Zoicas Radu - Successful marketing strategies in Transylvanian Rural Tourism

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Successful marketing strategies in Transylvanian Rural Tourism By Zoicaș Radu Student Number: IHTBM 15.15 Email address: [email protected] Cell number: +40724493685 Supervisor: Bucoi Alexandru Date: 16.09.2016 Study Programme: MSc. International Hospitality and Tourism Business Management American Hotel Academy Programme

Transcript of Zoicas Radu - Successful marketing strategies in Transylvanian Rural Tourism

Page 1: Zoicas Radu - Successful marketing strategies in Transylvanian Rural Tourism

Successful marketing strategies in Transylvanian Rural Tourism

By

Zoicaș Radu

Student Number: IHTBM 15.15

Email address: [email protected]

Cell number: +40724493685

Supervisor: Bucoi Alexandru

Date: 16.09.2016

Study Programme: MSc. International Hospitality and Tourism Business

Management

American Hotel Academy Programme

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Dissertation Declaration:

Student

No part of this work has been submitted in support of an application for any other

qualification of this, or any other institution of learning. I declare that this is an

original piece of work and that all data has been collected and results analysed as

stated within.

This research has been conducted in an ethical manner in accordance with the

School’s Ethical Framework.

I have shown my supervisor evidence of data collection and analysis.

Signed..............................................................

Date.................................

Supervisor (please sign after the appropriate statement)

The student has presented sufficient evidence during supervision to verify that

this dissertation is their own work and that the data collection and analysis is

genuine.

Signed ……………………………………………………Date……………………..

The student has not presented sufficient evidence during supervision to verify

that this dissertation is their own work and that the data collection and analysis

is genuine. Therefore I cannot verify data collection and analysis at this stage

of the assessment procedure.

Signed ……………………………………………………Date……………………..

Copyright@ American Hotel Academy 2013

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ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to effectively determine successful marketing

strategies used in Transylvanian Rural Tourism. The objectives set are to

understand the concept of rural tourism, to define general successful marketing

strategies, to identify marketing strategies used in Transylvanian rural tourism,

to establish successful marketing strategies used in Transylvania and to draw

conclusions and make recommendations.

The paper is structured in five chapters, beginning with the introductory chapter.

The second chapter which presents the literature review is devised on three

levels, analysing academic works on rural tourism from international, European

and Romanian points of view. The third chapter details the research

methodology, explaining the method, tools and the way it was conducted. The

fourth chapter introduces the findings obtained through data analysis while the

fifth chapter presents personal conclusions and recommendations.

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Table of contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................1

1.1 Background to the study ..........................................................................1

1.2 Aims and Objectives..................................................................................2

1.3 Structure of the dissertation ...................................................................3

1.4 Definitions ....................................................................................................3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................5

2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................5

2.2 Body ...............................................................................................................6

2.2.1 International context..............................................................................6

2.2.2 European context ............................................................................... 10

2.2.3 Romanian context .............................................................................. 15

2.3 Summary of the literature ..................................................................... 20

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................... 22

3.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 22

3.2 Secondary data research ...................................................................... 22

3.2.1 Literature search................................................................................. 22

3.2.2 Literature review ................................................................................. 23

3.3 Primary Data research ........................................................................... 23

3.3.1 Research design................................................................................. 23

3.3.2 Research method ............................................................................... 24

3.3.3 Research tools .................................................................................... 24

3.3.4 Pilot study ............................................................................................ 24

3.3.5 Sampling Strategy .............................................................................. 25

3.3.6 Conducting the research ................................................................... 26

3.3.7 Limitations ........................................................................................... 26

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 27

4.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 27

4.2 Questionnaire structure......................................................................... 28

4.3 Questionnaire analysis .......................................................................... 30

4.4 Summary.................................................................................................... 50

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 53

5.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 53

5.2 Conclusions .............................................................................................. 53

5.3 Recommendations .................................................................................. 55

5.4 Reflections and evaluation of the methodology ............................. 56

5.5 Suggestions for further research. ...................................................... 56

REFERENCES: ........................................................................................................ 57

APPENDIX A: DETAILED QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS ............................... 60

APPENDIX B: GUESTHOUSE MAILING LIST .................................................. 78

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Rural tourism is a relatively new, increasingly popular type of tourism that is

being practiced in non-urban areas in order to develop these specific regions.

The emergence of rural tourism can be attributed to the polarizing nature of

mainstream tourism which tends to limit the income from touristic activities to

large cities and resorts. Meanwhile, rural areas are being underdeveloped,

depopulated due to migration/ageing and are often witnessing a low level of

involvement from local authorities. Sharpley (2002) states that “throughout

Europe, in particular, tourism has been widely promoted and relied upon as a

means of addressing the social and economic challenges facing peripheral rural

areas” (Sharpley, 2002, p. 233). Therefore, rural tourism is seen as a chance

of reaching a state of sustainability that would prevent the further deterioration

of the region and the locals’ life standard. Moreover, the economic impact would

substantially benefit the infrastructure development, leading to new business

opportunities in which the local residents can and should be directly involved.

This research aims to determine successful marketing strategies used in

Transylvanian rural tourism, to assess their level of effectiveness and to

propose relevant solutions based on a comparison to other geographic areas.

While rural tourism is not a viable option for every area as will be detailed in the

literature chapter, the areas that do have this opportunity should heavily rely on

marketing, especially in the incipient stages of the development. The literature

chapter will also refer to variations of rural tourism, ecotourism and agri-tourism

- which encourages tourists to stay in farmhouses alongside locals and get

involved in daily activities. Examining these variations will be helpful in grasping

the level of rural tourism development and eventually fully understanding the

concept of rural tourism, which is the first proposed objective for this research,

further detailed below.

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1.2 Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to effectively determine successful marketing strategies

used in Transylvanian rural guesthouses.

Objectives:

To understand the concept of rural tourism

This objective will be accomplished by examining a varied selection of academic

materials in the literature review chapter.

To define successful marketing strategies

After finishing the literature review chapter we will be able to draw the first

conclusions and examine the international, European and Romanian

approaches regarding marketing/promotion as well as the perceived effects.

To identify marketing strategies used in Transylvanian rural tourism

The Romanian segment of the literature review, along with the responses from

the distributed questionnaire, will create a relevant image of how marketing is

currently being addressed in rural Transylvania.

To establish successful marketing strategies used in Transylvania

The data analysis chapter will establish what are the respondents’ preferences

regarding advertising and promotion, what is their attitude towards marketing

and what are the results that they have reached through these strategies.

To draw conclusions and make recommendations

The final thoughts and suggestions will be presented in the final chapter of this

research paper. This chapter will also include the findings related to the five

objectives.

