Foreign tourists spent EUR 660 mln in Romania in H1 2018

Foreign tourists have spent RON 3.07 billion (EUR 660 million) in Romania during the first half of this year, up 16 percent compared with H1 2017, but most of them have visited the country for business purposes, according to an official report released on Monday.

The number of foreign tourists registered in Romania rose by 5.8 percent in the first half of this year, up to 1.27 million.

“The main reason for the arrival of non-resident tourists in Romania in the first half of 2018 was represented by business, participation in congresses, conferences, courses, fairs and exhibitions (60.3 percent of the total number of non-resident tourists), their expenses accounting for 61.2 percent of total,” the National Institute of Statistics (INS) said.

Only 4 out of 10 (39.7 percent) foreign tourists came in Romania for private trips.

On average, a foreign tourist in Romania spent RON 2,409 (EUR 518) in H1 2018, up 9.5 percent against H1 2017.

A recent report showed that the number of foreign tourists in Romania declined by 1.2 percent year-on-year in July, the first decrease in years, to 317,400, due mainly to lower interest of Asian and European tourists.