Territorial and marketing strategies related to cultural-religious tourism in Romania

• Oana Mihaela Stoleriu ^[1] ; Alexandru Ioan Cuza ^[1] ; Alina Munteanu ^[1] ; Bogdan Ibanescu ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Iasi (Romania)
• Localización: Destination branding heritage and authenticity / Rubén Camilo Lois González (ed. lit.), Francisco Dias (ed. lit.), Xosé Manuel Santos Solla (ed. lit.), Pilar Taboada De Zuñiga (ed. lit.), Joao Paulo Conceição Silva Jorge (ed. lit.), 2012, ISBN 978-84-695-3961-3, págs. 882-898
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Religious tourism represents an important segment of the present Romanian tourism market. Cultural destinations and especially the UNESCO heritage sites are constantly very well ranked in the preferences of foreigners visiting Romania. A few clusters of monasteries situated in famous tourism regions represent twenty four of the thirty three UNESCO heritage sites in Romania and they are almost always included in the itineraries proposed to foreign visitors. Every year the number of religious tourists and pilgrims in Romania is increasing, as well as the number of religious events and the visitors’ interest for tradition and authenticity. In this context, religious destinations try to adapt to a dual orientation of the visitors’ interests and practices: cultural tourism and pilgrimage. The visitors’ flows have a different territorial impact, influencing also the management and marketing strategies of religious destinations. This study aims to identify patterns in the strategies aiming to attract pilgrims and tourists, in reaction to an increasing national and regional concurrence. Quantitative and qualitative indicators were used, such as international quality labels, the presence of important relics, historical significance, organization of religious events with tourism impact, additional tourism resources and services, infrastructure or communication instruments. By mapping the results, specific spatial structures were identified, in relation with this dichotomy of practices and communication strategies. Thus, major pilgrimage destinations demonstrate a remarkable adaptability of the experiences and services provided to tourists, while famous cultural and religious destinations tend to delocalise their marketing strategies towards regional and national institutions and tourism agencies.