New office in the tourism growth market of Romania
Austrian National Tourist Office and Chamber of Commerce open Austria Center in Bucharest
Bucharest, 9 February 2010 – The new Romanian office of the Austrian National Tourist Office was officially opened yesterday with a festive reception at the Austrian Residence in Bucharest. The office was established in the premises of the Foreign Trade Office, thus forming part of a jointly founded Austria Center. The Austrian National Tourist Office has been operating in the Romanian market since 2005, and Romania has been run as a separate market office since last year due to the enormous growth there. The market manager in charge is Gabriele Lenger, who previously headed the Austrian National Tourist office in Canada for four years.
The managing director of the Austrian National Tourist Office, Dr. Petra Stolba, travelled to Bucharest to attend the opening ceremony, where she met with the Romanian State Secretary for Regional Development and Tourism Sorin Munteanu.
During the festive reception in the Austrian Residence, attended by several politicians, business people and tourism officials, Stolba pointed out to the large increase of Romanian visitors to Austria: since 2001, the number of overnight stays has increased ninefold, reaching more than 800,000. Arrivals have increased by a factor of eight. Romania is Austria’s fourth most important market in the Central European Region. 90 percent of all Romanian winter holidaymakers who travel abroad head for Austria, making it the Romanians’ most favourite winter sports destination by far.
During the opening reception, Ambassador Dr. Martin Eichtinger referred to the great importance of bilateral tourism relations for the economies of the two countries and to the interpersonal contacts between the two, which have intensified significantly, especially after Romania’s accession to the EU. Austria is working together with Romania on a series of joint tourism projects, and is also willing to provide its know how in this area. Trade delegate Rudolf Lukavsky pointed out to the great synergies that can be achieved by housing the two offices in the Austria Center.
Contact:
Ulrike Rauch-Keschmann
Head of corporate communications
Austria Tourism
Tel. 01/588 66-299
ulrike.rauch-keschmann(at)austria.info
Website Austria Tourism
Austrian Embassy Bucharest
Dumbrava Rosie 7
020461 Bukarest
Tel.: +40 21 2015612
Fax: +40 21 210 08 85
bukarest-ob(at)bmeia.gv.at
