At the end of October 2023, the temperature on the coast was 27 degrees, and the sea water was 20 degrees. This autumn has nothing to do with the last one 30-40 years ago, and some are wondering why the seaside season is not extended under these conditions? We spoke to people from coastal tourism to find out what prevents them from staying open in the fall.

On October 31, 1920, in the city of Roman it was -17° C. 103 years later, in October 2023, in some cities in Romania we had 35 degrees, and on the coast 31 degrees.

The autumn heatwave is an indicator of global warming and comes with a number of negative consequences for the environment, such as drought. At the same time, however, the high temperatures get people out of the house and make them want to make the most of the warmth outside.

Why couldn't they go to the beach, for example? Several representatives of seaside tourism explained to HotNews.ro how they see the extension of the summer season.

Hotel industry representative: "An effective communication campaign with potential tourists is needed"

Călin Ilie, honorary president of the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation (FIHR), says that extending the season is a desire of all seaside operators. On the other hand, they have not yet found the right solutions to do so.

"Climate warming will bring a first step towards this goal: energy costs will be significantly lower if we have temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius, in the off-season the labor supply is higher, and hoteliers can find employees more easily, at a lower cost than in the summer, plus the high temperatures give people a reason to get out of their homes and travel. There is demand during this period," he says.

Each hotelier, as the FIHR representative points out, makes their own profitability calculations and knows where the "break-even point" is, that is, the point where costs and revenues become equal and where profit begins to appear.

At the same time, he believes, not all hotels will want to stay open in the off-season, because the decision depends on both the demand for services and the need for staff to provide those services.

"Hoteliers would do well to seize this opportunity and join their efforts in proposing the seaside as a vacation and city break destination, both in spring and autumn," confesses Călin Ilie.

There needs to be a minimum of open hotels, as well as a minimum of services offered in resorts, from restaurants to recreational areas. "There should be a common message, an effective communication campaign with potential tourists," specifies Călin Ilie.

The FIHR representative believes that more and more Romanians will want to go to the Black Sea towards the end of autumn, even if we are talking about mini-vacations, of a maximum of two or three days. In addition to the good weather that encourages you to get out of the house and do outdoor activities, he also brings up an effect of the pandemic, but also of digital evolution, namely that many can work remotely.

"Demographic changes have made the largest segment of the country's population represented by the segment generically called "pregnancy mothers", those aged around 55. They have the necessary resources to go on vacation, they have more free time (their children are around 20+ years old), but they also want more peace than they find in the summer in tourist resorts," Ilie mentions.

Coastal hotelier: "If the business is one you can handle alone, it might be profitable, otherwise, not so much"

In Vama Veche, one of the most popular and crowded resorts on the Romanian coast, the BazArt Hotel closed on September 25th.

"My accommodation is one of those that stays open the latest in the off-season. I closed on September 25th, and that's only because I promised my employees a teambuilding the following weekend. Otherwise, I would have kept it open for another week, given that most of the important businesses in Vamă (Stuf, Expirat) closed on September 15th at the latest," says Ghiță Valentin.

The owner talks about how there is more activity on weekends than during the week in September, and for October he would only see weekends. However, Ghiță brings up the main problem in extending the season, namely calculating income vs. expenses.

"You have to provide heat at night, have at least one receptionist and one cleaning staff. If it's the kind of business you can handle yourself, it might be profitable, otherwise, not so much," he adds. The owner also says that he should have closed on September 15, and that way he would have earned more money at the end of the month, but he chose to stay open to give money to his staff.

"With the weather we had this year in October, it's clear that people were thinking about the sea. In Vama there are many alternative accommodations where the owners live, so it was easier for them to accommodate on request," he concluded.

Adriana Iorga, owner of Papion in Vama Veche, has a family business, a 16-room guesthouse. She lives in Bucharest, so it would be quite logistically complicated to stay in Vama beyond September, and also very unprofitable. She confesses that tourists expect off-season prices, but their expenses can be higher than in summer, because, first of all, they have to provide heat in the winter.

