Vol. 1, no. 2/2019

Football and tourism, a mutual interest: Bucharest – part of the history

By Daniel Bulin

The Attitude of Romanian Tourists towards Film-Induced Tourism

By Claudia-Elena Țuclea, Georgica Gheorghe, Daniel Bulin, Maria Darabant

The present study aims at identifying the interest of Romanian tourists for film-induced tourism. For this purpose, an online research was carried out between 5 October and 4 November 2017. The data was collected from 463 participants through a self-administrated questionnaire. In a word, our research has highlighted that 82% of respondents are interested in practicing this type of tourism and the natural landscapes presented in movies seem to be the main reason (44%). Most respondents (83%)believe that such a vacation should last between 3 and 6 days. The interest for practicing film-induced tourism is primarily influenced by the geographic region where respondents are living and by their place of residence(urban/rural).The main limitation of this study is that the sample was not representative at national level, but nevertheless, some interesting results were obtained. These results could be used, for example, to promote domestic tourism.

Perception of the Ambiance – Component of the Tourist Experience in the Hospitality Industry

By Oana-Diana Crismariu, Gabriela Tigu

The ambiance in the hospitality industry is represented by the material, social or moral environment, where customers can enjoy the facilities. The correct perception of this has a very important role in creating a truthful experience. In the actual context, the customers are not willing to compromise anymore, accepting some services of bad quality. Because they have a various scale of restaurants and hotels, they are looking for good experiences, which means serving excellent food, sleeping in great places, living unforgettable moments in an agreeable surrounding, this way benefiting by the best services. The present paper is made of four components synthetically presented. The first one, named "Outlooks of client experience in the hospitality industry" contains the main aspects about what experience means in hotels and restaurants, the second one ”Hotel and restaurant ambiance – a tool used to outline the client experience" explains what ambiance is in the hospitality industry. The third part contains “Main components of hotel and restaurant ambiance”. In the last part named "The impact of hotel and restaurant ambiance over Romanian tourists" the results of two quantitative investigations are presented, applied to find out what characteristics related to the restaurant and hotel surroundings are influencing the creation of a positive experience. The aim of this investigation is to discover the importance of the perception of a restaurant and hotel's surroundings has in creating the experience of customers. The success in this meaning can come from a professional landing regarding a succession of surroundings factors, which can determine the improvement of the restaurants’ and hotels’ services.

Young Europeans – A Tourism Opportunity for the Capital City

By Ana-Maria Nica

Tourism has experienced a spectacular boom in recent years, with over one billion people spending at least one vacation in a country other than home. This is mainly due to the increase of the standard of living in more and more countries, the increase of the duration of the leave and of the leisure time in general, but also the decreasing tariffs of the tourist services and the easier access to the tourist resources. With the development of tourism, a form of it has become widespread, namely urban tourism. This is mainly due to people's growing interest in culture and knowledge of new places. The cities also offer a full range of attractions and leisure opportunities. Cities and tourism in these are very well promoted by the ministries and tourist offices in Europe, while Romania does not promote among the potential tourists the urban destinations of our country. The present article is aimed at filling the gap related to the expectations of foreign tourists regarding Romania. The study is focused on young people, aged 25-35 years, active on the labor market, and interested in short, intense, city-break type of travelling. The results of the research are presented in the second part of the article.

Restaurant Innovation: What Do Customers Want?

By Andreea Fortuna Schiopu, Daniela Georgiana Zloteanu

This article takes a customers’ perspective approach to reflect on the importance of innovation in the restaurant industry. Innovation in restaurants is vital for the business to remain distinct, to attract new customers, and to differentiate themselves from competitors. The aim was to identify the main characteristics and habits of restaurants’ customers, to find out what customers value in a restaurant offer, and to identify the perspective of customers on new and innovative dishes from restaurants’ menus. The focus was on the innovations that the customers expect from restaurants. The authors conducted a survey which reveled that most people dine out for dinner and lunch and have a varied diet. Image is a significant feature in choosing a dish; the combination of ingredients is the most prominent innovative aspect of a dish. In terms of dishes that people want but could not find in restaurant menus, a special mention goes to desserts such as semolina/rice pudding, or plum dumplings, followed by vegetarian options such as cashew cheese and vegan broths. Modern dishes are associated with exotic ingredients such as avocado, Chia seeds, Matcha powder, or vegetable noodles. People seem to be ready to try new things and ready to take in new offers from operators. The likelihood of picking a new dish from the menu reached the score of 3.58 out of 5, a result that completes the portrait of the contemporary client.

Religion – Travel – Youth: An Approach Based on an Empirical Study

By Mădălina-Lavinia Tala, Anastasie-Gabriel Barica

This paper approaches the topic of religious tourism among young people, starting from theoretical aspects in the literature and continuing with the presentation of the main results of an empirical study conducted among young people in Bucharest, Romania, aged between 15 and 19. Religious travel is one of the oldest types of tourism in the world (some authors even state it is the oldest). This has been a means for people to try and discover themselves and divinity as well as to validate their faith. Given that it has stood the test of time, religious travel has taken on a much more complex role within tourism, including other aspects such as, for instance, curiosity and the desire to learn about elements belonging to other cultures. The research is based upon the completion of a questionnaire in the period March-April 2019, whose findings were centralised and used with the aim of fulfilling three objectives: O1 - Establishing the youth’s perception of cultural and religious development and the role of religious travel; O2 - Identifying the respondents’ level of interest in cultural and religious sights; O3 - Obtaining information regarding the requirements for organizing and undertaking a cultural and religious journey. The findings confirm the fact that religion and its resources are sufficiently appealing to the majority of young people, and form part of the tourism they practice or of their sightseeing intentions.