The number of foreign tourists in Romania rose by 9% in November 2025 and was up 7% for the year overall, but these modest increases do not even remotely compensate for the sharp decline in domestic tourism, where Romania lost half a million Romanian tourists while gaining just a little over 150,000 foreign visitors, said the vice-president of Romania's National Travel Agencies Association (ANAT), Adrian Voican, in a video message, informs Agerpres.
According to him, the figures released on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics confirm the downward trend in Romanian domestic tourism.
"November is the weakest month, with almost 9% fewer reservations than last November. Out of 11 months, apart from January when we had a very good month with snow, and May - thanks to the Easter-related holidays, we had 9 months of downward trend that even worsened toward the end of the year. ANAT has raised the alarm countless times, along with other tourism organizations, yet the Government seemed deaf and took no measures. We have fewer holiday vouchers, higher VAT, we have internal and external instability that brings some concern among Romanians, who buy their holidays at the last minute. Now that there is snow in the mountains, Romanians are going, but we no longer have predictable holidays and anyway some Romanians have left the country as Romania's full Schengen membership since 2025 makes it easier to choose foreign destinations that are actively promoted and attract our tourists. Many others stayed home and did not travel at all. We hope this will improve, but only if the Government takes measures to stimulate domestic tourism consumption and attract investment," Voican said.
On the other hand, the ANAT representative noted that while the number of foreign tourists who visited Romania in 2025 was higher, they still account for only one in five of the total.
"We also have some good news. In November we had 9% more foreign tourists, and overall in 2025 the number of foreigners visiting Romania rose by 7%. Of course, Romanian tourists still account for over 80% of the total, while foreigners represent only 20%, a ratio of 1 to 5. These small increases in incoming tourism do not remotely compensate for the massive decline in domestic tourism. We lost over 450,000 - 500,000 Romanian tourists and gained just over 150,000 foreign visitors. The Government should take measures to stimulate incoming tourism and promote Romania at international fairs," argued Adrian Voican.
In this regard, he stressed that Romania's 2026 budget is still not finalized, raising uncertainty over whether the country will be able to promote its destinations at international tourism fairs early in the year.
"We continue to believe tourism is vital for both the Romanian economy and the social sector, for restoring employees' strength. I think we must enjoy the snowy days of this period and hope things will improve in the future," added Voican, who is also president of BIBI Group4Travel.
According to an analysis by BIBI Touroperator based on the latest data provided by the INS on tourist flows in 2025, an alarming paradigm shift is visible in the Romanian hospitality industry. Although the year began optimistically with double-digit growth (around 10% in the first months), November recorded the sharpest contraction in domestic tourist consumption.
"The early-year optimism was short-lived, as February brought a steep correction of -4.5%, marking the beginning of a downward slope that lasted until May. The analysis highlights a major loss of competitiveness during the summer season. While Romanians continued to travel, they increasingly chose destinations abroad amid the relaxation of Schengen requirements. Continuous declines in June (-4.2%) and July (-4.4%) culminated in a -6.3% drop in August, traditionally the peak month for Romanian tourism. This trend suggests that high prices and a poor quality-price ratio pushed tourists toward more competitive offers in the Mediterranean basin or neighboring countries," the analysis notes.
The most serious warning sign for the economy comes from November data, when domestic tourism collapsed by 8.9%. This was the steepest monthly decline of the year, pointing to exhausted household budgets for holidays and travel. The absence of financial incentives such as holiday vouchers, combined with persistent inflation in the services sector, led many Romanians to abandon travel plans altogether.
"The conclusions from the first 11 months of 2025 show a 'two-speed' Romanian tourism that stalled along the way. The only month of respite was May (+1.9%), supported exclusively by legal mini-vacations, which confirms the sector's total dependence on state-approved days off. Otherwise, the declines of more than 7.5% in September and October confirm that weekend and leisure tourism in Romania has become increasingly inaccessible for a large part of the population," the analysis also shows.
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