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Agritouristic guesthouse expansion in Romania has been influenced by the interaction between legislative and economic conditions. In this comparative study, we examine the northwestern and northeaster development regions through a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) in order to gain insight into how these factors affect the expansion of agritourism. The objective is to measure the impact of regulatory frameworks and economic landscapes on the establishment and evolution of agritourism businesses. Final findings reveal distinct regulatory environments, accessibility of finance, and market dynamics across regions. On the practical level, this research highlights the importance of legislative and economic conditions in stimulating or hindering the development of agritourism. The findings provide strategic insights for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to enhance sustainable growth in the agritourism sector, focusing on targeted responses adapted to regional challenges and opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The units with tourist functions in Romania have a variable duration of activity resulting from the actions of different factors, but which can be analysed mathematically through survival analysis models. The number of establishments offering accommodation for tourism purposes in Romania exceeds 22,000, and the data indicated by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism on the companies that manage them are the inputs of the study. These allowed for the creation of a statistical database showing the total operating time from establishment to the present or to the cessation of activity. Grouping was carried out according to the type of establishment, the location of the companies in rural or urban areas, their belonging to a geographical region of Romania and classification according to the comfort category. The drawing up of evolution curves describing the probability of survival of the establishments, distinctly for the groups mentioned, and the statistical analysis to establish the significance of the differences between the groups provide information that allows for determining and understanding how certain factors influence the chances of survival of the tourist establishment. The type of accommodation unit, the region of development in which the unit is located and the category of comfort are the factors that have a statistically significant influence on the probability of survival of these units. The location of tourism units in rural or urban areas is not a relevant factor. Knowledge of the actions of these factors allows for optimising the measures taken at the start of an activity in the tourism industry. These can result in improving the survivability of tourism. Sustainable tourism involves developing and supporting different forms of tourism by implementing activity management at both the accommodation unit level and at the locality, regional or whole tourist area level. The survival and continuity of the tourism business on the market and, at the same time, respect for the natural, social and economic integrity of the environment can ensure the rational exploitation of natural and cultural resources for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is developing as a sustainable alternative to intensive, conventional farming practice based on increasing yields, by maximizing the use of production factors to continuously increase agricultural production. Organic farming is, now, appreciated because it eliminates chemicals and produces health food with a positive impact on the environment. Sustainable development requires a healthy life due to responsible food production and consumption. These goals can be achieved in a food system where producers contribute through moral behaviours and where consumers are informed. All these aspects are gaining increasing importance at European and global level in the context of sustainable development. Considering these aspects, we carried out this research with reference to the interest of the inhabitants of the Western Romania for ecological products. The analysis of the data, obtained from the field application of a questionnaire and their interpretation, shows that, in Romania, although the area cultivated in the organic system is still small, there is an increased interest in the organic farming system both on the part of farmers and on the part of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural mountain areas and their local communities have been subject to research interest over time due to their large amount of available resources, but also their problems. The strategy for some of the rural mountain communities to simultaneously preserve and capitalize on the local resources sustainably is to combine traditional activities with those related to hospitality and recreation in the form of rural tourism activity. In this context, we have used a case study to examine development in a rural mountain community through tourism activities; the study site is the rural mountain area of Bihor County in the Apuseni Mountains, which has outstanding, but untapped, potential for development. In this paper, we address the centralization of representative resources on each component community of the chosen area, concrete information related to the current stage of the development and performance of the activity directly from those involved in the coordination of the activity (rural tourism entrepreneurs) using a specific questionnaire, and proposals for possible directions/strategies to ensure future development of this communities through rural tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]