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1.3 Structure of the dissertation

This dissertation paper contains an abstract, a table of contents, five chapters

that will now briefly be detailed, a reference page and two appendices. The first

chapter is introductory, familiarizing the reader with the overall theme, aim and

objectives while also providing a few representative definitions of specialized

terms. The second chapter presents a systematic review of 12 academic

publications that present various stages and challenges of worldwide rural

tourism. The third chapter outlines the research methodology, introducing the

tools and method that were used in primary data collection and also mentions

some of the limitations that were met. The fourth chapter provides a

comprehensive data analysis of the results that were revealed by the

questionnaire. The final chapter summarizes the dissertation while pointing out

findings and expresses personal conclusions. There are two appendixes, the

first one further details the analysed data from chapter four while the second

appendix lists the email addresses that were used in the distribution of the

survey. The abstract, table of contents and the reference page are self-

explanatory.

1.4 Definitions

Destination image – “an individual’s overall perceptions of a particular

destination.”(Gunn, 1972; Spencer and Dixon, 1983; Fakeye and Crompton,

1991, cited in Phillips, Wolfe, Hodur and Leistritz, 2011, p. 94)

Ecotourism – “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the

environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves

interpretation and education" (TIES, 2015)

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Innovation of a process – “to introduce a new or a significantly improved

process, distribution method or support activity for the tourism products. The

innovation must be new to the company but it does not need to be new to the

tourism sector.”(Cosma, Paun, Bota and Fleseriu, 2014, p. 508)

Innovation of a tourism product – “to bring on the market a new or a significantly

improved product. The tourism product must be new to the company but it does

not need to be new to the tourism sector.”(Cosma, Paun, Bota and Fleseriu,

2014, p. 508)

Marketing innovation – “the implementation of new or significantly improved

product design, placement, or promoting … to increase the appeal of the

products or to enter new markets.”(Cosma, Paun, Bota and Fleseriu, 2014, p.

508)

Organizational innovation – “the implementation of new or significant changes

into the company structure or the management methods, which should be used

to improve … efficiency.”(Cosma, Paun, Bota and Fleseriu, 2014, p. 508)

Perceived value – “a consumer’s overall evaluation of what they paid for the

product (service) acquired.”(Zeithaml, 1988, cited in Phillips, Wolfe, Hodur and

Leistritz, 2011, p. 95)

Satisfaction – “the degree to which an individual believes that a consumption

experience brings positive feelings.”(Rust and Oliver, 1994, cited in Phillips,

Wolfe, Hodur and Leistritz, 2011, p. 95)

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

The literature review chapter aims to generally present the international context

of rural tourism in order to establish a basis to which we will then compare the

present study of Transylvanian rural tourism. When referring to tourism, most

people immediately think about traditional activities like travelling to seaside

resorts or engaging in city breaks that usually take place in large cities/capitals

across the globe. However, these types of tourism economically benefit only

the aforementioned areas, creating a significant gap between visitor hotspots

and other less explored areas with touristic potential. Therefore, rural areas

often tend to be overlooked and left behind when it comes to investments in

infrastructure and overall regional development. Rural tourism seeks to fill that

gap by generating interest in the particularities of those areas, promoting the

geographical assets, the ethnographic elements and allowing visitors to

immerse themselves into the rural life.

This chapter also touches adjacent topics like agri-tourism, which not only gives

visitors the possibility of being accommodated in the rural environment, but also

encourages them to participate in day-to-day activities and closely witness local

customs and traditions. Another topic that is quickly gaining popularity is

ecotourism, defined by The International Ecotourism Society as “responsible

travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being

of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015).

Ecotourism is all about sustainability, aiming to offer a unique experience to

visitors while also being productive and protecting the surrounding

environment. Popular ecotourism destinations include remote, undeveloped

locations, some of which will be discussed in depth within this chapter.

The literature selection has been devised to be as varied as possible, both

geographically and culturally, with the purpose of extracting advantages,

disadvantages and the marketing solutions implemented in order to reduce the

latter.

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2.2 Body

2.2.1 International context

Before examining the current state of rural tourism in Europe, this section will

present the recent levels of development in different parts of the world. The

articles chosen for this purpose explore both the situation in North Dakota,

which faces challenges in attracting tourists, as well as the Amazonian Forest

in Peru which faces extinction due to the area’s increasing development. Also,

we analyse the situation in Malaysia where the increased touristic activities

prove to be problematic for the locals, while the small African state of Gambia

faces the opposite problem, not being able to diversify its touristic offer.

North Dakota, from overlooking to revisiting

The first article refers to the situation in one of the more rural states of the USA,

North Dakota. Rural tourism is considered a niche category and it is not

particularly popular in the United States, being aimed mostly locally and with

very few international guests interested in the rural American experience. The

reason for this may be that international travellers have a limited time at their

disposal and choose to focus on visiting cities or taking trips to well-known

American landmarks. The article addresses the tourists’ intent of revisiting and

recommending the accommodations, stating that “Destination marketing

campaigns and promotions should play a major role in convincing travellers to

visit a destination. Other marketing strategies like positive word of mouth

(WOM) from past visitors should be taken into consideration for marketing

purposes” (Phillips et. al, 2011, p. 94). The authors (of which 3 are actually

coming from North Dakota) express their concern that the area tends to be

overlooked seeing as the surrounding states have consistently larger allocated

budgets for tourism. The market in North Dakota also has significant restraints

due to the difficult access and overall poor quality services, leading the authors

to analyse the main concepts of destination image, perceived value and

satisfaction. The research tools used were questionnaires given to tourists at

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three separate locations, out of which 317 samples were then selected. As

authors note, “respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement (1 =

strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree) with eight image attributes: beautiful

scenery, historic attraction, interesting cultural activities, friendly people, good

reputation, outdoor activities, family oriented and recreation activities available

for children” (Phillips et. al, 2011, p. 96). The article then presents the study’s

figures and draws the main conclusions, stating that respondents largely

expressed that they had a positive destination image and would opt for revisiting

although they are reluctant in recommending if further on. On the other hand,

the respondents that said that they would recommend the destination to others

have not expressed their wish to revisit the place, making them economically

less valuable than the first category.