"In addition to that, it seems that the Romanian state is determined to put a damper on our lives, and is increasing taxes from year to year," says Iorga, who also emphasizes the fact that he has had no more requests for accommodation after September 20.

The entrepreneur believes that 2023 had fantastic weather in October, but emphasizes that in the evening, after 5-6 pm, it's not very pleasant outside, the wind blows, the waves are big, and the water is cold. Vama Veche, she adds, is famous for parties, and when you have nothing to do at night, when the cold doesn't let you stay on the beach or in the club, there are not many alternatives.

"The extended season can be a good idea for resorts where there are large hotels with indoor pools, saunas, or where there are indoor clubs. Maybe this is where our hoteliers should work on irresistible offers to keep tourists in the country. In Vama, with the volume of tourists in the off-season, there are enough guesthouses open to cover the demand," she concludes.

Travel agency representative: "We need as many activities and events as possible"

Traian Bădulescu, spokesperson for ANAT (National Association of Travel Agencies), believes that the Romanian coastline has the potential to remain open until the beginning of November, especially since the climate is showing warming trends, and September has been dubbed the "fourth month of summer."

But, as he mentions, the wet weather in mid-autumn could limit tourists' stay, plus it differs from year to year, even though the average of recent years indicates a visible warming in the autumn season, especially in the south of the country.

"If there is a significant demand for extended stays during this period, hotels will have more reasons to stay open. No one can guarantee beach weather, especially after October 1, even if, increasingly often, we also encounter temperatures of 25-30 degrees."

"We need as many activities and events as possible. Organizing events, festivals or other entertainment activities in October and even November can attract tourists and stimulate the extended season. Also, the autumn season is a good time for team buildings, congresses or conferences, on the corporate side," he emphasizes.

In our society, says Bădulescu, after September 5-10, when children start school, the occupancy rate on the seaside drops drastically. One option could be to attract foreign tourists, as our Bulgarian neighbors do. An advantage would be that there are many treatment, wellness and spa facilities on the Romanian seaside, which could attract the senior category, those who avoid excessive heat.

"We could attract young people eager for fun from Western markets (Great Britain, France, Germany, Scandinavian countries) or from neighboring countries (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia).

It is known that the Romanian seaside attracts with clubs, entertainment, festivals. Young people prefer, for example, on the Bulgarian seaside, the periods of April-June and September-October due to much lower rates. Naturally, in the case of the Romanian seaside as well, we should talk about much lower rates than in season, the target being a much higher turnover”, he adds.

As for how hoteliers should or should not adapt to the extension of the season, Traian Bădulescu believes that they would do well to do so according to the demands and expectations of tourists.

This involves infrastructure investments to make spaces more comfortable in the cold season (own heating, which many hotels do not have), promoting specific tourist packages for autumn (discounts or special offers) or offering special facilities, such as indoor pools or relaxation areas.

"Even families with children could be targeted for weekend periods or during school holidays. On the coast, there are already several fun and adventure theme parks, dedicated to both families and groups of friends or companies and corporations," he says.

Another argument, he says, for extending the season would be the development of extra-hotel activities - organizing themed trips and extending the hours of restaurants, bars, clubs or theme parks in the off-season.

"It is possible that competition with other tourist destinations outside the country could also be an obstacle, as many Romanians may opt to travel abroad in the autumn months, to destinations with higher temperatures," the ANAT spokesperson added.

From Bucharest, there is the Sun Highway and you can reach the sea in a maximum of two or three hours, but for foreign tourists, he emphasizes, it would be good to have as many international air connections as possible, from Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport.

Promotion remains an important factor in this entire process, and should be done both internally and, especially, externally, by the Tourism Management Organizations (TMOs) on the coast, together with the owners of accommodation facilities, the travel agencies (which really promote the Romanian coast very effectively) and the relevant ministry.