Romanian tourism in the post-communist period

This paper examines tourism development in post-communist Romania. It first examines tourism trends between 1989 and 1997. International arrivals are faltering, due to political/economic instability since 1989, the legacy of a decaying tourism infrastructure, and poor standards of service. Post-communist economic restructuring has significantly depressed domestic tourism, with the accommodation sector also declining. This leads to a discussion on tourism restructuring, particularly the privatization of accommodation, the introduction and regulation of standards for it, and the training/education of tourism personnel. Next, future prospects are considered, specially rural, heritage and cultural tourism. The paper concludes that, despite Romania's considerable tourism potential, the immediate future prospects-are not encouraging. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.