Attitude towards tourism in Malaysia

Moving on and taking a look at the situation in Asia, Malaysia faces a different

issue: while tourism has flourished, the personal interest of the local

communities has mostly been ignored. According to www.travel-to-

malaysia.com (2014), in 2010 Malaysia was the 9th most visited country in the

world, yet locals have been disregarded as stakeholders, leading to the dire

need of a repositioning strategy for rural tourism. The article is about a future

study that will take place in Malaysia with the authors of the article arguing that

the community should be more actively involved in creating a destination image,

especially due to the high regional touristic competition. They also believe that

“for successful tourism development, community leaders and tourism planners

need to view tourism as a local community industry” (Falak S., May Chiun L.

and Wee A.Y., 2014, p. 413). The main problem of Malaysia’s rural tourism is

that local establishments have not been integrated into the touristic circuit,

leaving the cultural gap between tourists and locals unattended. Therefore,

workers in hospitality fail to properly understand the guests’ needs, leading to

poor customer service while at the same time, visitors do not get to properly

immerse themselves into the region’s culture. The solutions found were to

monitor both the local residents’ reaction towards tourism as well as keeping

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track of the customer satisfaction level in order to better understand the way

these two factors, internal and external, impact each other. The results were

then to be quantified and split into tangible and non-tangible elements, for

example a tangible impact for the locals would be an increase in income while

the intangible would be represented by the way they feel towards touristic

activities. Concluding the article, the three authors present their methodology

and research objectives, stating that they will use locally administered surveys

in order to determine “the current positioning of rural tourism destination from

the perspective of local community and to explore how these views contribute

to repositioning strategy in a rural destination” (Falak S., May Chiun L. and Wee

A.Y., 2014, p. 414). By doing so, they hope to substantially improve the touristic

experience for both hosts and guests, creating a pleasant and productive

intercultural environment.

Developing Inland Gambia

The third article is written by a team of three university professors from

Germany, Austria and South Africa and examines the state of rural tourism in

the small African state of Gambia. Seeing as rural areas in Africa are usually

benefiting less from touristic activities, compared to their urban counterparts,

the authors of this study administered 450 questionnaires to tourists in order to

divide them into relevant categories, thus identifying the best strategies towards

tourism development. The underdevelopment of tourism in Gambia can be

justified by the lack of diversity - seeing as the beach is basically the only

touristic attraction, it cannot compete with other (more) developed countries in

the area. This is why rural tourism needs to be taken into consideration, not

only will it fill in the gap left from traditional seaside tourism but it will also create

new jobs and bring new income for locals. This is extremely important since the

vast majority of foreign tourists are coming through package tours, meaning

that they are provided with everything they need from arrival to departure, rarely

spending any money in Gambia. The questionnaires were distributed in the

capital’s airport, having considered that this is the point through which most of

the tourists are travelling in and out of the country, and were devised to create

a comprehensive view on the expectations from arriving tourists as well as the

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level of satisfaction from the ones departing. The results revealed that 93% of

tourists were coming from Europe, over 83% were satisfied with their stay and

around 72% would consider visiting Gambia again. The respondents were

divided into four categories, differenced on what they were primarily seeking:

“heritage and nature”, “authentic rural experience”, “learning” and “sun and

beach”. Concluding the study, the researchers found that “sun and beach”

represented a minor 5% general interest, meaning that Gambia should indeed

diversify its touristic offer. Their suggestion to the local stakeholders were to

develop a new product of event-based rural tourism, like a themed route for the

river Gambia, which would open up a new area of interest “as the river offers

rich natural resources and cultural heritage to cater to the motivations in the

“heritage & nature” segment and also, the river offers relatively easy access to

rural areas from the main hotels situated along the Gambian coast” (Rid W.,

Ezeuduji I. O. and Probstl-Haider U., 2014, p.110).

Sustainable ecotourism in Tambopata Province, Peru

Lastly, we turn our attention to South America and we examine a study

regarding sustainable ecotourism in Peru’s Amazonian rainforest. The author,

Dr. Tiffany M. Doan from Central Connecticut State University USA, considers

that this particular type of tourism should be examined with upmost

consideration in developing countries, since it can become one of the most

important ways of development. Dr. Doan focuses on a small region of Peru,

the Tambopata Province, which is currently very popular among visitors

seeking ecotourism. The appeal of this specific area is that it is one of the last

parts of the Amazonian area that has evaded deforestation so far, being home

to a large number of plant and animal species, many of which are already

extinct in neighbouring areas. The tourists are being encouraged to experience

the Peruvian rural life without harming the environment and are being

accommodated in picturesque river lodges which can only be reached by boats.

These lodges are the object of this study, they are being compared to each

other and to other lodges around the globe while taking into consideration their

proximity to urban areas and the history of the region, in order to determine their

sustainability. The author chose six lodges for the comparison because “of the

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12 large lodges in the region, they have been existence longest. Other tourism

sites have opened within the last five years, but the six sites included in this

study have had a long record of establishment and are stable businesses in the

local area, as opposed to the newer sites, which often close a few years after

opening” (Doan T. M., 2013, p. 263). The establishments were compared and

graded according to the following six categories: “financial support for

conservation”, “employment for residents”, “local attitudes toward

conservation”, “local attitudes towards tourism”, “ecological status of area” and

“protection status of area”. The data collection was done personally by the

author, visiting each of these lodges from 1995 to 2009 and interviewing ten

staff members and ten local residents from each site. The conclusions were

that while being situated within the same geographic area, the sites offered very

different results from one to another. In terms of sustainability, the best scores

were achieved by the lodges situated the furthest from urban areas, seeming

more appealing to tourists while also being more concerned about practicing

tourism without affecting the pristine surrounding environment.

2.2.2 European context

Tourism in Europe is constantly changing and adapting and can be extremely

varied even within a single country, so in order to properly understand the

general context, we need to look at it from varied geographical, social and

economic points of view. While European tourism can be traditionally split into

two large categories: cultural tourism (learning and visiting) and resort tourism

(mountain or seaside holidays), there is a third, more recent but growing branch

represented by rural tourism. This type of tourism is becoming more popular as

urban settlers are constantly looking for peaceful destinations to rest and relax,

while also getting (back) in touch with old customs from those areas. The

following segment will present the situation of rural tourism in significantly

different areas, from Cyprus which faces a strong competition between rural

tourism and its own developed resort tourism to landlocked Serbia that lacks

the seaside opportunities that most of its neighbours benefit from. Also, we

examine the highly popular Italian region of Tuscany, just before we move on

to a secluded forest in northern Poland.

