SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN ROMANIA [622902]

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN ROMANIA

Mazilu Mirela, University of Craiova, Craiova, Romania,
[anonimizat]

Abstract
Global trends and priorities change: more than ever the overarching challenge
for the tourism sector is to remain competitive while also embracing
sustainability recognizing that, in the long term, competitiveness depends on
sustainability. In particular, climate change is now seen as a fundamental issue
also requiring the tourism industry to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas
emissions and the destinations to adapt to changes in the pattern of demand and
in the types of tourism they offer.
The dyna mics, depth and scale of transformations in all sectors of economic
and social life are reflected, inter alia, in the change of economic structures, the
hierarchy of the branches in accordance with the requirements of scientific and
technical progress, the rational exploitation of the full potential of resources and
the increase in efficiency, with the requirements of the life quality improvement.
At the same time, major changes are taking place in economic growth models by
focusing on intensive types, towa rds areas of sustainable development,
globalization and integration. In this context, tourism manifests itself as a social
component, with significant participation in general progress and, last but not
least, as a promoter of globalization and a factor of sustainable development.

Keywords: sustainability, eco -friendly, destination, tourism, market,
ecotourism.
1. Introduction
“Sustainable communities develop their life patterns over time, in a
permanent interaction with other living, human and non -human systems.
Sustainability does not mean that things do not change. It is not a static process,
but a dynamic one of common evolution.”
[from: Fritjof Capra, Verborgene Zusammenhänge. Vernetzt denken und
handeln – in Wirtschaft, Politik, Wissenschaft und Ges ellschaft, Bern et al. 2002,
p. 298]
Tourism is a growing market, even more so in Romania, where it has started
to take bolder wings. This means that there is room for everyone, but the best are
pursued. The difference no longer lies in the hotel offered t o the tourist or in the
program. The tourist is more and more educated, more responsible and has more
travelling experience. The tourist knows what to ask for and to appreciate the
offer. That is why the difference lies in attitude, awareness, the ability to listen
and problem solving.
Green tourism principles, actually, in Romania, have many effects on every
single aspect of the hospitality industry. They do not just relate to the
environment however important that may be, they also relate to the way busin ess
and marketing interact with society and culture and economic stability.
Nature conservation is becoming a part of tourist markets. For example, by
promoting ecotourism as an element of the so -called green economy, which was
proposed as a solution to th e on -going crisis at the Rio+20 Summit.
Furthermore, urban functions associated to tourism involve the commodification

and privatization of natural areas, where conservation becomes only a
complement.
Additionally, the relationship between tourism and the physical environment
is based on the demand for energy, water, land and materials.
Tourism intensifies the use of natural resources, but how does it contribute to
deepening systemic environmental contradictions? Hospitality, travel and
ecotourism comprise a multitude of activities which together form one of the
world’s fastest growing and mutually dependent international sectors. In recent
years, tourism has become one of Romania's most important economic sectors
and has significant potential to pl ay a further role in Romania's economic revival.
Hospitality, travel and ecotourism research is fundamental to ensuring that the
industry has a positive influence on economies, cultures and societies.
2. Tourism + Sustainable Development = Sustainable Tou rism
2.1. Principles of sustainable tourism
The tourism industry accepted the concept of sustainable development and
adopted the notion of sustainable tourism (WTO, 1995).
The World Tourism Organization publication “Tourism in 2010” states the
following: “ Sustainable tourism develops the idea of meeting the needs of today's
tourists and tourism industry, at the same time, protecting the environment and
the opportunities for the future. The aim is to meet all economic, social, aesthetic,
etc. needs of the “a ctors” in tourism, maintaining cultural, ecological integrity,
biological diversity and all the systems that support life”.
Thus, by 2050, the world's population, estimated today at over 7 billion
inhabitants, will reach between 7.7 billion and 11.2 billio n, judging by the latest
average estimate of 9.37 billion inhabitants.
Population growth is the main environmental pressure and is unavoidable.
The tourism industry is perceived as being more environmentally related than
other industries, since its size an d presence have led to a major negative impact
on the physical environment and the social one. As a result, the need for a new,
professional tourism management has occurred, which would attract more the
government and the private and public sector partners based on sustainable
development principles , namely:
 the environment has an extremely intrinsic value for tourism, which
future generations must also enjoy;
 tourism must be seen as a positive activity with benefits for:
 the environment
 the local communit ies
 the visitors
 the relationship between environment and tourism can be developed in
such a way that the environment could support long -term tourism
activity, and tourism is in turn “forced” not to cause environmental
degradation;
 the development of touri sm activity must respect the ecological, social,
economic, cultural features of the geographical area in which it is taking
place;
 the purpose of tourism development must always be balancing the needs
of tourists with those of their destinations and hosts;
 the tourism industry, the governments, the authorities responsible for
environmental protection and the international bodies must comply with
these principles and work together to put them into practice.

Polyvalence is especially necessary for environment al and tourism experts,
especially those in ecotourism, given that futurists have been using the following
phrase lately: “Too much tourism kills tourism”, underlining that there are
“limits” to tourism.
In order for tourism not to turn from a chance for e conomy into a risk to the
whole community, everything should be carried out/developed “within bounds”.

