In 2023, World Tourism Day promotes the theme ""Green tourism and investments", underlining the need for more and better targeted investments towards the Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030. Tourism Day honors each year the hospitality and life experiences that tourism offers, the beauty of nature and the culture of the member countries of the World Tourism Organization. After overcoming the pandemic period, which involved significant efforts to continue the activity to the requirements of the health safety of guests, in 2023, tourism recorded a return in the volume of activity (+0.9% at the European level compared to 2019, according to Eurostat).
Sustainable tourism is the future of hospitality experiences, ensuring sustainable and non-aggressive resource management. Tourism is a driver of investment, also driving investment in closely related areas.
In this week celebrating Tourism, FIHR was a partner and was involved in organizing 2 events, one to support the promotion of Romania as an international tourist destination and the second to support education and the connection between school and the business environment.
Thus, on the date September 25, the Federation of the Hotel Industry of Romania together with the French Institute of Romania, in partnership with TV5Monde, have released a preview of 2 episodes of the TV5Monde show "Destination francophonie" made by Ivan Kabacoff in Romania in the spring of this year, in 5 cities - Bucharest, Timișoara, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Iași. With the help of a local guide from each city, cultural and historical objectives are presented, through the prism of connections with the world of Francophonie. The film team's report captured both the traditional image of Romania (Romanian tea, painted eggs, hand-painted icons), but also the modern, transformed side of our country: the architecture of historical monuments, art galleries and modern artists. The episodes are to be broadcast in November by TV5 Monde and TVR.
On the date of September 27, the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation in partnership with the Association of Tourism Teachers and Mentors "Edu4Tourism" organized at the Romanian-American University of Bucharest International Conference "Bridge the gaps! Skills for a New Tourism Ecosystem". Within the only event in Romania promoted by the World Tourism Organization, issues related to adapting the specialized curriculum to the current requirements of the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as the impact of changes to the education law on professional education in tourism, were addressed.
The event awarded the initiatives of the best mentor in the hotel field and of the teacher who participated through his efforts in improving the educational process and continuing training of the younger generations, taking into account the principles of diversity and social inclusion.
Sustainability – ESG was also addressed on this occasion, as a worldwide trend – for customers (71% of them choose destinations that respect the principles of green tourism – according to a
study by Booking.com), analyzing Green School projects, continuing education or mentoring programs.
"We believe that tourism must be sustainable in the long term, economically viable, socially fair and ethical for all those involved. On the occasion of Tourism Day, I wish Happy Birthday! to tourists and those who work in hospitality - tourism being a field dedicated by people, for people!" he declared Simona Constantinescu, President of FIHR.
The Romanian Hotel Industry Federation (FIHR) is the first employers' organization in Romanian tourism, being present at national level in 28 counties and cumulating over 17,000 rooms in member hotels, representing the interests of the Romanian hotel industry through permanent dialogue with the authorities and the media, as well as with other associative entities at national and European level. FIHR is affiliated with HOTREC at European level and with the Concordia Employers' Confederation at national level, the employers' confederation representative of the Romanian business environment.
