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Almost 443,000 non-resident tourists arrived in Romania in Q1 of 2019 and their expenditures accounted for approximately 1.293 billion lei, according to the data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
"The total number of non-resident tourists accommodated in the collective tourist accommodation establishments in Q1 2019 stood at 443.7 thousand, with their expenditure amounting to 1292.6 million lei. The inbound non-resident tourists in Romania spent an average of 2912.9 lei/person," the INS mentioned, according to Agerpres.
Business (including the participation in congresses, conferences, courses, trade fairs and exhibitions) represented the main purpose of their stay in Romania, the equivalent of 60.7 percent of the total number of non-resident tourists who arrived in Romania in the first three months of the year, with their expenditures accounting for 64.4 percent of the total.
Out of the total expenditures for business purposes, the highest share is the expenditure on accommodation (50.4 percent), especially with breakfast included (92.6 percent of the total expenditure on accommodation).
39.3 percent of non-resident' stays in Romania was personal, of which holidays stood apart (64.2 percent) and visiting friends and relatives (10.5 percent). The trips for personal reasons included holidays, shopping, sports and cultural events, visiting friends and relatives, medical care, religion/pilgrimages, transit and other activities.
Expenditure of non-resident tourists in restaurants and bars made up 17.3 percent of it, while shopping expenditure accounted for 11.6 percent. Out of the total expenditure for shopping, 42.3 percent were allocated for food and drink and 34.6 percent represented purchases of gifts and souvenirs. The car rental expenses accounted for 55.7 percent of the total transport costs, while spending on access to amusement parks, fairs, casinos, fruit machine establishments made up 33.9 percent of this total allocated for recreation.
Of the total of non-resident tourists who arrived in Romania, 44 percent organised their stay through tourism agencies and 38.3 percent organised their stay by themselves. The main means of transportation used to arrive in Romania was the airplane, used by 85.1 percent of the total number of inbound non-resident tourists, whereas 10.9 percent used their own cars, 3 percent coaches and buses and 1 percent arrived using other means of transportation (train, river boats, rented cars, motorcycles, etc.).