2.1.1 . Specialty literature
The tourism industry is among the largest industries in the world. However,
the detrimental effects of tourism have become a major concern that needs to be
addressed quickly. Thus, the concepts of sustainable development and
sustainable tourism have emerged in order to reduce the negative effects of
tourism activities, which have become almost universally accepted as a desirabl e
and politically appropriate approach to tourism development.
Sustainable development has been defined by the World Commission on
Environment and Development (WCED) as “a development that responds to
current needs without compromising the ability of futur e generations to meet
their own needs” (WCED, 1987), but many authors have developed their own
definitions and adopted different positions regarding “sustainability”. According
to the majority of scientists (Butler, 1991, 1993; Neacșu, 2000; Theobald, 2005 ;
Rogers, Jalal, and Boyd, 2008; Mazilu, 2011; Filekar, Pathak and Kale, 2014;
Wood, 2017), the “sustainable development of tourism” refers to the development
of the economic, social and environmental tourism, aiming at the continuous
improvement of touris ts' experiences.
Sustainable development of tourism attracted significant attention in
numerous scientific studies, particularly in the field of tourism, and was one of
the highly developed fields of tourism research in the late 1980s. Multiple issues
related to the debate on sustainable development/sustainability are inevitably
translated into the concept of sustainable tourism. Again, the lack of any
universal definition has led to a multitude of customized meanings and
applications. As with sustainable d evelopment, there is the freedom to adopt
different “green hues” in addressing sustainable tourism. There is a large number
of definitions of sustainable tourism, the best known being the one given by the
World Tourism Organization: “Sustainable developmen t of tourism responds to
the needs of today's tourists and host regions, while protecting and enhancing the
opportunity for the future. It is expected to lead to the management of all
resources so that economic, social and aesthetic needs could be met, whi le
maintaining the cultural integrity of essential ecological processes, biological
diversity and life support systems”.
Other definitions were given by authors such as Mirela Mazilu (2011), who
argued that “sustainable tourism is considered to be that fo rm of tourism that
privileges the long -term management of all resources in such a way that
economic and social needs could be met, preserving the integrity of culture,
essential ecological processes, biodiversity and vital needs response systems.
Sustainab le tourism products work locally in harmony with the environment, the
community and the local cultures”; or Richard Butler (1993), who defined
sustainable tourism as “the type of tourism that is shaped so that it could
maintain its viability in an area for an infinite amount of time”.
Throughout the world, several forms of sustainable tourism have been
identified, but only one has been considered the best practice for tourism in
protected areas, namely ecotourism. This has been considered by the World

Touri sm Organization as one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism
industry around the world (WTO, 2003).
Ecotourism is often seen as a type of tourism based on nature and has
attracted the attention of tourists as an alternative type of tourism, touri sm that
takes place within protected natural areas, meaning destinations that have as
their main attractions the flora, the fauna and the cultural heritage (natural
reservations, national parks). (Wearing and Neil, 1999; Bran, Simon and
Nistoreanu, 2000; D rumm and Moore, 2005; Băltărețu, 2007; Matei, 2015).
Martha Honey (1999, 2002) defines ecotourism as a “responsible travel to
natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local
people”. She also claims that “ecotourism moves i nto fragile, clean and usually
protected areas that strive to have a low impact at a small scale (usually). It helps
educate the traveller, it provides funds for conservation, it directly contributes to
the economic development and the political empowermen t of local communities,
and it encourages respect for different cultures and for human rights”.
It is therefore logical to highlight the increase of sustainability as it
contributes to the development of environmentally -friendly tourism and the
protection of natural resources from the negative impact of tourism on the
environment.

2.1.2 . Mandatory stages in the success of sustainable tourism
We can distinguish the following stages in the development of sustainable
tourism (WTO, 1998):
 The first stage consists of the decision to include a certain area
and the construction of the touristic equipment necessary for
the respective tourism facilities in the touristic circuit.
 The second stage consists of the progressive development of
tourism activity (in pa rallel with the responsibility of
protecting the environment and complying with the
sustainable tourism).
If tourism activities are carefully planned and carried out in the first stage, the
environmental problems can be solved in the same stage. Thus, the choice of the
area (for ecotourism planning) is decisive in order to avoid further environmental
conflicts such as:

– the location of the resort;
– transport arrangement;
– architecture;
– methods used in buildin g the equipment, etc.

– the local authorities;
– the economic agents;
– the local population (which should be consulted for the opportunity of the
tourism project, being even able to oppose it if it consid ers that its interests have
been breached);
impact assessment (according to the EU directives),
each member state being bound to include in the national legislation
provisions regarding the impact of major tourism (and other) projects on the
environment.

2.1.3 Sustainable strategies in the field o f tourism have all these attributes, as
well as some other very important ones, namely:

 encouraging dialogue between the involved partners, forming
multidisciplinary teams (government, entrepreneurs, local communities,
other stakeholders in the region's f uture and the role of tourism);
 guiding and encouraging investors; contributing to the improvement of
the local transport and communications infrastructure, with great
benefits for the population of the area;
 ensuring long -term security of investment in tourism;
 including the idea of preserving the nature and the cultural heritage of
the region in the tourism development strategy;
 protecting through the selected strategy the vestiges, the monuments,
the reservations in the target area;
 ecological educa tion of tourists;
 encouraging new participants in the field of tourism;
 clearly setting the protection objectives for each natural area with the
participation of specialists and of all those interested in their touristic
capitalisation;
 taking stock of all specific natural and cultural features that can form the
basis of tourism potential and analysing all the information obtained;
 identifying the values that can form the basis of sustainable tourism;
 assessing the capacity to support different areas, which are parts of the
approved touristic areas;
 stimulating rural economies through an additional demand for
agricultural products and financial capital input;
 fostering the improvement and use in agriculture of low -productive
lands, which allows the com plete conservation of the areas covered with
natural vegetation;
 applying a specific destination management.
Although the road to developing a sustainable tourism strategy is
cumbersome, long and with many obstacles, we believe that it is worthwhile to
try to find the way to meet both people's needs and those of protecting the
environment and, implicitly, the rural one, which is so fragile. Assessing the local
or regional tourism potential of a tourist destination as a prerequisite and a
condition for sus tainable development involves two initial phases:
• the analysis of the current tourism situation , in which supply,
demand, competition and market trends are assessed;
• diagnosis that, taking into account the results of the analysis of the
situation, wi ll allow to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the territory, to
determine the opportunities and the risks, and finally to decide the possible
development of tourism in the area.
Only a rigorous assessment, taking into account supply, demand, compet ition,
market trends, will make it possible to determine whether a territory really has a
tourism potential to justify investments in the field and to draw up tourism
development projects.
The sustainable development of tourism directly or indirectly depe nds on the
sustainable development of other fields (McKercher, 1993). Overall improvement
of infrastructure, diminishing corruption, economic growth, raising living
standards, etc. will create the necessary conditions for the sustainable
development of Rom anian tourism.
2.2. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Motto: “Sustainable development, recognizing the interdependencies
between the three systems and taking into account the need for scientific

