Country Branding: Romania as a Tourist Destination

Abstract

The topic of tourism motivations has been debated for decades in various destinations around the world. Romanian's economy is booming starting with end of 2013 as stated by one of the most powerful voices on the subject – "The Economist". Furthermore, Bucharest is acknowledged as the cultural, industrial and financial center of Romania. Bucharest is becoming lately more and more popular amongst city destinations in Europe, being also known as a budget friendly destination. People are influenced by many factors in choosing their destination. Country-branding is maintained on a top position when it comes to decision's influences. The main objective of this paper is to identify the main motivational factors that attract tourists to visit the Romanian capital. The research will look on how the Romanian brand is perceived by foreigners, at how people get information about Bucharest before they travel, how their experience in Bucharest is and which possibility would be to recommend the Romanian capital to others, as a tourist destination.