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Inland Cyprus

British professor Richard Sharpley is analysing the case of Cyprus, a country

famous for its seaside tourism that has recently begun the development of local

rural tourism. Sharpley (2002) notes that “a number of popular sun–sea–sand

tourist destinations have, in recent years, attempted to diversify into rural

tourism … in order to achieve a more balanced, sustainable approach to

tourism development. More specifically, the development of rural tourism in

traditionally summer-sun destinations is seen as an effective means of

achieving not only the regeneration of rural areas but also a variety of tourism-

policy objectives” (Sharpley, 2002, p. 234). The author then continues to

enumerate several benefits of rural tourism like economic growth and socio-

cultural development and revitalisation. He also balances this view by adding

some regular challenges such as low returns on investments, inferior quality of

products and services and poorly applied marketing strategies. After a brief

history of tourism in Cyprus, Sharpley presents the main disadvantages,

mentioning seasonality and the fact that the inland areas have not benefited

from the business developed in coastal resorts. This was the trigger for the

development of rural tourism in an attempt of developing the rest of the country

while also attracting tourists outside summer season. The aim was to revitalize

existing rural communities while also preventing emigration and strengthening

small local economies. Towards the end of the article, the author interviews

several business owners, asking them about the benefits and challenges of

agrotourism. The main positive aspects included supplementing the income in

small villages, the renovation of old buildings and enforcing local traditions and

customs. On the other hand, respondents complained about a lack of support

from local authorities and declared themselves unsatisfied with the overall

revenue. Other important disadvantages were seen in poor staff training and

lack of amenities, as well as low occupancy rates and high prices in relation to

their coastal counterparts. Summing up the findings, rural tourism in Cyprus

proves the point according to which this particular type of tourism is not suitable

for every region and in this particular case, it cannot yet rival the popular,

coastal tourism.

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Tuscany, Italy

Another Mediterranean destination that is associated with traditional tourism

and has recently also started shifting towards rural tourism is Italy. The article

presents the current situation in famous wine region Tuscany, Italy, where the

typical agricultural activities have begun to transform into agri-tourism with

visitors eager to witness the local customs and to be accommodated at small

independent farms. In order to properly quantify the actual level of rural tourism,

the authors first had to identify the rural establishments in Tuscany, doing so by

using three separate indicators: social, economic and ecological. The

identification was done by applying the indicators to all establishments as the

authors “classified as rural those municipalities respecting at least one of those

three following indicators: social dimension (density of population <150

inhabitants per km2, as indicated by the OCSE for rural areas), economic

dimension (number of employees in agriculture >4.09%, which is the regional

average), ecological dimension (measured by rural land use >95.92%, regional

average)” (Randelli F., Romei P. and Tortora M., 2013, p. 277). Tuscany is

considered to be the centre of Italian rural tourism, based on the number of

beds and existing establishments that are practicing agri-tourism. The reason

behind this is that in the 1950s there was a large depopulation of Tuscany due

to low farm incomes, leading workers to move to more industrialized areas with

better paid jobs. Houses and farms that were left behind were then bought by

foreigners and wealthy Italians from large cities, most of which started

accommodating tourists in their farms beginning with the 1970s. By 1985 the

benefits from rural tourism were evident and the emerging sub-genre of agri-

tourism had finally been acknowledged and properly legislated. What followed

was a period of prosperity in which the area was refinanced due to a touristic

boom, which in turn lead to revitalizing old agricultural activities. Also, the local

infrastructure has been consistently improved, as the authors point out

“entrepreneurs invested in farmhouse restoration and in doing so they were

supporting small firms and craftsmen working as masons, carpenters, joiners,

plumbers, electricians and so on. As the number of tourists increased, so the

price of houses and farm started to grow. Related services began to be offered

by local municipalities (tourist information, public transportation) and local

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entrepreneurs (restaurants, car rental, taxi services)” (Randelli F., Romei P. and

Tortora M., 2013, p. 279). While agri-tourism emerged as an economic

necessity, today Tuscany embraces all types of tourism which reportedly gather

more income than the other industries in the area. Agricultural activities are now

intertwined with touristic ones and the new issue has become the need for

diversification as the touristic offer in Tuscany has expanded beyond the actual

demand.

Bory Tucholskie, Poland

The third article that addresses European rural tourism is a Polish study that

investigates a less documented touristic segment, which is the existence and

importance of second homes transformed into guesthouses. These

establishments are an alternative to conventional tourism and while they do not

contribute as heavily to the local touristic income, they are extremely important

to the overall development of the surrounding area. Professor Adamiak, Doctor

at the Department of Spatial Management and Tourism, Nicolaus Copernicus

University, briefly presents an overview of this type of rural tourism as

experienced internationally. Referencing Poland, he is stating that the number

of second homes began to increase exponentially in the late 1970s, following a

prosperous economic period the country has gone through. The area chosen

for this study is Bory Tucholskie, a forest situated in northern Poland, secluded

from urban centres. The study was devised to examine the impact second

homes have on the local economy and was conducted in two stages, “the first

is a survey among second home owners and permanent residents, and the

second is semi-structured interviews with second home owners, local residents,

entrepreneurs and local administration officials. The survey was conducted

during summer 2013, on a sample of 255 second home owners and 62

permanent residents living in the villages with a high proportion of second

homes” (Adamiak C., 2014, p. 364). As the results of the study revealed, the

main economic impact second houses have is represented by the property

taxes and in some cases, a separate tax applicable to establishments

registered as recreational houses. Second houses do not influence local

residential prices but a recent increase in numbers has led to a higher price for

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land, if the purpose of the future building is declared as recreational. There are

also indirect economic impacts, like capital transfer from the urban environment

to the rural one: while the actual accommodation rate may be paid elsewhere,

tourists staying at these establishments will spend money in that area during

their stay. Another indirect effect is the development of the area’s infrastructure,

from which all residents benefit although second house owners may not be

thrilled about it, seeing as their business is mainly based on the seclusion factor.

As mentioned earlier in the article on Peru, this is a paradox encountered

around the world: as appealing as it may be, starting a business in a remote

area ultimately leads to populating and developing the area, making it less

remote and therefore less profitable.

Serbian villages

Serbia is a small landlocked European country so it does not have any access

to the seaside, which means that it needs to compensate what it lacks in

traditional resort tourism. While its capital, Belgrade, is a popular destination for

cultural tourism, the countryside has recently started to develop and embrace

the concept of rural tourism as many other European nations. The authors of

the article concerning Serbia believe that rural tourism is the key to developing

rural areas, opening up new jobs for the population, in order to prevent the

migration towards cities. While many visitors look forward to experiencing the

quiet, traditional way of life, stakeholders need to think about all other

categories: “The level of engagement in the activities of visitors in a rural setting

varies from very active to very passive. World trends show that fun and

educational activities are becoming increasingly important in the design of new

destinations and this is a key element for the differentiation of destinations”

(Maksimović, M., Mihajlović D. and Urošević S., 2012, p. 44). The article offers

a few solutions for Serbia’s decreasing and ageing rural population like

organizing fairs and festivals to attract tourists and introducing guests to various

traditional crafts, held as classes. Local customs should be upheld and

promoted as a reaction to globalization and the authors also allude that rural

tourism can be a more in-depth experience for cultural tourism, as foreigners

visit museums, monuments and art galleries in cities, rural tourism can be the

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next step where tourists can actually experience that history first-hand. Organic

agriculture is singled out as a viable strategy to economically strengthen the

rural areas, seeing as while not that widespread in Serbia, organic products are

increasingly popular in the European Union. The conclusions that are being

drawn about the development of Serbia’s rural tourism include the need of

creating a national rural brand that can encompass smaller existing regional

brands and promote their products and symbols.