understanding of the functioning of ecosystems, implies a profound change o f
mentality in the social system” (Popescu et al. 2005)
Concerns about sustainable development at country level and globally are the
result of a complex of issues that worry: poverty in the middle of wealth;
environmental degradation; loss of confidence in appropriate institutions; the
uncontrolled expansion of urbanization; lack of a secure job; youth
marginalization; the removal of traditional values; unemployment and other
economic -financial or geopolitical crises; etc.
Complex concept, sustainable devel opment is defined by a natural side –
meaning that it exists only as long as the environment created by man is balanced
with the natural environment, an economic side, which works on the principle of
competitiveness, a social -human side – concretely, the b enefits of man -made
elements in the environment must respond directly to the present and future
needs and interests of generations that coexist and follow; a national, regional
and global side – in terms of the compatibility of optimization criteria, both at a
national level and at a regional or global one. Therefore, the concept of
sustainable development, as well as its implementation strategy raise the issue of
man and, in general, of human community from the perspectives of time and
space. Thus, sustain able development, through the interdependent approach of
the five problems faced by current development strategies, attempts to conceive
scenarios to be followed, in which the future finds a better and safer place in the
present we live. In fact, the human ly sustainable nature of sustainable
development, resulting from the combination of its four sides, is the model
towards which sustainable development is heading in the light of the 2020s.
By trying to tackle as quickly as possible and positively the curre nt trends –
rapid population growth, accelerated industrialization, widespread malnutrition,
the disappearance of non -renewable resources and a deteriorating natural
environment, humanly sustainable development aims to create, in time and
space, the condit ions of overcoming the limits of progress, through the progress
of the limits, both quantitatively and qualitatively, from the perspective of man,
the compatibility of the environment created by man with the natural
environment, the interests of the genera tions in time and space.
Relatively not long ago, the concept of sustainable development was only
related to ecology and ecological issues. However, in recent years there has been a
concept broadening and its extrapolation to other fields (Mazilu, 2009),
including tourism, which should also be sustainable.
Thus, sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that:
• is economically sustainable, well planned and well -managed in order to
preserve the quality of the environment, offering tourists first -rate
experien ces and improving the quality of life in the receiving areas;
• protects the environment considering the capacity of natural areas and
the protected air by maintaining biological diversity;
• is diversified , due to the possibility to adapt to the quite var ied features
of the environment;
• favours the local population participation in various activities related
to consumption and can contribute with funds to the conservation of
ecological sites, buildings and touristic vestiges.
Carrying out the sustainable tourism activity , the second phase of
sustainable tourism, means the active involvement of all the parties (local
tourism service providers and local authorities, along with the local population)
in actions to tackle environmental problems using economic or legal leverage to
bind economic agents to use environmental protection equipment.
On the other hand, tourists are also bound to limit the pollution of the
environment during holidays, by being better informed and instructed by travel
agents (tour operat ors, providers, tourism organizations, etc.) with the joint
purpose to support the development of sustainable tourism.

The continuation of the ecotourism education work must be achieved by
developing the ecological awareness of the population, twinned with feelings of
love and respect for nature, historical places, art monuments and architecture
over time. This is necessary to be supported by actions related to the “inestimable
value of the environment” and the tourism potential in developing and becoming
communities aware of the beneficial evolution in the spirit of ecotourism.
Convinced that sustainable tourism is closely linked to the notion of
sustainable development, that is, to the type of development that does not
jeopardize the sustainability of the environment in the study area: the South –
West Oltenia region, relying on the arguments:
 Sustainable tourism allows for the development of tourism and leisure
activities in a country, region or tourism destination, taking into account the
basic principles of sustainable development, showing respect for the
environment, for the people and for the local economy and culture of the
local touristic region.
 From an ecologic point of view, practising sustainable tourism means
multiplying responsible initiatives, a constant care for preserving the planet
we live in, and disseminating (spreading) examples of good practice in the
field.
 From a social point of view, sustainable tourism involves trying to focus, as
much as possible, on the local human universe, to under stand the local
people's concerns, the appreciation of local values and the depth of habits
and traditions in those areas.
 Sustainable development also means the discovery of a foreign culture, and
for this, tourists should:
 be curious but careful with the natural environments (look at the
plants without breaking them and watch the animals quietly, without
disturbing them);
 choose hotels according to the criteria of respect for the environment;
pay special attention to rural settlements and accommodation in rural
houses (guest houses);
 respect the hosts' lifestyle, being interested in their culture and
language, and before going to such a destination, they should
document themselves to know something about the objectives that can
be visited in the area;
 adap t as much as possible their eating habits to local traditions;
 appreciate the local values and the depth of customs and traditions in
those areas.
 The foundations of sustainable tourism start from refusal to accept the
“double standard” (“I do to you what I would not do at home”). When we
go somewhere, we should adopt there the same rules of life as in our
usual environment, provided that this way of life does not breach the
local rules of life.
 Sustainable tourism is considered to be the type of tourism th at
favours the long -term management of all resources in such a way that
economic and social needs could be met while maintaining the integrity
of culture, essential ecological processes, biodiversity and response
systems to vital needs. Sustainable tourism products operate at local
level, in harmony with the environment, the community and the local
cultures.
At the beginning of this century and this millennium, the tourism and travel
industry represent, worldwide, the most dynamic sector of activity and, at the
same time, the most important generator of jobs. From an economic point of
view, tourism is at the same time a main source of recovery of the national
economies of those countries that have important tourism resources and exploit
them properly.

