Abstract
After the fall of communism, Romanian tourism was considered a sector which, by with relatively modest efforts, could be quickly restarted with the capacity to have a positive influence over the entire economic relaunch process. Although it has been more than 27 years, an economic revival through tourism has not yet occurred. Moreover, in recent decades, Romanian tourism has steadily lost some competitiveness in relation to other tourist destinations in the region. In this context, through this study, we tried to show that a major cause of the low level of competitiveness is represented by the significant deficiencies recorded in terms of the general transport infrastructure. The availability of a secure and fast transport network by road, air and water to the most important tourist centers of a country is vital. Without a general infrastructure no tourist resource, no matter how important, can be put forward in an efficient manner. Thus, we can unequivocally say that the absence or an insufficient development of infrastructure in Romania is the prime factor of the lack of development of tourism activity and of the serious deficiencies recorded when it comes to enhancement of the national tourism offer. This conclusion is supported by the analysis of the data provided by the World Economic Forum (through the Tourism Competitiveness Index) and EUROSTAT. To reflect Romania's position in the general picture of the competitiveness of the transport network, we performed a comparative analysis considering the results achieved by ten other EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe (hereinafter referred to as CEE-EU countries).
Highlights
According to Paicu and Hristache (2013) Romania can be proud of a variety of landscapes, a relatively rich cultural and historical heritage, and of the existence of some natural monuments and unique landmarks, some of them being UNESCO heritage sites
We proposed that through this study, we make an objective analysis of the transport infrastructure in Romania, in comparison with ten other member countries of the European Union, from Central and Eastern Europe
From the data obtained by the latest World Economic Forum Report from the year 2015, regarding the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), Romania is at the 66th position from 141 countries, while Bulgaria its direct competitor is in the 49th position
Summary
According to Paicu and Hristache (2013) Romania can be proud of a variety of landscapes, a relatively rich cultural and historical heritage, and of the existence of some natural monuments and unique landmarks, some of them being UNESCO heritage sites. Including the tourism point of view, the potential is broadly similar, but, the degree of development of the tourism activity and the performances registered regarding the number of arrivals of foreign tourists, the number of nights spent or the average period of stay are clearly superior in the case of Bulgaria (Costea, Hapenciuc and Arionesei, 2016). Are there such differences from the point of view of the general transport infrastructure, as determining factor of tourism competitiveness? Are there such differences from the point of view of the general transport infrastructure, as determining factor of tourism competitiveness? This is the question for which we look for an answer in this study
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