Răzvan Pîrjol, Chief Business Development Officer Winsedswiss Education Group: "Romania is a little known tourist destination. All we need to do is to arouse curiosity"

Authentic and with many tourist areas of rare beauty, Romania is still a lesser-known tourist destination abroad.

Răzvan Pirjol, former Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, currently Chief Business Development Officer at Winsedswiss Education Group, a Swiss company active in the field of education, consulting and management in the hospitality industry, pointed out in the online show reINVENTING Romania that although our country is still a less known tourist destination, it has all the advantages to attract foreign tourists in much greater numbers.

All they need to do, especially hospitality players, is to spark curiosity about as many local tourist destinations as possible.

"Nowadays, Romania offers authenticity in terms of landscapes, nature, ways of life in some areas, such as Transylvania or Bucovina. And this is an advantage for local tourism," says Răzvan Pîrjol.

In his view, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the industry not only a trying time, but also a lesson, a positive one: the unity that the market has needed for more than 30 years to transform itself into a competitive business environment with potential.

"I've enjoyed feeling the unity of the hospitality industry during these two pandemic years. To create a reputation for this industry, we must understand that we are not enemies, but partners in this highly competitive business environment. We are partners for Romania, the Romania that we want to be famous abroad", said Răzvan Pîrjol during the show.

As for the degree of hospitality that the industry reflects in the eyes of tourists, Răzvan Pîrjol reminds us that being hospitable means qualities such as generosity and empathy, and you can't easily show hospitality if you don't feel comfortable with yourself and are not satisfied with what you do.

"Hospitality in this industry is all about how you perceive your customers' needs and expectations. It is essential to be able to meet these needs, but it is commendable and preferable to be able to anticipate them, because only then will you definitely become a champion," says Răzvan Pîrjol.

A nationwide survey conducted by the ohma by winsedswiss hospitality academy, a licensed centre of the École hôtelière de Lausanne, reveals that half of the Romanians surveyed believe that the hospitality and service industry in our country reflects the Romanian hospitality spirit only partially, 30% - very little or not at all, while only 18% consider that the "traditional" Romanian hospitality is not just a myth.

Although, 10% of respondents pointed out that Romanian hospitality and natural resources are the factors that attract tourists to domestic destinations, while 20% bet more on local gastronomy and 14% on traditions and culture.

The national survey conducted by the ohma by winsedswiss hospitality academy entitled "Hospitality in Romania" was conducted online, on a sample of 1,201 people, between September and October 2021.

sursa: forbes.ro