In th is context, the main arguments that determine the need to develop the
sustainable tourism result from the following (Mazilu, 2007):
a) tourist resources are virtually inexhaustible, and tourism is one of the
economic sectors with real long -term developme nt perspectives;
b) exploitation and complex capitalization of tourism resources,
accompanied by an efficient promotion on the foreign market, can be a
source of increase of the foreign currency revenues of the state, thus
contributing to the balance of e xternal payments;
c) tourism represents a safe labour market and redistribution of the
redundancies from other highly restructured economic sectors;
d) tourism represents a means of promoting the image of a country, thus
participating in the promotion of exports of goods and services on the global
market, both implicitly and explicitly;
e) tourism, through its multiplying effect, acts as a dynamic element of
the global economic system, generating a specific demand for goods and
services that leads to an increase in their production, thus contributing to the
diversification of the structure of the national economy sectors.
One possible response to these challenges would be to apply the concept of
mosaic eco -development (Mazilu, 2009b), which proposes to i mplement the
principles of sustainable development in smaller areas, as these are to be
extended gradually, so as to cover the entire national territory in the long term.
Considering this vision, ecological space should look, in its ideal form, as a
chessb oard, where large agricultural areas should combine with smaller areas
allocated to industry, infrastructure on various categories and parks and natural
reservations. This complex alternation stems from the uneven spatial distribution
of natural resources, as well as the application of economic, social, environmental
criteria. In this context, ecology and bio -economy can offer original spatial
planning solutions so that appropriate environmental areas should be allocated
to each branch, resulting in a terri torial sectoral complementarity.
The resulted complementarity should be approached not only functionally,
but also according to the rational use of land, the growth of the employment level
of the workforce and the income, the effective participation in the inter -regional
exchanges and the integration in the European structures and flows, the
complementarity with environmental restrictions (DL Constantin., 2000).
The implementation of sustainable tourism development projects starts from
the stages of designi ng and building the technical -material basis for the purpose
of harmonizing with the environment, with the local community or other sectors
of the economy, continuing at the stage of developing tourism activities.
Wanting a model of own sustainable develop ment of each territory, of each
tourism destination, not at all universally valid and enforceable on any territory,
we notice, by analyzing the “etymological” game, but with more meaning:
Tourism + Sustainable development = Sustainable Tourism , the
inserti on of constraints, similarities, differences, which call for an even closer
analysis. It is known that each territory has its history, its identity, its resources,
by which it can develop a form of tourism or another, complying with its
economic, social an d environmental special features.
In this perspective, different actors “involved” in such an approach are called
to lay down in a first step a careful diagnosis of the territory aiming even at
decoding influences of sustainable development based on the op portunities and
threats specific to each territory. A second step is the development of a
sustainable tourism development project of that territory, permanently adapted
to the local context, the project being “embraced” by as many people who live in
that t erritory as possible. Not least, certain “terms” of territorial development will
have to be met, by progressively performing actions aimed at improving the
public offer, the local tourism, by removing the contamination of sustainable
actions with other ill ogical ones (power games, interest games among

stakeholders, etc.). This chapter, open to major scientific reflections itself, has
tried to explain the role and importance of the analytical approach of sustainable
development in tourism, in the territory, with the role of restructuring, rebuilding
and even redeveloping it towards a better direction as sustainable development
itself complies with the direction of history, contemplating the future. There is no
universally applicable unique model to the sustai nable development of a tourist
destination (Mazilu, 2010). In this perspective, different actors involved in this
inseparable binomial: Sustainable development – Tourism, are bound to build in
these territories, a specific tourism offer answering, on the o ne hand, individual
or multiple demands, and, on the other hand, to local crises (economic, political,
social, etc.).
Tourism can contribute to the sustainable development of territories because
the territories themselves are comprised in an interactive, i ntegrated and
environmentally responsible relationship with the economic, social and natural
environment on which they depend.
Of course, more needs to be done, as the imbalanced, destabilizing effects (see
fig. 1) and the resistance to change, unfortunat ely persist despite a massive
involvement of the local community towards sustainable development.
In sustainable development, tourism plays a key role, contributing with a high
share to the revival and economic recovery of Romania. The elevation of the
tourism product from the known values to the standards and quality preferences
(Mazilu et. al, 2010) of foreign tourists requires the initiation and promotion of
actions that include, on the one hand, the development of the education
processes and the formati on of an adequate mentality for the current type of
development and, on the other hand, the enhancement of the sustainable
development in the tourist reception regions.
2.2.1 Stabilizers and destabilizers in tourism development
2.2.1.1. The effects of tour ism on sustainable development
Tourism is not only a school about others, but determines how we will live
with the others, what attitude we will have. Our world, the one created by tourism
producers, is a global one, a single ethnicity: the human race pres ented in its
specificity, element by element for diversity. With past, present and hopes. Any
mistake can lead to irrecoverable trauma . This on the mass of people called
tourists.

Figure 1 Stabilizing (+) and destabilizing effects ( -) of tourism on sustainable
development
Authors' adaptation after Oliver Bessy – Sport, Loisir, Tourisme et développement
durable des Territoires, PUS, 2008 Cedex, p. 44

The sustainable development concept is environmental ly nowadays. On the
other hand, we are forced to question ourselves on the social purpose of our acts,
but also on the future of the planet, considering, permanently, the affected
economic system. This, as sustainable development, appears to us as a pionee r to
new thinking, new action projects, establishing a new thinking manner, even a
new governing manner, based on the cooperation and the negotiation with all the
actors involved in the application of sustainab ility in the territory .