2.2.3 Romanian context

Excluding popular seaside and mountain resorts, Romanian tourism has been

largely unorganized in the past and like other Romanian industries, has begun

its proper development only after the communist regime ended in late 1989,

when private businesses stated to emerge. Romania is administratively divided

into 41 counties and the first area to benefit from an organized form of rural

tourism was the Bran area from Brașov County, a popular touristic destination

that due to its wide range of accommodation offers and picturesque landscapes

may still be the first choice for guests that are looking for quiet, traditional

accommodation in Romania. In order to better understand the current state of

rural tourism in Romania, we will examine four academic articles that address

this particular topic. The following segment will examine the way guesthouses

in the northern region of Maramureș dealt with the economic crisis and the way

Romanian tourists feel about visiting Transylvania. We will also take a look at

sustainable ecotourism and the way it is being understood in Romania and

lastly, we will examine the infrastructure development of one of Transylvania’s

hidden gem, the small Saxon village of Viscri.

Innovation in Maramureș

One of the main rural tourism destinations is represented by the historical region

of Maramureș, which is also the main focus of the first article chosen for this

part of the literature review, an article written by four professors from Babeș-

Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It addresses the concept of

innovation and its usage in private guesthouses through a research that has

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taken place between 2009 and 2011, with the respondents being

representatives from 40 selected accommodation establishments. While

hospitality is generally considered a less innovative industry, the authors’ goal

was to determine the actual level of innovation present in Romanian rural

tourism. The authors see innovation as a valuable tool for businesses to

differentiate themselves from the competition and argue that this should be

seen as a dynamic process. The 2009 – 2011 period was chosen in relation to

the economic crisis and the effect it had on the strategies adopted by the

guesthouses, with surveys being used as the primary data collection method.

When asked about innovation, two thirds of the respondents revealed that they

improved existing products and services while the others either introduced new

ones or did not change anything. Owners that did not introduce new products

and services argued that the economic crisis had a negative impact on

customer demand which made further investments in the business infeasible.

Most businesses used innovative practices based on personal experience and

concerns, with few owners doing so while considering guests’ opinions or

strategies approached by their competition. Reasons for marketing innovation

stem from the same areas as above, with no involvement from local authorities.

The article concludes that the overall rural tourism in Maramureș has improved

in spite of the economic crisis, due to a large increase in touristic pensions

starting with 2006, when numerous private residences were transformed into

guesthouses. While most establishments have successfully adopted innovative

strategies, the local consensus is that there were difficulties in doing so due to

a lack of financial resources and trouble with obtaining credits for investments.

Romanian tourists visiting Transylvania

The second article references the tourists’ expectations from their desired

destinations and emphasizes the importance of fulfilling these expectations by

appealing to all of their senses. The authors argue that the touristic destination

needs to establish ‘’a communication on all five of the consumer’s sensory

channels, thus creating specific visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and tactile

identity elements (that constitute the pillars of the sensory brand)” (Diţoiu et. al.,

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p. 39). In order to correctly asses the specific sensory brand of Transylvania,

the authors conducted a 2012 study on 374 Romanian respondents that were

asked to share their personal sensory experiences that they associate with

Transylvania. The research concluded that 87% of the respondents have visited

Transylvania while the other 13% have mostly declared that they lacked time

or material resources, factors that prevented them from visiting the region. Also,

an impressive 97.8% of the respondents that have visited Transylvania

expressed their intent to do so again. Tourists used a balanced mix of

information sources with social networks representing an increasingly important

factor in choosing the desired destination. Regarding the sensory dimensions,

respondents answered that the visual identity element is predominant with the

gustatory dimension ranking last among overall preferences. This could mean

that tourists that are visiting Transylvania are mostly interested in sights and

scenery while finding culinary tourism less important. We also have to

remember that all the respondents are Romanians and may be already

acquainted to most of the available culinary options, perhaps a similar study

involving foreign tourists would yield different results regarding this type of

cultural tourism. Furthermore, the study breaks down the sensory dimensions

experienced in ten different Transylvanian counties, represented by elements

of attraction, producing relevant yet predictable results. For example, The

Retezat National Park and The Apuseni Mountains are popular natural

destinations that dominate the visual dimension, while The Medieval Festival in

Sighișoara (which focuses on music and food), yields consistent results within

the auditory and gustatory dimensions. The conclusions that are therefore

being reached are that Transylvania is more appealing in a visual way and less

so in a tactile manner, which translates into the facts that while the scenery is

mostly appreciated, the physical quality offered by guesthouses needs to be

further improved.

Sustainable ecotourism in Romania

The third article delves into the rural development issue, taking a look at the

traits and effects it has on the environment and the population. The authors

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express their concern that there has to be a balance between the improvement

of living conditions (that come along with the development), and preserving the

identity and cultural aspects of the rural community. The article also claims that

the development of rural tourism will lead to an increase in economic activities

that might prevent the rural to urban migration, a common process that can

ultimately lead to the depopulation of certain areas. We are then introduced to

the concept of alternative tourism which is “made to be friendly to the

environment and to respect social and cultural values of the communities, and

which allow both hosts and guests to enjoy positive and worthwhile interaction

and shared experiences” (Wearing S., Neil J., Ecotourism: impacts, potentials

and possibilities, Butterworth-Heinemann, London, 1999, cited in Drăgulănescu

I. V. and Druţu Ivan M., p. 198). The alternative tourism is considered non-

conventional, opposed to the mass tourism and can be broken down into

several categories: cultural, educational, scientific, adventure and agri-tourism

(rural, farm, ranch). When we combine cultural and agri-tourism we get

ecotourism, which attracts visitors by combining the natural beauty of an area

with the cultural heritage of that area’s specific community. This particular type

of tourism is less disruptive as it targets small groups of tourists, it encourages

the preservation of the natural environment and provides a closer, more

intimate guest-host relation. Another point that the article makes is that in order

for rural development to be sustainable, the community needs to actively

preserve its cultural characteristic, which can be done by integrating all outside

factors like economic, political and social ones into their daily lives.

