Tourism and Recreation In Romania

Arsene Ramona - Georgiana

Clasa IX B

The United Kingdom is the world's 6th biggest tourist destination, with 24.8 million
visiting in 2003. US$17.2 billion was spent in the UK by tourists.
England's long history and culture spread worldwide through the English
language and colonialism which make England a popular tourist destination, particularly
in London.
London is one of the world's leading tourism destinations, and the city is home to
an array of famous tourist attractions. It attracts almost 15 million international visitors
per year, making it the world's most visited in terms of international visits.
London is home to many tourist attractions that are known worldwide. Some of
the most popular include the British Museum, The British Library, Buckingham Palace
and many others.

Unlike UK, Romania is a small tourist destination, but its fame started growing
few years ago and since then, it has become known to many foreign tourists as a
country with a great potential.
Number of tourists grew from 4.8 million in 2002 to 8.9 million in 2008. The
revenues grew from 400 million in 2002 to 607 in 2004. Tourism in Romania attracted
€880 million in investments in 2005.
It focuses on the country's natural landscapes and its rich history. Romania offers
the traveler countless unique travel experiences waiting to be discovered.
Crossed by the Danube, Romania has got a sensitive scenery, including the imposing
wooden Carpatian Mountains, Black Sea coast and Danube Delta.
In the last few years, Romania has become a favourite tourist destination for
many Europeans, competing countries like Bulgary, German, Italy or Spain.

The main tourist attractions in Romania are Bran Castle, the monasteries in the
North of Transylvania, and other natural attractions like Scarisoara Cave, Merry
Cemetery, and Berca Mud Volcanoes.

Bucharest, the capital of Romania is one of the main tourist centers of the
country, because of the eclectic mixture of architectural styles, starting with Curtea
Veche, the remains of the palace built by Vlad Tepes in the XVth century, orthodox
churches, houses built in Second Empire style and ending with the Palace of the
Parliament, the world’s second biggest building.
 Beside Bucharest, there are many other wonderful cities, like Cluj – Napoca,
Brasov, Sibiu, located in Transylvania, which seem to still keep the sense of Middle
Ages in their architectural style, and a medieval atmosphere on their every street. One
of the most wonderful medieval city is Sighisoara.
Sighişoara is considered to be the most beautiful and well preserved inhabited citadel in
Europe with an authentic medieval architecture. In Eastern Europe, Sighişoara is one of
the few fortified towns which are still inhabited. The town is made up of two parts. The
medieval stronghold was built on top of a hill and is known as the "Citadel" .The lower
town lies in the valley of Târnava Mare river.
The houses inside Sighişoara Citadel show the main features of a craftsmen's town.
However, there are some houses which belonged to the former patriciate, like the
Venetian House and the House with Antlers. Sighişoara is a popular tourist destination,
due to its well-preserved walled old town. The landmark of the city is the Clock Tower, a
64m high tower built in the 13th century. It is today a museum of history.

In summer time, the main tourist attranctions in Romania are the places around
Black Sea, like Venus, Neptun, Olimp, Saturn, Mamaia, and many others.
But the most interesting place in Romania’s seaside would be Vama Veche, a
village on the Black Sea coast, near the border with Bulgaria.
Even in Communist Romania, Vama Veche had the reputation of a non-
mainstream tourist destination, which has only grown since the Romanian Revolution of
1989. During the communist era, it became a hangout for intellectuals. Accommodations
consisted of tents or rooms rented from peasants or fishermen.
Since the late 1990s Vama Veche has experienced development and
gentrification, which has led to a "Save Vama Veche" campaign that is lobbying for the
area's environmental conservation and a halt to development and mass tourism. A major
part of the Save Vama Veche campaign is the 2003 founding of the Stufstock music
festival. The August 2003 festival drew a crowd of about 10,000. The 2004 edition drew
about 20,000 people. The 2005 Stufstock drew a record 40,000-large crowd, formed
mainly by rockers, bohemians, punkers and goths. Therefore, Vama Veche has become
a very popular tourist attraction.

To sum everything up, Romania is wonderful country, with a great potential, and offers
amazing sceneries, landscapes, and wonderful memories to whoever might visit it.