Figure 2 The prior ity stakes of the various local actors in the sustainable
development of tourism (Pargaru et al., 2009)

In fact, this ambivalence perfectly reflects the status of our society being
harassed back and forth to a dominant liberal model organized around the
“tourist market” (Cândea et. al., 2009), but also to a welcomed closeness,
regulating both in terms of their ecology and humanity.
Sustainability , has three independent aspects for tourism, as well as for
other industries: economic, social -cultural and envi ronmental. The sustainable
development implies permanence, meaning that the sustainable tourism
represents the optimal usage of resources (including the biological diversity), the
minimization of the negative economic, social -cultural and ecologic impact, the
maximization of benefits on the local communities, the national economy and the
preservation of nature. As a natural consequence, sustainability also refers to the
managerial structures needed to meet these challenges.

2.2.1.2. The goal of achievin g sustainable tourism must be
subordinated to national and regional economic and social development plans.
Actions can cover economic purposes (revenue growth, diversification and
integration of activities, control, leveraging and zoning of development), s ocial
purposes (mitigation of poverty and inequality in income distribution, protection
of indigenous socio -cultural heritage, participation and involvement of local
communities) or ecologic purposes (protection of the functions of ecotourism
systems, pres ervation and sustainable use of biodiversity). Some specialists
prefer to talk about the sustainable development of tourism rather than about
sustainable tourism, the first referring to all aspects of development, and the
second one to some aspects and com ponents of tourism – such as long -haul air
transport that can simply not be sustainable under current technology, even with
the use of best practices.
Finally, the contribution of tourism to sustainable development is part of a
social and political process underway. It is also clear to us, on the one hand, the
growing importance that tourism has today despite the global financial crisis
(Mazilu, 2010b) and, on the other hand, the major stake represented and
provided by this form of development – sustainable development – of all
territories, all over the world.
Given this complexity, but also to give a pragmatic meaning to their
interventions, communities, especially those at the regional level, undergo more
or less willingly a specific process of territorial izing their policies. Everyone

declines, globally or through certain sectorial policies, its priorities on a territory
whose functional perimeter fluctuates from one community to another.
Global trends and priorities change: more than ever the overarc hing challenge
for the tourism sector is to remain competitive while also embracing
sustainability recognizing that, in the long term, competitiveness depends on
sustainability.

2.2.1.3. Globalization in tourism can, in turn, bring negative effects as
well in addition to the positive effects of increasing investment and employment.
The latter will be felt especially at the cultural level by the deterioration, for the
sake of greater profits, of traditional customs and lifestyle. Traditional meals will
be a dapted to the tastes of tourists, folk customs and traditions will be in danger
of becoming kitsch, and the cultural values of the people will change according to
the values of the dominant culture, nowadays the American culture.
For example, although we have a special holiday dedicated to lovers,
“Dragobete” (February 24), celebrated for hundreds of years in Romania, we
replace it with an import holiday, “Valentine's Day” (February 14), due to its
profit: small or big gifts between lovers, flowers, partie s. In folk tradition, this
holiday stems from the nature cycles, especially in the bird world. Not
accidentally, the bird was considered one of the oldest divinities of nature and
love.
This is one of the negative effects of globalization, the tourist bei ng interested
not only in the natural and anthropogenic resources of a country, but also in
aspects of cultural values, customs and traditions, specific holidays.
Thus, the great diversity of the components of tourism consumption has led to
the need to develop some value indicators to compare this specific consumption
of goods and services. Thus, researchers use the so -called “tourist basket”, which
expresses the total value of services and goods consumed by an average tourist in
a tourism destination (d ay of stay, average stay, etc.) within a certain time range.
It can be appreciated that such models of tourist flows include two effects:
– an effect of tourist flow development : tourism traffic issued by
different countries depending on the influence of f actors related to the
standard of living (level of available income, vacation budget, etc.), to the
travel possibilities (travel duration, distance covered, available time and
holiday breaks, etc.) and to the demographic features (age, gender, family
statu s, etc.);
– an effect of traffic dispersion , which depends on the relative touristic
attractiveness of the various possible destinations (depending on the type of
stay – organized, semi -organized, on one's own), on the cost of the stay , on the
various mea ns of transport used .
Also, when estimating the demand for tourism services, the emergence of
new categories of consumers on the tourist market should also be
considered , seen not only in terms of the increasing volume of demand, but
also of the diversifi cation of the social structure of demand, specific to the market
segments from where these new categories of clients are recruited (youth
tourism, social tourism, medical tourism).

Figure 3 Effects of formation and dispersion of tourist flows

However, it is in the interest of tourism to get involved in the issue of
sustainable development (Mazilu, 2007b) and work together with other
industries to ensure the quality of the resource base and its survival. It should not
be forgotten that it is essential th at tourism be politically accepted as a priority
without compromising its sustainability. Without support and political
commitment to sustainable tourism, tourism programs based on the principles of
sustainable development will no longer be implemented.
After a useful and necessary reflection upon previous interpretations of the
new type of tourism and clarifying the use of the phrase “for another type of
tourism”, which we use under different names such as sustainable tourism,
responsible tourism, social t ourism, joint tourism, integrated tourism, fair
tourism, community tourism, etc., we will analyse the compatibility between
tourism and the notion that is criticized by the literature, the sustainable
development and environment one, the various constraint s represented by
financial profitability, tourism market requirements, shortcomings in the
management of tourism resources and the best practices to be established for
tourism to become sustainable (Madden, 2006).
Because the sustainable tourism represents a purpose , we have to
understand that any type of development including the tourism development
triggers certain changes in the area. However, these changes must be maintained
within acceptable limits, so that the sustainability purpose should be reached.
Sustainable tourism may be better achieved through a careful planning, through
the corresponding development and the management of the tourism sector based
on principles.