Drăgulănescu and Druţu then move on to the impact of rural tourism, stating

that economically speaking, rural development will prove to be more beneficial

for the area itself than for the small business owner, seeing as rural tourism is

volatile and it may prove challenging to find willing investors. While also taking

into account that a large number of visitors might impact the environment in a

negative way, the conclusion that is being drawn is that this type of tourism

cannot simply be applied anywhere a rural settlement exists. While some

communities may be reluctant to the idea, other areas might simply be too

remote to become profitable.

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Recent development of Viscri, Brașov County

The final article also deals with remote locations, it is a piece written by Cheryl

Klimaszewski, concerning Transylvanian infrastructure. The object of this 2007

study is represented by Viscri, a small Transylvanian village that has recently

caught the public eye and is known for having far more tourists than its small

population. The study was done by a group of student researchers that tried to

establish the state of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) that

are present (or missing) in Viscri, as well as the impact it has on the community.

The author argues that the ICT implementation needed to modernise the area

needs to begin with several strategies oriented towards schools and children,

with data needed to support this argument being collected through a series of

35 interviews. The article then details the history and current social context of

Viscri, setting up the broader picture for the study findings reveal. While some

of the respondents complained that the area is underdeveloped and that they

are facing poverty and a lack of alternatives, there were also interviewees that

reported establishing guest houses and offering food services, basically

initiating the independent tourism industry in Viscri. The infrastructure in Viscri

is poorly developed with severe faults regarding indoor plumbing and medical

care while “the main source of cash income in Viscri in May of 2007 came from

tourism, with residents running guest houses, cooking for visitors, making

souvenirs or working on NGO projects that restored the village’s historical

Saxon homes. The two most active NGOs in Viscri focused on projects related

to tourism” (Klimaszewski C., 2009, p. 19). Unfortunately, tourism is still not an

option for the majority of Viscri inhabitants, due to a low level of resources

necessary to establish a private business. The author concludes that while the

area is steadily being modernised, the persisting lack of modern infrastructure

prevents the people of Viscri from getting up to speed with the surrounding

world and advocates that investments in proper education, especially through

digital means, is crucial for the overall development of the area.

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2.3 Summary of the literature

The literature review chapter has successfully drawn a relevant picture of the

way rural tourism is experienced worldwide, looking at different geographical

regions with different cultural backgrounds. A series of advantages and

disadvantages has been outlined and will be summarized in this final section.

We can see a high degree of diversity at an international level, with the main

common characteristic being the challenges rural tourism faces when

competing with mainstream, resort tourism. Efficient marketing strategies are

essential in all areas, seeing as poor infrastructure can prove to be an important

deterrent in the organizing stage of a leisure trip. While the geographic

characteristics are the main reasons for choosing a destination, there has to be

a proper management of the social and economic impact that touristic activities

has on visitors and locals alike. Also, the surrounding environment needs to be

preserved for both ecologic and economic reasons, seeing as any deterioration

that occurs could translate into a future decrease of visitor flow.

The European examples chosen for this review present a polarizing situation

as some areas are thriving while others are still struggling to impose themselves

in the touristic circuit. The case of Tuscany shows us that in some instances

the competition can be intense even within a small rural area as the economic

development is advancing and personal diversification becomes crucial. A great

advantage is that European countries have a diversified landscape which

provides visitors with plenty of options within reasonable distances. The cultural

individuality of European villages is another asset that combats the general

underdevelopment with their unique characteristics. Agri-tourism seems to be

a viable option for these regions, producing jobs and preventing the main rural

problem of depopulation due to urban migration and ageing process. While

financial support from authorities is low, a unified promotion strategy needs to

be implemented at all administrative levels in close collaboration with owners.

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The analysis of the state of Romanian rural tourism revealed serious issues

regarding infrastructure and a predominant lack of involvement from local

authorities. It has been established that although there is a high geographical

appeal, products and services lack the quality needed to properly satisfy

customers. Local customs are not being promoted as aggressively as they

should and the general underdevelopment is being attributed to a severe lack

of financial resources. Marketing strategies are widely absent as well, with

Dracula being the most internationally recognizable brand, which economically

only impacts the small region of Bran in Brașov County.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The research methodology chapter will outline all stages of the present

research study and will detail the logical course that was taken, from planning

to completion. There will be a justification for the chosen population sample, the

research design as well as for the geographic origin of the respondents. The

following sections also contain justification for choosing the sources for the

literature review and are detailing the manner in which the primary data was

collected.

3.2 Secondary data research

3.2.1 Literature search

The articles used in the literature review chapter were researched online in an

estimated period of time ranging from early June 2016 to mid-August 2016. The

literature was discovered using Google Scholar and their publishing date ranges

from 2008 to 2016, considering that this period of time is sufficiently recent and

therefore relevant to the present study. The only exception was the work of

Richard Sharpley, titled “Rural tourism and the challenge of tourism

diversification: the case of Cyprus”, which was considered seminal and

particularly valuable to this paper. As of September 1st, Sharpley’s work has

been cited by 494 academic sources. The literature was researched with the

use of specific key words including “rural tourism”, “rural tourism development”,

“rural tourism marketing strategies”, “sustainable rural tourism”, “agri-tourism”,

“ecotourism” “international rural tourism”, “European rural tourism”, “sustainable

rural tourism”, “cultural tourism” and so on. The literature was selected from

research journals and academic publications that related to the present topic

and underwent a thorough selection process based on relevance and

geographic diversity.

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3.2.2 Literature review

The literature review was approached through a funnel method, starting with

non-European examples followed by case studies of rural tourism

representations in Europe and ending with articles concerning Romania in

general and Transylvania in particular. For the non-European section we are

looking at four articles focusing on The United States of America, Malaysia,

Gambia and Peru, each country representing a different continent and socio-

economic context. Europe is being viewed by rural tourism in Cyprus, Italy,

Poland and Serbia, destinations that vary both culturally and in terms of touristic

development. Romania was examined through four journal articles that address

the tourist perception of Transylvania, the understanding of ecotourism, the

level of innovation found in Maramureș and the current state of infrastructure in

Viscri, Brașov County. The findings of these reviews will be confronted with the

results from the questionnaire and a summary of this comparison will be

presented in the final chapter.

