Foto: Victa.ro
382 Hotel and Relaxation projects were under construction nationwide at the end of last year, according to the Victa platform developed by consultants IBC Focus. Cumulatively, they occupy an area of 3.95 million square meters, and the value of investments amounts to an estimated 8.73 billion lei, data collected in the last 30 days show. Last year, Constanta was one of the most popular destinations for tourists and is also the favorite of investors in this segment.
The top county with the most such investments is the seaside county, with Constanta accounting for 34 projects, according to data published on its own platform, Hotelinvest.ro. There are 25 projects in the pipeline in Bucharest, plus another 14 in Ilfov, 24 in Bihor and 21 in Cluj.
So new projects were launched last year (projects that are expected to continue until 2022), although some of the investment in the area was directed towards rehabilitation and modernisation.
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“The HoReCa sector, although hard hit during the pandemic period – some data show financial losses of 30-70% – still manages to keep on an upward trend in the construction sector. At the beginning of the pandemic we were talking about the fact that many investors decided that it was an opportune time for rehabilitation and modernisation. Well, neither have those setting up new projects in the sector been left behind. By 2021, more than 3,800 projects in the Hotel &Relaxation sector have been monitored nationwide with the help of virtual sales assistance at construction sites in Romania. Constanta, Bihor and Cluj were among the most active counties”, says Mihaela Ghiorghiu, PR specialist at IBC Focus, for Economedia.
Last year, 26,269 projects were underway in Romania, at various stages of development, according to data centralised at the request of Economedia.
Five of the largest tourism/relaxation units in the pipeline are in Constanta: among them an 11-storey, 15,000 sqm aparthotel with complementary functions and a hotel complex with 41holiday cottages (13,500 sqm). Work is also underway on a building with 178 apartments for holiday homes, catering, services, and retail. The IBC Focus analysis also mentions a complex of three buildings with tourist, commercial, and service functions, with 285 apartments, also in Constanța and an aparthotel with 111 apartments in Mamaia.
Pandemic and holiday vouchers to influence the tourism market in 2021
Tourism was one of the hardest-hit sectors in the pandemic, but last year Romanians still spent their holidays in destinations across the country, market specialists say. Holiday vouchers have also boosted the sector.
Official figures show growth in tourism. Arrivals registered in tourist accommodation rose in the first 11 months of 2021 by 45.1% compared to the same period last year, to 8.697 million, the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics shows. Romanian tourist arrivals account for 91% of the total.
Constanța was one of the most active destinations. Thus, in the first 11 months of last year, the number of tourist arrivals in tourist accommodation establishments was highest in Constanța (1.256 million), Brasov (926,400) and Bucharest (834,600).
According to a survey conducted by Travelminit.ro, 21% of respondents said they traveled to Romania thanks to holiday vouchers from the state. Mountain resorts (voted by 75% of respondents) and those on the Romanian coast (also voted by 44%) are the destinations where Romanian tourists used holiday vouchers most often.
“As a result of the pandemic and international travel restrictions, tourism in Romania has increased significantly, our country has become the main holiday destination for Romanians. And the granting of these vouchers has only further stimulated their enthusiasm for Romanian places. Holiday vouchers have played an important role for the industry on the one hand and for tourists on the other. They have facilitated more bookings, especially as almost all accommodation now also accepts payment with holiday vouchers, and helped tourists to travel more often to Romania,” said Rigo Ferenc, CEO Travelminit.ro. The vouchers will be awarded again this year.