As a result, the need for a new, professional tourism management has
occurred, which would attract more the government and the private and public
sector partners based on sustainable development principles , namely:
 the environment has an extremely intrinsic value for tourism, which
future generations must also enjoy;
 tourism must be seen as a positive activity with benefits for:
 the environment
 the local communities
 the visitors
 the relationship between environment and tourism can be developed in
such a way that the environment could support long -term tourism
activity, and tourism is in t urn “forced” not to cause environmental
degradation;
 the development of tourism activity must respect the ecological, social,
economic, cultural features of the geographical area in which it is taking
place;
 the purpose of tourism development must always be balancing the needs
of tourists with those of their destinations and hosts;
 the tourism industry, the governments, the authorities responsible for
environmental protection and the international bodies must comply with
these principles and work together to put them into practice.
The trap of “preconceived ideas” (which often appear to be false) that
sustainable development would be strictly the “business” of the processing
industries should be avoided. Why false? Because global warming and pollution
also directly affect the tourism phenomenon: climate change, for example, has an
impact on seasonal changes, therefore directly affecting the seasonality of
tourism; freeze -thaw phenomena destroy, damage infrastructure; the floods
produced in exotic areas of gr eat tourist attraction only alter tourist experiences
in this environment.
• Sustainable tourism is not and should not be just a “panacea”
of governors. Sustainable tourism interests everyone from:
 various governmental levels : regulations, landscape protec tion,
legislation, etc.;
 associations and NGOs in the field of tourism : supporting the
tourism phenomenon, examples of good practices, activities for
environmental protection, etc.;
 industrial objectives – adopting new non -polluting and
environmental prote ction practices;
 tourists – knowing and applying the tourist code of ethics, being
responsible for the environment and tourist destinations, to highlight
their value;
 the local population : who must show hospitality, knowledge of the
tourist code, being its elf involved in safeguarding and enhancing the
environment;
 to all the components of the tourism industry : from the tourist
destination, regardless of its size, to the types of tourism.
• Sustainable tourism does not only aim to protect the environment.
When we say sustainable development, we say impacts (be it environmental or
social and cultural, etc.), and sustainable development implies the sustainable
management of these impacts. It is a matter of achieving balance and harmony,
according to a long -term sustainability (even prosperity) vision.
• Sustainable tourism is not a tourism product , which can be sold
to tourists. It is a way of sustainably developing, planning and managing tourism
activities. At the same time, it also involves a change in managem ent style,
behavior , mentality and habits.

There are no “recipes” for successful sustainable tourism, but we can take into
account some recommendations:
2.2.1. 4. Action fields of actors in sustainable tourism
Based on the principles of the sustainability triangle and their action fields,
based on which the stakeholders react, the discussion on sustainable tourism
takes shape. The themes that belong to the main field of sustainable tourism or
“the development of sustainable tourism” can in fact be structure d on subfields.
We present a non -exhaustive list of action fields ( Figure 4).
All actors must carry out a concrete task in order to provide the necessary
force for the development of sustainable tourism and for each of them to benefit
by preserving an attr active tourist environment that protects the environment at
the same time (Pârgaru et. al. 2009). The sustainable development of tourism
requires more and more informed participation and involvement of all the actors,
as well as strong political support to ensure a greater participation and the
creation of a broad consensus on tourism development policy. Sustainable
tourism is the result of permanent efforts and requires constant control of the
desired or undesirable effects of this activity, which implies the adoption,
whenever appropriate, of preventive measures or the correction of certain
imbalances.
Tourism specialists have decided to focus on the quality, sustainability and
modernization of tourism services. Specifically, they will study the links betw een
competitiveness, skills and information technologies in this area, developing
suggestions to improve regulation in this sector, focusing on the famous
“services” directive. Finally, they will even try to put a sustainable development
strategy in this f ield, which is so exposed to polemics.

Figure 4 Action fields of actors in sustainable tourism

Local people, tourists, authorities in charge of tourism and the private sector
are key players. The way in which they can provide the dynamics needed for thi s
process depends on their own goals and the vision of the expected outcome, the
structure of their property, their financial means and the influence they exert. We
think of the following activities to ensure sustainable tourism:
 in terms of the implementation of sustainable tourism, tourists pay more
attention to the contact with the local population and show a more
respectful attitude towards nature, the environment and the surrounding
areas;
 the tourism sector invests particularly in its econom ic capital, thus
making improvements especially at the technical level of the natural
environment; however, this does not imply a low attention paid to the
human capital (for example, staff);
 tourism authorities have a central, very important role in touri sm
destination management and, implicitly, in the development of related
tourism products, while having the responsibility to promote
proportionally the environment, the population and the economic
significance that tourism offers to the region; they must share these
resources in all areas.
On the other hand, sustainable development can reveal to us as an
accomplice, even a utopia voluntarily maintained by political and economic
actors worried about legitimizing and proving their economic logic, but also
about preserving their powers already acquired. I think that the adoption the
social and economic and ecologic systems of this fact of globalization:
Sustainable Development would be enough to solve this situation.

2.3. Sustainable Tourism in Romania
Regard ing the combined planning, we acknowledge the importance of
planning for the tourism sector, especially in these circumstances when we look
forward to building a strong economy.
It built on strong scientific foundations of modern sophistication. Integrat ed
tourism industry has come to include planning, investment, construction,
marketing and promotion of sustainable destination in Romanian tourism. This
is also one of the best provided approaches that include the involvement of all
major interest groups t hat have an interest in establishing sustainable local
development rule. It is simply defined as a tool of development and conservation.
In recent years, the eco -tourism sector, as a subset of the tourism industry, plays
a great role in improving the econo my of developed countries and their local
people (Delavar et al., 2010).
But ecotourism should be balanced in terms of a clean environment without
polluting and spoiling the natural beauty and also does not harm the surrounding
population.(Mazilu,2005)
Ecotourism is a type of tourism that continues to preserve the natural and
cultural resources (Kumari et al., 2010, Mazilu 2012, 2016), providing various
facilities in areas with tourist attractions, relating to either the attraction of the
natural environm ent or the ecology made through the modernization of physical
and social infrastructure in the region to become one of the economic activities
that contribute to the national income besides being able to improve the living
standards of local communities
The climate of the "development" of sustainable Romanian tourism is
characterized by the following aspects:
• Negative:
– obtaining visas for foreign tourists who would like to visit
Romania is very cumbersome and, instead of supporting the tourist act, it
discourages it by putting unnecessary "spokes in the wheels" of potential
foreign visitors (example: problems with the MAE by imposing very large
guarantees that create great difficulties in obtaining visas).
– another major problem of Romanian tourism is P ROMOTING
THE COUNTRY:
o Country image: Non -existent! (Romania does not have a picture
of a country unanimously created and accepted by tour
operators, despite the many miserable and uncoordinated or
synchronized efforts undertaken by various private tourism
operators and not by the Ministry).
o Touristic statistics are not very good: low -cost and city -breaks
(having Bucharest as a destination) rank the first, which are
insufficient "wings" in generating substantial financial revenues
to Romanian GDP.
o Romania do es not have a unitary tourism promotion campaign.
– 2,5 million foreign tourists in 2016 in Romania.
– There is no coherent program to carry out and develop tourism
in Romania.
– We are not competitive with the Romanian seaside which is visited
mostly by the Romanians (foreign tourists come to our country interested in
circuits such as Bucovina, Prahova Valley, Brasov, etc.). That is why the rate
of return is very low for foreign tourists.
– The Prahova Valley is "proud and beautiful" (the word of the Ro manian
folk song), but in reality the road traffic is disastrous. Now, when the number
of tourists is very high, the traffic moves slowly on the Romanian roads that
link the Prahova Valley to the capital of the country.