3.3 Primary Data research

3.3.1 Research design

The research design is analytical, examining data gathered from questionnaire

respondents originating from a total of four Transylvanian Counties, Alba,

Brașov, Cluj and Sibiu. The results are being briefly presented in Chapter 4:

Data Analysis and are being further detailed in the Appendices, with the help of

various tables, charts and graphic representations. The chosen approach is

strictly quantitative seeing as the large geographic area that is the focus of this

study could not have been properly represented by a smaller amount of

qualitative responses. The research had one qualitative aspect in the form of

an optional open question that unfortunately was not answered by any of the

respondents.

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3.3.2 Research method

The questionnaire revealed a sample of 87 accommodation units located in the

four researched counties, out of a total of 623 accommodation units that met

the scope and the conditions of the study, while also being recorded

commercially. The guesthouses were spread throughout 284 villages. This

questionnaire was thus applied to 13.9% of the total housing units that met the

required criteria. The questionnaire was sent online, the research method being

quantitative. One of the conditions for participating in the study of the economic

agents was the existence of a public email address where the research tool

could be sent. The questionnaire was applied between July 5, 2016 - August 4,

2016 and it was sent to 456 accommodation units from which a total of 87

responses was obtained.

3.3.3 Research tools

The data collection instrument is represented by a questionnaire containing 19

closed questions along with an open question. The questionnaire was chosen

because it is the appropriate tool for gathering quantitative data and was

devised as to contain clear, explicit questions that all respondents can easily

understand. Also, the questionnaire avoided asking for written answers in order

to achieve a higher response rate and a faster time of completion.

3.3.4 Pilot study

The pilot study was conducted with 10 additional questionnaires, given to 10

respondents that do not work in tourism, in order to assess the quality and

relevance of the questions. These questionnaires have not been used as part

of the study, and simply served as an orientation instrument towards devising

the final variant of the questionnaire. Upon completion, it became evident that

question number nine, “Which of the following promotion environments are

used by you?” posed difficulties in understanding, which was expected since

the respondents were not familiarized with some of the options. The pilot study

also revealed an error on the last question, number 19, “What is the county in

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which your accommodation unit is being located?” This question should have

had only four possible answers, yet the online questionnaire provided a fifth one

titled “other” which was redundant and if it were to be undetected, would have

negatively influenced the study. While the valid respondents had an average

completion time of 17 minutes, the respondents from the pilot study reported a

much lower completion time of around nine minutes. The reason for this

discrepancy is attributed to the fact that the pilot study respondents did not

experience any involvement with the questions and completed the

questionnaire in a hasty, improper manner.

3.3.5 Sampling Strategy

Selection of the respondents was directed towards owners and employees from

rural guesthouses situated in four Transylvanian counties that were assumed

to be representative for the entire area. The names of the guesthouses were

made public on the official site of the Romanian Ministry of Tourism while the

email addresses were gathered directly from the guesthouses’ own websites,

meaning that the questionnaire was administered in an ethic manner, without

intruding in any way. The selected sample group consisted of 456 guesthouses

with all of the email addresses being listed in Appendix B. Table 4.1 from

‘Chapter 4: Data analysis’ elaborates the requirements that accommodation

units need to meet in order to be included in the ‘guesthouse’ category. All other

touristic units that were not eligible for this study were dismissed, including

hotels, motels, studio apartments and rentable rooms in non-commercial

establishments. Also, the research was only conducted on units situated in ‘rural

areas’ as presented by the Romanian Ministry of Tourism:

http://turism.gov.ro/informatii-publice/ listed under “Lista structurilor de primire

turistice cu functiuni de cazare clasificate”. Accommodation units that were

listed as being located in cities or towns (in the Ministry of Tourism table, under

column “G”) were not taken into consideration.

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3.3.6 Conducting the research

The questionnaires were sent along with a small description that informed the

respondents that the purpose of this study is educational and that the

information they provide is solely informative and strictly confidential. The

questionnaire itself did not include personal questions like names of the

respondents or the accommodation units. The informative text included my

name, my partial address, the university name and private telephone number,

as a gesture intended to acquire more confidence. After the initial distribution

and collection of first responses, the questionnaires were sent two more times

in order to increase the response rate.

3.3.7 Limitations

There were several limitations that prevented this study from getting a higher

number of respondents, which in turn would have made for a more

representative and relevant research. While the questionnaire was aimed at all

available employees, we can assume that most guesthouses do not own more

than one computer and that there is only one person/department that handles

online communication. This means that it is highly unlikely that more than two

answers came from the same establishment. This can also be noticed from

question number 16, “According to your attributions, the position you hold within

the company can be included in the following department:” where all of the

respondents claimed to work in administration or the reservation/reception

departments, which are typically the only ones that would have access to a

computer used for business. Another limitation is that online survey distribution

does not garner a high degree of credibility, as one of the respondents put it,

she “does not trust unsolicited emails” as to follow the link that was leading to

the online survey. The time factor was also an issue, while the literature review

chapter and the data analysis are in themselves time consuming as they

represent the bulk of the research, questionnaire distribution proved to be a

challenge as well because there was a relatively long waiting period to acquire

the needed amount of responses. Lastly, most guesthouses did not have their

own website/email address which prevented contacting them.

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction

To provide a view on the current situation regarding the quality and the purpose

of tourism in rural areas in Alba, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu counties, a

sociological survey was applied based on a questionnaire issued online via

email to accommodation units classified (according to the Romanian National

Institute of Statistics) in the categories found in table 4.1 in rural areas situated

in the investigated counties.

Unit type Description

Tourist guesthouse A structure of tourist accommodation

with a maximum capacity of 15 rooms

for a maximum of 40 people, in

citizens' homes or in independent

buildings, which provides, in

dedicated facilities, tourist

accommodation and conditions for

preparing and serving meals. The

location of the tourist guesthouse in

rural areas will cover a minimum plot

of 1000 square metres.

Agro-tourist guesthouse A structure of tourist accommodation

with a maximum capacity of 8 rooms,

in citizens' homes or in an

independent building, which provides,

in dedicated facilities, tourist

accommodation and conditions for

preparing and serving meals, as well

as the possibility of taking part in

household or craft activities.

Table 4.1: Guesthouse classification

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The questionnaire revealed a sample of 87 accommodation units located in the

four researched counties, out of a total of 623 accommodation units that met

the scope and the conditions of the study, while also being recorded

commercially. The guesthouses were spread throughout 284 villages. This

questionnaire was thus applied to 13.9% of the total housing units that met the

required criteria. The questionnaire was sent online, the research method being

quantitative. One of the conditions for participating in the study of the economic

agents was the existence of a public email address where the research tool

could be sent. The questionnaire was applied between July 5, 2016 - August 4,

2016 and it was sent to 456 accommodation units from which a total of 87

responses was obtained.

