Fewer tourists choose Mamaia. “Absolutely it has expensive, from a bottle of water, to the famous beer”. “
The Mamaia Coast City, the Romanian coast pearl, records a marked decline in the number of tourists. The decrease is mainly placed on account of the Government's decision to reduce the value of the holiday vouchers, used by many tourists, notes Euronews.
More and more tourists visit Mamaia Facebook Mamaia Station
According to the latest Eurostat data, only 26.6% of Romanians allowed a one-week vacation last year, either in the country or abroad.
At European level, only Bulgaria is approaching this percentage, while the neighbors in the western and northern the continent are much better. On average, about 85% of citizens of Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands allow an annual one -week vacation.
This situation led to a sudden decrease in tourism in Romania, including in the Mamaia resort on the Black Sea, once lively, which today seems only a shadow of what it was, with hundreds of loungers remaining unoccupied.
“It is clear, you do not have to be an expert. You check how much you received last year the same day and how much you received this year, the same day-it is a decrease of 30-35%”says Răzvan Chițan, administrator of a beach in Mamaia.
Why do few less and fewer tourists choose mamaia
The decrease in the number of tourists is the result of several factors, from the Ukraine war to general economic problems.
However, the main cause remains the decision of the Bucharest authorities to reduce the value of holiday vouchers by half – a program for supporting internal tourism, but also attracting foreign visitors.
These vouchers can be used to pay accommodation, meals, drinks or entertainment events in the partner locations in Romania.
The travel agencies say that in May 2024, holiday vouchers were sold worth about 95 million euros. This year, the figure decreased dramatically, to only 9 million euros.
Mamaia hoteliers say the impact is major and seriously affects their business.
“Reservations are not made for more than two or three days, because tourists are fewer”says Felicia Simion, hotel in the resort.
“In us, a room with breakfast included costs between 350 and 400 lei in July. The All-inclusive package varies between 700 and 850 lei per night, with loungers and drinks included all day.”explains Sebastian Puznava, and he hotel.
The prices exploded
The decrease in the number of tourists mainly affects the hotels of two and three stars, where most of the stays were paid with holiday vouchers.
Tourists complain, however, of the increasing prices, which contribute to the decrease of reservations.
“Very expensive, much more expensive than in the past years.”says Cătălin Ciobanu.
“Absolutely it has always increased – from a bottle of water, to the famous beer.”
“We did not calculate exactly, but let's say between 800 and 1,000 lei, maximum”estimates Virgil Nohai, a tourist.
Last month, most reservations at sea were made only for the weekend, unlike previous years, when tourists stayed for a week or more. In addition, those who came preferred the last-minced offers, in the hope of savings.