– There is no "habit of buying" tour ist packages in the tourism agency.
– The "All inclusive" holidays are more sought after by the Romanian
family tourists, but the provision of this kind of tourist arrangement is
disadvantageous for the other tour operators in the destination area because
the family benefit from the "all inclusive" family budget is strictly controlled
by the family, and family expenses outside the host hotel are very low.
– The promise that we will have vouchers on July 1, 2017, extended on
November 1, 2017, but these delays suggest more that holiday vouchers are
more a mirage than an achievable promise.
– In July 2017, the weather and the lack of holiday vouchers reduced
Romanian tourism.
– Last year, Romanian tourists preferred foreign destinations (ex:
Bulgaria, Turkey).
– Certain tourist products are cheaper in other countries than in
Romania.
– Tax is 6% in France, and 19% in Romania, excluding accommodation
and meals, for which the VA T rate is 9%.
– From the point of view of taxation, we are in the top 10 European
countries.
When economic growth is above potential, it is advisable to achieve savings in
the sense of fiscal consolidation. Additional gains from over -the-counter
economic growth only allow short -term financing of additional costs. But these
expenditures are permanent, while revenues are temporary, as they will decrease,
ceteris paribus, when the economy returns to the normal (potential) growth rate.
Hence, economic growth b eyond potential hides a structural deficit higher than
the cash deficit. But today's structural deficit is tomorrow's cash deficit, which
will have to be funded under conditions that may become adverse for emerging
economies
Risk map, published by the NBR in the Financial Stability Report, indicates
the first five risks , as an amplitude that threatens the financial stability in
Romania. The highest is the risk of deteriorating investor confidence in emerging
economies. In the following places, there are th ree moderate risks, but all
growing: the strain on macroeconomic balances, the increase in the indebtedness
of the population and the low payment discipline in the economy. The fifth risk,
highlighted for the first time in the previous report, is to accele rate the rise in real
estate prices. It is, however, also low in stagnation.
• Positive :
– the hope of revitalizing tourist activity is due to the positive positive gap
between the level of perceptions (the degree of satisfaction felt after tourism
consump tion) and the expectations of the tourists (before the consumption
of the tourist service) due to the fact that:
o many foreign visitors come to Romania from curiosity and leave
very satisfied,
o there is no intensive campaign to promote Romania as a tourist
destination, many foreign visitors come to Romania less
informed and therefore have a low level of expectations which
after the consumption of the tourist act is exceeded by the level
of perceptions.
– As a matter of fact, the preferred types of tourism by f oreigners are:
o Cultural
o Rural
o City breaks
o Events
o Health
– When the Bucharest -Oradea highway is over, there will be a lot of
decongestion on road transport with positive valences for tourists.

– This year Eforie made the biggest leap of development (many hotels,
wider beaches, etc.).
– Foreign tourists prefer half -board holidays.
– 30 million euros paid with holiday vouchers
– If last year Romanian tourists preferred holiday destinations such as
Bulgaria and Turkey, this year they returned to Romania for the destination
safety.

Actions urgently needed:
– setting up an adequate budget for the promotion of Romania as a tourist
destination
– the promotion budget should include funding for actions such as:
o info-trips
o invitation for information on the tourist destination of:
journalists, large operators
o sales on the target market (e.g. the northern countries could be
an important source of spa tourism due to climatic conditions in
the northern countries; we cannot offer Egyptian tourists the
Romania n seaside or Bucovina monasteries for the simple
reason that they are Muslim; these destinations are not in line
with their beliefs and habits).
However, we can recall a commendable initiative of the National Authority for
Tourism (ANT), in partnership wit h Google Romania, which ran from September
19 to November 3, 2016, and now in juin 2019 the "Destination
management: online and offline" event to capitalize opportunities which
offer online marketing tools to develop the concept of integrated management of
the quality of a tourist destination…The industry dynamics, on the one hand,
requires that practitioners, Ph.D students, master students and academics take
account of events in the sector/subject concerned. The ever -increasing pressure
of external press ure, on the other hand, justifies the development of innovative
products and the demonstration of management's creativity in addressing
external pressures that take into account the optimal use of resources.
We hope that 2017 and 2018 will confirm the hope s of the Federation of
Tourism Employers, which counts on over 1 million tourists on the Romanian
seaside, with domestic tourism registering significant increases. But news and
crises for Romanian tourism in October 2017 shook Romanian tourism following
the suicide of a representative of a tourism agency, Omnia Turism, leading to the
abandonment of Romanian tourists in different tourist locations in the world,
being considered the biggest damage to Romanian tourism as an image, but
especially financial afte r 1989, over 8 million euros, affecting more than 8500
tourists. In support of the quick solution of this situation, not at all good for the
Romanian tourism, ANAT, through its inward President Alin Burcea, initiated, as
reaction to this incident, a donati on/solidarity fund exclusively for tourists
affected by the OMNIA TURISM incident, which was already considered
unanimously premeditated by tourism specialists. Thus, bankers, good people,
ANAT members, including the representatives of the over 2200 touris m agencies,
existing on the territory of Romania at the moment, are invited to donate.
Including the Minister of Tourism, Mircea Titus Dobre, stated, on Oct. 19,
2017, after the meeting on the Omnia Turism agency situation, "that all travel
agencies will h ave to have a unique object of activity and will be able to sell
holidays at most one year in advance. He said that what happened to Omnia
Turism seemed to be a premeditated case, because the agency worked well and
the tourists had no problems." He believe s that all travel agencies shall have to
have a unique object of activity, and they will not be able to carry out other
activities, because they work with citizens' money and do not work with
companies' money directly and, of course, an annual audit of the se companies is

