niche operators for active tourism

7

Total Program 2007 Ø 2,1 (2005: 2,6 2006: 2,5)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1 Very good 2 Good 3 Satisfactory 4 Fair 5

Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

4

16

9

3

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1 Very good 3 Satisfactory 5Unsatisfactory

1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate4

16

9

3

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

8

Romania Program 2007 Ø 3,5 (2005: 2,8 2006: 3.0)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

4

15

7

2

5

7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate4

15

7

2

5

7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

9

All Programs sold in 2007 (2004 64:36 2005 69:31 2006 35:65)

31%

69%

DA NU

10

Planning new THEMES/DESTINATIONS (2004 36:64 2005 41:59 2006 39:61)

24%

36%

40%

LESS SAME MORE

11

Which new THEMES.

Cultural hiking, Cities, Culture/History Study Tours (PCT) More active holiday tours. Hiking tours.Biking, Danube biking, Mountain biking.

Rafting, Horse trekking, Climbing.

Wellness.Agriculture, Wine, Forestry.

Nature study tours (Delta, birds, game, flora) Study tours. Round trips. City Breaks.

12

Which new DESTINATIONS.

Delta, Delta by Ship, Danube

Banat, Transilvania

Bucovina, Maramures

Bucuresti, Cities

Litoral (subject to improvement)

13

Interested in Info / Fam Tours. (2004 23:77 2005 21:79 2006 31:69)

66%

34%

DA NU

14

Goals for Info Tours.

Turism rural, Turism cultural (PCT)Bucuresti, Cities, Circuite

Active holidays, Hiking, Biking, TrekkingBanat, Bucovina, Transilvania, Maramures

Delta, Danube, Danube biking Wellness, Litoral (subject to improvement)

All areas in order to gain enough knowledge about the Country for Walking - Trekking -

Culture

15

Info Tours for Professionals.

Infotours with Incoming Agents.

Info Tours with Travel Agencies (retail clients).

Info Tours to experience guides.

Info Tours for New Product Development.

16

General Client Expectations: 2,8 (2004: 2,1 2005: 2,2 2006: 2,2)

0

11

17

4

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

0

11

17

4

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

17

Client Expectations: POSITIVE.

Great nature, history, landscape, wonderful cities.

Excellent areas for active tourism, rural tourism.

Quite satisfied when clients don’t expect too much.

Pretty good price-quality ratio.

18

Client Expectations: CRITICAL.

Infrastructure must be improved considerably.Road conditions not tolerable.Garbage problems everywhere.

Price-quality-ratio not always in balance.Again: Service is a word from a foreign language.

Litoral full of problems without end.Sibiu hopelessly overstressed by Sibiu 2007.

Expectations and promises after joining EC not fulfilled.Missing professionalism of Romanian stakeholders.

19

Hotels - Accomodation: 2,9(2004: 2,5 2005: 2,5 2006: 2,8)

2

14

9

7

100

2

4

6

8

10

12

14


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate2

14

9

7

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

20

Hotels - Accomodation: POSITIVE.

Many hotels/pensions renovated quite well, sometimes without taste

or regarding service needs and functional necessities.

No problems. Nice and friendly service, very hospitable (many).

Mostly better than expected.

Not generally a weak point. Adequate price-quality ratio.

21

Hotels - Accomodation: CRITICAL.More three and four star Hotels/pensions necessary.

Not sufficient high class accomodation in the country side.

No adequate price-quality ratio in the cities.Bucuresti absolutely overpriced.

Hotels/pensions not always tidy, bad service, breakfast not always good, too monotone.

Lack of service consciousness.

Service staff needs more service and language training.

Improvement of sanitary infrastructure in restaurants.Camping infrastructure without international standard.

22

Eating - Drinking: 2,4(2004: 1,7 2005: 2,1 2006: 2,3)

8

12

8

5

100

2

4

6

8

10

12


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

8

12

8

5

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

23

Eating - Drinking:

Natural products with great taste,

but not always available.

Replaced by international food stuff.

Good, but too monotone, cold.

Well tasting, but service must improve.

Meals in restaurants by far better than in hotels,

which are generally worse.

Poor preparation quality of meat and vegetables.

Poor breakfast quality.

Music too loud in restaurants.

24

Nature: 1,8(2004: 1,6 2005: 1,7 2006: 1,4)

1514

3

10 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

1514

3

10 0

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

25

Nature:

Unspoiled nature, marvellous, wonderful, unique, dreamfully great.

Mostly absolute positive reactions,

but garbage, pollution problems without end.

Delta might soon be overcrowded.

26

Cultural Sightseeing: 2,5(2004: 1,7 2005: 1,8 2006: 2,2)

5

15

7

32

00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate5

15

7

32

00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1 Very good 2 Good 3 Satisfactory 4 Fair 5Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

27

Culture - Sightseeing: POSITIVE.

Very large variety of offers:Churches, monasteries, arts, handicraft.

Absolutely great in all tourism destinations of Romania.

Very diverse offer, but for individual holiday makers not always easily to find.

28

Culture - Sightseeing: CRITICAL.

Lack of premium programs (PCT).

Better protection of historic monuments necessary (fortified churches and deserted villages).

Lack of qualified guides, who know what they are talking about!

