The Perception Of Romania As A Tourist Destination Into Sustainable Development

Motto: "Ecological and economic deficits are now shaping not only our future, but our present. The future is here." Lester R. Brown (World on the Edge) After 50 years of communism, of values destruction, of chaotic real estate evolution, of a kitsch tourist image perceived by those visiting our country, of values reversal, of values dilution, all of us who love our country and tourism wonder what and how to do to transform Romania into an attractive destination. We all know that we have marvelous places, we know that they are not promoted, but why those authorized to do so, don't do it, we don't know! Recently, the ones from National Geographic Traveler (the travelling publication with the widest audience, having over 8.5 million readers) have given us a ball of oxygen, have shown us a ray of hope by classifying Maramures in the Top 20 mandatory tourist destinations for 2015, summing up a series of criteria: authenticity, sustainability, cultural richness, etc. Maramures has all these qualities. But it remains a micro region, and the rest of the country (with small exceptions) has not attracted attention or tourists... The perception of Romania as a tourist destination is unclear; it has not got a good reputation as a bona fide destination for occasional tourists. This is caused partly by: deficiencies in the destination marketing, the absence of governmental support in tourism, the unprofessional practices in the business tourism sector, the low standards of the services for the visitors, the deficient infrastructure, improper facilities and pass-time activities, etc. The re-launching of tourism from Romania, of the tourist destinations and the attraction of a larger number of foreign tourists could bring supplementary benefits, but with many necessary changes, in the tourism managers’ opinion. “Two elements are essential in the tourism industry system: how to make use environmentally, sustainably of the tourism potential of the landscape and the anthropogenic potential.”[1]. The following are dedicated to them. Why ecology in tourism? Why ecology of hospitality? Why ecology of tourism? These are questions that I have partially answered and the article tries to bring to the attention of tourism phenomenon lovers issues, thoughts, experiences…