mandatory. No package of tourist services will be sold for more than 12 months",
he said. He presented the arguments in favour of the fact that what happened at
Omnia Turism – where 8,300 tourist packages were sold in advance , the
proceeds being 7.8 million euros and the manager's suicide last week precisely
because of financial problems – was premeditated.
Statistical data : Activity per total travel by residents based on nights spent
in tourist accommodation places:

• Travel preferences o f Romanian residents: 87% prefer to stay in Romania
(with an average stay of 3.7 nights and an expense of 27 euros).
• The external destinations requested by the Romanian tourists:
– 3.2% prefer Italy (expense per average stay/nights – 38 euros)
– 1.8% c hose Spain (expense per average stay/nights was 31 euros)
– 1.7% went to Greece (expense per average stay/nights was 12.6 euros)

Figure 5 Overall travel impact model that includes travel's impacts on the
destination

Another "sensitive" topic is the investment in any field, especially their
attraction … The risks are multiple, especially in t he field of tourism .

Figure 6 Tax system in tourism

Figure 7 Usage in tourism of public taxes

The following are imperative:
 More market power of tourist b usinesses – more power for
implementation
 More resources to develop the market
 Staff motivation due to the management by objectives
 Clear quantitative targets
 A strong market orientation with specific Romanian, traditional,
culinary products
Dang ers for a commercially -driven DMO ::Loss of public subsidy
because DMO has to perform public tasks undefined limitations , confusion due
to numerous tasks , mistakes in accounting and monitoring ,diversification
possibilities:((knowledge of production kno wledge of markets),More market

power – more power for implementation ,More resources to develop the market ,
Staff motivation due to the management by objectives ; Clear quantitative targets
and a strong market orientation.
Dangers for a commercially -driven DMO : Loss of public subsidy
because DMO has to perform public tasks ,undefined limitations ,confusion due
to numerous tasks ,mistakes in accounting and monitoring ,diversification
possibilities(knowledge of production +market knowledge).informed.
The competitiveness of a destination depends on:
 a high competition,
 a policy of price reductions,
 new performing technologies, to ensure through rigorous marketing a
competitive sustainable development to meet the tourists' motivations
and expectations, according to a cycle of inter -conditionings that must
be complied with, to become a competitive tourism (Figure 8).

Figure 8 Competitiveness cycle of a tourist destination – Compulsory stages

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.
What are the efficient strategies in 2017, the international year of ecotourism,
declared officially by the World Tourism Organization? What do consumers want
from the ecotourist destinati ons and what do the latter oblige them to respect
once arrived at their destination?

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DEMAND FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
IN THE GENERATING AREA
Personal income
Income distribution
The exchange rate
Demographic variables
(age, education, family)
Holidays IN THE DESTINATION AREA
Price
Competition
Governmental
involvement (restrictions,
visas, air)

Taxes and fees
Other factors:
Efforts to promote the destinations, health, security and safety, time and cost,
seasonality
TOURIST FLOWS
PUSH & PULL FACTORS
PUSH FACTORS
Economic
development stage
Mobility
No. of holiday days
The opportunity to go
on holiday
Unfavourable climate PULL FACTORS
Destination attractions
Accessibility
Facilities
Cost
Destination marketing
and promotion
Figure 9 Factors Influencing the Demand For Sustainable Tourism

The latter is appreciated in sustainability and naturalness! especially that
"sustainable development, recognizing the interdependencies between the three
systems and taking into account the need for scientific understanding of the
functioning of ecosystems, involves a profound change of mentality in the social
system" (Popescu, Mazilu et al., 2015), but myself being member of TIES (The
International Ecotourism Society) even since 2009, in the idea of preserving and
sustaining the lasting development of tourism.

Figure 10 Membership in The International Ecotourism Society -TIES

Conclusions
The tourism and the tourism industry have outpaced the global economy for
the sixth consecutive year in 2 016, accounting for 10.2% of world GDP. It
employs 292 million people – representing 1 in 10 jobs on the planet (WTTC
2017). Although its economic impact is widely recognized as it provides many
positive contributions to host destinations, the industry is facing a lot of criticism
and debate about the negative impact of host -host conflicts (Smith and Brent
2001), environmental impact such as pollution, overcrowding (Hudson 2000,
Budeanu 2007), as well as threats to the cultural identity and social reality o f host
communities (Garcia et al., 2015). These issues can have an impact on the
destination of tourism itself, but, more importantly, on its inhabitants, often
leading to destruction or anxiety about the well -being of a community. The
industry has made ma ny attempts to be more responsible by addressing
sustainability issues in order to promote more positive long -term benefits, and
the core of these efforts often focuses on increased community involvement.
(Papaoikonomou and Alarcón 2017, Fraser et al., 200 6). However, we still do not
know much about the impact of sustainable activities on their contribution to a
long -term community, i.e. community welfare (for example, Lee 2013).
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