**Section 2**

**Tourism Industry – Macro Perspective** 

164 Strategies for Tourism Industry – Micro and Macro Perspectives

World Health Organization. (2001). *Health and Ageing: A Discussion Paper*, 05.03.2011, Available from http://www.aktiv55plus.de/uploads/ageing\_en.pdf. Yüksel, A. & Yüksel, F. (2002). Market Segmentation Based on Tourists' Dining Preferences,

*Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research*, Vol.26, No.4, pp. 315-331.

**8** 

Gabriela Tigu

*Romania* 

**New Challenges for Tourism** 

*Bucharest University of Economic Studies* 

**Destination Management in Romania**

With its content and role, tourism is a well established industry, a highly important component of the economical and social environment of more and more countries. Worldwide a growing interest is taken in a deeper understanding of its multiple economic, social, cultural and political implications, its active role within the society, respectively its

Tourism is one of the world's largest industries with an estimated 940 million international arrivals in 2010 and more than US\$ 919 billion revenues, or 30% of the world's export services. In the last years, the industry is expanding at an average rate of 4% annually (except 2009). Moreover, in the first half of 2011, international tourist arrivals are estimated

Tourism can bring a number of benefits, including the enhancement of economic opportunities by creating more jobs for local residents, increasing incomes and by the stimulation or creation of local and regional markets. Tourism can also help to protect natural and cultural heritage, preserve the values through education and interpretation, and help to support research and development of good environmental practices. Tourism can also help to enhance quality of life through improved infrastructures, enhanced intercultural understanding and the valuation by local people of their culture, their heritage and traditions. The tourism destination is a link between all parts of the tourism industry, maintains and propels these parts, is a complex and specific element of the tourism industry and is a topic of numerous researchers (Stancioiu, 2002). The management of the tourism destination is a concept widely utilized in the theory and practice, while the image of the destination is an important point of interest for the researchers, as well as for the people managing the

Destinations are regarded as well-defined geographical areas, such as a country, an island or a town, with an amalgam of tourism products, offering an integrated experience to tourists. Destinations are not a single product, but composite products consisting of a bundle of different components including: accommodation and food establishments, tourist attractions, arts establishments and cultural venues, and the natural environment (Pop et al., 2007). It is a combination of tangible physical attributes (such as product, facilities, location and accessibility) and less tangible attributes (such as service, experience and community

to have grown by 4.5%, after a 6.6% increase in 2010 (UNWTO, 2010).

**1. Introduction**

tourism industry.

dynamics and mechanisms.
