IS ROMANIA ATTRACTIVE FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS? A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS AT NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL.

Even if she has important natural, historic and cultural attractions, with a balanced territorial distribution, Romania's tourism contribution to GDP and employment is far below expectations. An important source of revenues in tourism sector is represented by the spending of the foreign tourists. This paper explores the evolution of the number of foreign tourists at national and regional level, aiming to reveal the recent trends and to what extent the concentration/diversification degree reflects the regional distribution of tourist attractions. The analysis is based on data offered by the National Institute of Statistics and World Travel and Tourism Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]