RO Amt should know about precise opening hours and where to find guides and keys.

29

Hospitality: 2,2 (2004: 1,6 2005: 1,5 2006: 1,9)

9

15

45

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate

9

15

45

0 00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16


6 Inadequate

30

Hospitality.

Ideal, great anywhere.

Absolutely great and very important,

always a highlight.

People incredibly friendly and helpful,

and hospitable hosts.

Yet the by far greatest asset of the country

is gradually loosing it‘s charme.

31

Incoming Agency: 2,5(2004: 1,9 2005: 1,9 2006: 2,1)

4

13

8

3

01

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14


1 Very good

2 Good

3 Satisfactory

4 Fair

5 Unsatisfactory

6 Inadequate4

13

8

3

01

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14


6 Inadequate

32

Incoming Agency.

Becoming steadily more professional.

Should be more client oriented.

More flexibility and phantasy for innovative

Product development required.

Should definitely keep promises.

“Capable of anything - reliable for nothing.”

33

Public Service, Frontier: 2,6(2004: 2,8 2005: 3,5 2006: 3,6)

2

15

11

32

00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1 Very good 2 Good 3 Satisfactory 4 Fair 5 Unsatisfactory 6 Inadequate

34

Public Service, Frontier etc.

No longer a big problem.

With minor exceptions:• Night train Budapest - Bucuresti frontier service,

• Sibiu 2007,• Baneasa renovation period,

• Marking of hiking, biking, trekking trails.

35

Low Cost Airlines: 2,8 (2005: 2,8 2006: 3,1)

98

4

1

4 4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1 Very good 2 Good 3 Satisfactory 4 Fair 5 Unsatisfactory 6 Inadequate

36

Low Cost Airlines.

LC Airlines of utmost importance, Should connect more destinations in D and RO.

LC Airlines essential for attractive city toursand dynamic packaging offers.Ideal for large scale info tours.

Tarom still disastrous, spoiling business when it comes to booking changes and group bookings.

37

Necessary Additional Support (1)

Regular monthly e-newsletter on level of competing countries.

Better info brochures on international quality levelfor ALL destinations and themes in sufficient quantities.

Road Shows throughout D, A, CH.

Info tours for tour operators and travel journalists.

PEP tours for counter people of travel agencies.

38


Photo and video library of international quality standard.

Permanent co-operative sales and marketing measureswith tour operators via e-newsletters.

Up to-date hotel data bank via RO Amt.

Regional/local event data bank, weekly update.

39


Road shows.

Web based promotion activities.

Website sweepstakes.

Regional/local event data bank, weekly update.

Support of training measures for local stakeholders by MinTur.

40

Zâna Turismuluiva îndeplinesteTREI DORINTE:

41

Prima Dorinta:

• Better roads and better tourism infrastructure.• More cleanliness in restaurants

• Fundamental improvement of Litoral (see BG).• Client service orientation of staff in hotels/pensions.

• Continuous public relation campaigns. • More Low Cost Airlines to Sibiu, Cluj, Targu Mures.

• No garbage, no garbage, no garbage.• Better brochures/leaflets with tourism appeal. • More flight alternatives, more airline offers.

• Information trips for tour operators.• Information trips for journalists.

42

Prima Dorinta (2):

• No late night disco noise on the beaches.• Better camping infrastructure on international level.

• Better and permanent tourism info service. • Improvement of infrastructure, esp. better roads.

• More promotions for the cultural assets.• More advertising in TV and magazines.• Attractive city tour offers for Bucuresti.

• Improvement of traditional spas on HU/CZ level.• International business standards

(reservation/confirmations etc) for all stakeholders

• More reliable information.

43

Secunda Dorinta:

• More journalist activities for all themes/destinations.• Better roads.

• Price stability, better price-quality ratio. • More Low Cost airlines to more destinations in RO.

• Clean nature, clean streets, clean parks, clean beaches.• Menues with more local/traditional dishes.

• Qualified guides (Deutsch/English).• Better service.

• Please maintain traditions and charm of a still authentic country.

44

Secunda Dorinta (2):

• Why don’t they finally solve the Litoral problem?!.• Improvement of infrastructure along the Danube.

• Newsletter.• Let all garbage disappear!!!

• More upscale hotels all over the country.• Sufficient information material for ALL group participants.

• Incoming workshops.

45

A treia Dorinta:

• Co-operative sales measures MinTur + tour operators.• Better accomodation standard of hotels/pensions.

• Improvement of Romanian Image abroad. • Better roads.

• RO flights out of Berlin, more direct flights to RO.• Keep Romania clean.

• Rural accomodation of four/five star level.• More TV promotion of Romania.

• Development of innovative products on up-scale level.

46

A treia Dorinta (2):

• More and better hotels with traditional/local style.• Attractive brochures supplied in required quantities.• Off-limits for loud speed and noisy motor boats

in the Delta. • Better qualification of guides.• Regular tourism newsletter.

• More traditional food offers in restaurantswell cooked and well served.

• Take care of cultural heritage.

47

GREAT CHANCESfor

ROMANIAN TOURISMwhich should finally be used.

We will continue our support.At least until 2009.

48

Thanks for your attention.

romania in the eyes of german tour operators tit october 2007 dr. winfried hildebrandt

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