Average Romanian family spends EUR 1,500 for the summer holiday, says Christian Tour

The average Romanian family allocates a EUR 1,500 budget for the summer holiday, this including transport via charter airline and seven nights accommodation for four persons, according to local tour operator, Christian Tour. Greece, Turkey and Spain were the most popular holiday destinations among the company’s customers last year, said Cristian Pandel, the tour operator’s founding president, in a press conference today.

Christian Tour increased its turnover by 30 percent last year to EUR 45 million. The company’s profit reported a similar growth rate, totaling some RON 4 million according to preliminary data, added the chairman. This year Christian Tour plans to increase its number of customers to 200,000, up from 150,000 in 2013, while the turnover and profit should go up by as much as last year. The market is growing but most of the growth will come from launching niche packages for families with kids and young people and from continuing the company’s program targeting seniors, explained Pandel.

One growth factor in 2013 has been offering charter flights from Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi to Greece, he added. Bacau will be added to the list this year. This has enabled the company to attract tourists who instead of flying from Bucharest, preferred to book their holidays from abroad, he explained.

Traveling by plane remains the Romanians’ least preferred way to travel, the top two options being by personal car and by coach but Pandel is confident that the share of those opting for charter flights will go up.

Going into the hotel business

Christian Tour has leased a hotel in Corfu which will open for business this April, following a EUR 500,000 investment, said Pandel. The hotel was built in 2000.

Going into the hotel business was a natural step in further developing the company, he explained. The tour operator is considering a similar step on the local market also, although there are no clear plans in this direction and Pandel admits “the context is not favorable”. Spa tourism is the future for the local market and the government should support companies to invest in this sector, he added.