RSS
Tourism:Romania will have three ecotourism certifications next spring
The head of the National Authority for Tourism (ANT), Razvan Filipescu, recently stated while on a visit in Poiana Brasov that next spring Romania will have obtained its first three ecotourism certifications, with other six similar applications pending to be reviewed for the same purpose.
'We are currently analysing three more applications for ecotourism destinations to get certification, while other six applications are pending [...] Next spring we will already have ecotourism certifications obtained in the case of three destinations, following by the end of 2014 to get certification for all the six destinations that submitted applications', Filipescu said.
According to him, the three applications that are being considered right now refer to Creasta Cocosului-Mara-Cosau (Maramures), Padurea Craiului (Apuseni) and Zarnesti (Piatra Craiului) destinations, while among the other destinations waiting to receive certifications he named Crisan (through the Ivan Patzaichin - Mila 23 Association), Retezat (Tara Hategului - The Land of Hateg) and Calimani (Tara Dornelor - The Land of Dorna).
Filipescu also specified that Romania is among the first countries in the European Union that implemented the ecotourism certification system, underscoring that this could propel the country from a tourism viewpoint.
'We are talking about a partnership between us, as a national authority for tourism, the private environment and the Romanian Association for Ecotourism, the criteria being established according to the European ecotourism labelling systems [...] The criteria are numerous and they refer to very many aspects, from the partial use of various forms of alternative energy to waste management. When we are saying ecotourism we are talking about responsibility and sustainabilityand we are talking about something that interests us very much, about the involvement of the local communities, because, besides the huge potential of the country, the ecotourism can become one of the products that could propel Romania as one of the main tourism destination worldwide', the ANT head said.
Razvan Filipescu participated in Poiana Brasov in the opening of the second edition of the European Ecotourism Conference, with more than 60 guests who are specialists in this field of activity, representing 20 European countries.