September 28, 2005

ROMANIA : Charter with National Geographic to Adopt Geotourism Strategy Signed

The Ministry of Transport, Construction and Tourism and its National Tourism Authority signed and launched National Geographic's Geotourism Charter today in a ceremony marking World Tourism Day. With the assistance from USAID and the USAID-funded Enterprise Development Strengthening and Rural Agribusiness Development Projects, the Government is adopting a geotourism strategy; a sustainable, market-driven approach that National Geographic defines as

Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its
environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and the well-being of its residents.

Geotourism can help Romania leverage its competitive advantages because it emphasizes the country's beautiful natural and cultural heritage – assets that distinguish the country from other destinations. An alliance with National Geographic can contribute to raising awareness and implementing Geotourism types of activities and initiatives throughout Romania .

According to John Francis, Vice President of the National Geographic Society, “ geotourism focuses on those attributes that make a place worth visiting. It's about what places are. It's about what makes one place different from the next.”

Francis explained that “ geotourism includes not only flora and fauna, which is the basis for nature-based tourism, but also historic structures and archaeological sites, scenic landscapes, traditional architecture, and local music, cuisine, crafts, dances, and other arts – all of which are in abundance in Romania”.

The National Tourism Authority with USAID assistance and collaboration with organizations such as ANTREC (The National Association of Rural, Ecological and Cultural Tourism), ATRT (Association for Rural Tourism in Transylvania), the Ecotourism Association of Romania, and Junior Achievement have already begun to explore additional ways to inform and educate local people how they can sustain and enhance their destinations through tourism. These activities include the promotion of rural tourism opportunities in Transylvania , assistance with promoting geotourism types of tourism at trade fairs, and raising awareness about the importance of tourism based on cultural and natural heritage.