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Alliance for Tourism firmly disapproves FPTR proposal to introduce a tax on holidays taken abroad
The Alliance for Tourism (APT), a platform that brings together 24 professional, employer and associative organizations in the field of tourism, firmly disapproves of the proposal made by an employers' federation in this field regarding the introduction of a tax on holidays taken abroad by Romanian citizens, told Agerpres.
"Today, on World Tourism Day, a field built on trust and freedom of travel, we consider that the solutions for the development of Romanian tourism lie in increasing the quality of the services offered, developing the infrastructure and especially investing in promoting the image. According to statistical data, tourism brought in 2019, before the pandemic, approximately 9 billion euros to Romania's GDP, a percentage that can and must increase if the above premises are met. Outdated legislation that no longer takes into account the digital realities we live in, the practice of tourism in black or gray, the lack of a National Destination Management Organization that can develop multi-annual projects with clear budgets, independent of political movements, are just as many elements that hinder the development of Romanian tourism," it is shown in a press release sent by the organization on Wednesday.
According to the quoted source, the unity of the tourism industry is a key factor for the cohesion of proposals and actions for the promotion and development of tourism.
In this context, the association of all the organizations active in tourism with the proposal of a single federation is unfair and does not correspond to reality.
"The Alliance for Tourism will continue the work and dialogue with the authorities so that tourism truly becomes a national priority", the APT press release states.
The Federation of Patronages from Romanian Tourism (FPTR) transmitted, on Tuesday, in a press release posted on the organization's official Facebook page, that the tourist promotion tax levied on Romanian citizens traveling abroad would be collected by travel agencies, booking platforms and other similar intermediaries, being later transferred to the account of the national OMD, in a similar way to the collection of the special promotion tax, known as "resort tax" or "city tax".
In response, the first deputy chairman of the National Association of Tourism Agencies (ANAT), Alin Burcea, stated that the FPTR proposal to impose a tax on Romanian tourists traveling abroad, under the pretext of promoting Romania, is "absurd" and has tourist model of North Korea, Afghanistan or communist Romania.
At the same time, the Federation of Romanian Hospitality Industry Employers (FPIOR) announced, on Wednesday, that it firmly dissociates itself from the proposal of the Federation of Romanian Tourism Employers (FPTR), to impose a tourism promotion tax in Romania, for Romanian tourists traveling in outside our country.
In turn, Corina Martin, general secretary of FPIOR, emphasized that the Romanian tourist should not be penalized for the state's inefficiency in attracting tourists to our country.
