Survey: Only 18% of Romanians believe that the local service and hospitality industry reflects the Romanian hospitality spirit

Half of the Romanians 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, and that this spirit is reflected in our services to a great and very great extent. This is one of the conclusions of the opinion poll entitled "Romanian hospitality", carried out at national level by ohma by winsedswiss hospitality academy, licensed centre Hotel School of Lausanne (EHL). 

According to the same research, 10% of the respondents consider that the hospitality of Romanians and natural resources are the factors that attract tourists to domestic destinations, while 20% prefer local gastronomy and 14% focus on traditions and culture. In the opinion of 29% of respondents, the attractiveness of Romania as a tourist destination depends on the country's international image. 

The survey highlights Romanians' perceptions of hospitality services, with the intention of bridging the gap between two industry paradigms: the way hospitality is practiced and the emotional and psychological state ultimately experienced by the consumer.

"Through this initiative, the ohma hospitality academy aimed to find out the opinion of the general public on the readiness of Romanians to identify hospitality as a national potential that can be educated, trained, assimilated or revitalized and, ultimately, capitalized on through the dynamic relationships that are formed between guest and host, tourists and hospitality professionals who are the interface of the industry," says Professor Ray F. Iunius, CEO Winsedswiss Education Group (COA). 

The main findings of the survey conducted by ohma by winsedswiss are: 

- the most important character trait identified by respondents as defining hospitality is "being welcoming"78% of those surveyed chose this option. Generosity and empathy complete the list of psychological attributes that shape the profile of the hospitable Romanian. 

- Asked whether a hospitable attitude is innate or can be acquired, 56% of respondents believe that hospitality can be learnedwhile 38% believe that hospitality is innate, but needs to be trained.

- The most important criterion on which respondents rate the quality of services is education and training of staff. Next in order are professionalism of the workforce, investment in tourism and infrastructure. 

- On a scale of 1 to 5, 76% of the respondents gave 3 and 4 marks to Romanians for hospitality, and 68% of the respondents also gave 3 and 4 marks to the quality of services in Romanian tourism (where 1 represents poor quality and 5 represents high quality). 

- Cleanliness, friendliness, responsibility, common sense and quality are the 5 words that define, for 88% of Romanians, an excellent hospitality service!

- The image of dual vocational and technical education in Romania is predominantly negative for 85% of Romanians who responded to the questionnaire.

In terms of perceptions of hospitality industry occupations, the study found the following:

- 63% of those surveyed give a 3 and 4 grade to the maid profession which, at the same time, receives the highest score, 5, from the highest percentage of all occupations, 17% of respondents. 

- Bartending has a very favourable image for only 16% of respondents, while 72% of those surveyed gave it grades 3 and 4.

- And in the case of waiter, 71% of respondents give grades 3 and 4.

At the same time, we learn that:

- in general, romanians tend to share their holiday experiences, whether positive or negative. 87% of respondents said they share these experiences always or most of the time. Booking.com is where most respondents, 19%, publicly express their opinion about the services they received, Facebook is preferred by 14% to do so, Google reviews from 11% of Romaniansand TripAdvisor of only 5%. 

- In the opinion of 29% of the respondents, the attractiveness of Romania as a tourist destination depends on Romania's international image. 20% of the respondents gave the same importance to local gastronomy, 14% consider Romanian traditions and culture as essential for attracting tourists to Romania, while 10% consider the hospitality of Romanians and natural resources as factors of attraction for Romanian tourism. 

- Greece and Turkey are the countries that 50% of Romanians rate as models of hospitality, followed by Spain and Switzerland.

"The results of the study will help the ohma academy to identify the needs and expectations of Romanians in interacting with hospitality professionals, in order to integrate them under the umbrella of the learning-by-doing methodology of the VET by EHL (Vocational Education and Training by École hôtelière de Lausanne) vocational programs that form the basis for training the next generation of service professionals, from chefs, waiters, food and beverage managers, to chambermaids, receptionists, hotel management experts and beyond," says Ray F. Iunius, CEO Winsedswiss Education Group.

The national survey on Romanians' perception of the Romanian service and hospitality industry and how these services currently reflect the legendary Romanian hospitality spirit was conducted online, on a sample of 1,201 people, from September to October 2021. People from all over the country took part in the survey, with 75% of respondents coming from urban areas and more than half of them (51%) belonging to the 18-25 age group. More than 54% of Romanians said they buy 2-3 tourist packages per year, while 37% buy only one package per year. 

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Swiss Education Group winsedswiss (World Institute of Service Education), with branches in Switzerland, Romania, Cyprus and Serbia, has as its main objective the creation and development of educational programmes for every period of a person's life, from kindergarten to university and on to retirement. These programmes cover the service sector, from hospitality and retail to health management, sport and luxury. To this end, winsedswiss is developing partnerships with some of the most renowned educational institutions in the field. 

In September 2020, winsedswiss Romania inaugurated in Oradea the first hospitality academy in our country under the license Hotel School of Lausanne (EHL), and during this year it opened its first campus in Poiana Brasov, and later launched its third academy in Bucharest ohma by winsedswisssupported by one alliance, a network that brings together some of the most renowned brands in the local hospitality industry. 

Those interested in an international career in hospitality can consult www.ohma.swiss for more information.

Download: Opinion Poll Report Hospitality among Romanians