4.2 Questionnaire structure

The research instrument chosen was a questionnaire composed of 20

questions of which 19 were closed questions and one question was open. A

number of 19 questions were mandatory for the respondents, one of the

questions, the open one, depending on the answer to a previous question. The

structure of the questionnaire was composed as in table 4.2. The

questionnaires were anonymous and there were no questions about the unit

name or personal data of the respondent.

Question number Question destination

Questions 1-3

Closed questions meant to outline the

type of customers in accommodation

units, occupancy according to the

number of accommodation days and

according to the months of the year.

Questions 4-5 and 7

Closed questions to find the main

attractions for tourists in various

villages and in specific units of

accommodation. Question 7 is trying

to find out the degree of customer

loyalty and rate of return of tourists in

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those guesthouses. Further, there is

an attempt to create the profile of a

customer who chooses these units.

Question 6

A question that asks the respondents

to reveal the general method to attract

customers, to find work platforms with

customers and their reported

efficiency.

Questions 8-13

Closed questions about the facilities

available for accommodation units,

about marketing and promotion

methods used by the units, about the

willingness to evolve and the opinion

on marketing in this area. Also

present here are questions about

customer complaints and their

handling. Question 12 is an open

question related to the units’

experience with specialists in

marketing, addressed only to those

who have had this experience.

Questions 14-18

These are questions devised to

outline the questionnaire respondent

profile, his/her role in the unit, age,

experience and tasks by gender, in

this area. A brief profile of front-office

personnel who responded to the

questionnaire may be obtained.

Questions 19-20

Closed questions about the

accommodation capacity of the units

and about the respondent’s county.

Table 4.2: Structure of the questionnaire

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The average time of completing a questionnaire was 17 minutes. The

questioned group has a general indicative value and it cannot show the value

of the error margin, it is just giving an overview of the characteristics and

problems of rural tourism in Transylvania. There is no possibility of providing a

comparative picture between different regions of the country, nor on the

development of tourism in this area. The data collected cannot be verified at

the source because of the anonymity of the questionnaire, a method that has

been chosen to increase the number of respondents.

4.3 Questionnaire analysis

The first question "What is the average time that a tourist or a tourist group

spend in your unit?" is a question answered by 100% of the respondents (87

respondents). The results can be seen in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1: The tourist medium stay period

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We can see that the accommodation time is very reduced, with a practice of

transit or weekend tourism. With a score of 52% (45 respondents), most tourists

in these accommodation units have a maximum stay of 2 days. Adding this to

the fact that the second option has 27 votes, i.e. about 36% of the respondents

spend only one night in accommodation units, and the fact that no respondent

chose the option ‚over a week’, we can say that the guests are weekend guests

who do not want to spend much time in these units and in these accommodation

areas. This would be the first problem that was identified. Donald Hawkins,

tourism professor at George Washington University, identified this aspect of

limited stays in Petra, Jordan as a major problem with an economic impact on

the country: “One problem, says Hawkins, is that too many day trippers do not

stay long enough to help the local economy. International aid programs help

small businesses to address that. To spice up the gateway’s relatively dead

evenings, for instance, he cites a grant that helped the Petra Kitchen restaurant

set up an evening workshop in Bedouin cuisine, with tourists cooking and then

eating their newly created meals.” (Stange J. And Brown D., 2011, p. 16)

Thus, the problem has two important features, one that depends on the local

environment including the authorities, and one that depends on possible

relevant activities in the area. The involvement of local and national authorities

in the development of the tourist concept is imperative and it can provide

solutions for opening areas for tourists. Lack of events and capacity in rural

areas represent a huge disadvantage compared to urban areas, as well as

deficiencies of the transport system and the distances between major urban

areas and centres must be remedied. The local stakeholders also need to find

activities specific to these areas that may convince tourists to have longer stays.

If there is a high degree of customer satisfaction, then tourists will stay more

and will consequently spend more money in the area, benefitting the local

economy and in the long run even contributing to the development of the local

infrastructure.

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The second question, "How would you characterize your tourists according to

the following table within a year?" is meant to underline a portrait of a tourist

from these locations. This question was answered by a total of 85 units, which

is 97.7% of the respondents. The question obtained the following answers, as

presented in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3: Tourist categories

At all Very

rarely

Average

rate

Very

often

Almost

always

One tourist

(26%)

(58%)

(9%)

(5%)

(2%)

Young

couples

without

children

(9%)

(13%)

(47%)

(27%)

(4%)

Couples

over 60

(5%)

(20%)

(50%)

(25%)

(0%)

Couples with

children

(2%)

(9%)

(47%)

(36%)

(7%)

Foreign

citizens

(4%)

(29%)

(31%)

(31%)

(4%)

Romanian

citizens living

abroad

(4%)

(27%)

(62%)

(7%)

(0%)

Romanian

citizens

(0%)

(2%)

(20%)

(51%)

(27%)

Groups

larger than 15

people

(40%)

(29%)

(24%)

(4%)

(2%)

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To this question, the answers had a high variety and we can see that most

tourist categories proposed in the questionnaire were chosen predominantly on

the average line of the answers. Here we find that there is a predominant type

of visitor in the rural tourism of Transylvania. We can see that in general there

are no single travellers and the only issue that can be spotted here is related to

the low frequency of larger groups which can be attributed to a lack of

communication of these units with the organizers of touristic routes, such as

travel agencies. Also, this may signal an insufficient capacity of these

accommodations.

The third question - "How would you characterize your occupancy rate by month

of the year?" verifies whether there is a year-around constant or if there are any

seasonal features. We find the results to this question in table 4.4.

Very low

occupancy

rate

Low

occupancy

rate

Average

occupancy

rate

High

occupancy

rate

Very high

occupancy

rate

JAN

(25%)

(47%)

(22%)

(6%)

(0%)

FEB

(44%)

(31%)

(25%)

(0%)

(0%)

MAR

(17%)

(49%)

(14%)

(20%)

(0%)

APR

(6%)

(43%)

(26%)

(20%)

(6%)

MAY

(3%)

(11%)

(57%)

(20%)

(9%)

JUN

(0%)

(6%)

(28%)

(44%)

(22%)

JUL

(0%)

(3%)

(8%)

(51%)

(38%)

AUG

(0%)

(3%)

(5%)

(32%)

(59%)

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Table 4.4: Occupancy rate by months

We can deduct from these answers that there is a tourism dependency on

various seasons in these areas. We can see that in cold months, excluding

December and Christmas holidays, there is a significant decrease in number of

tourists. Looking at this table, we can notice six months with an occupancy rate

of under 30-40% and summer months that bring an increased number of

tourists in these areas. This implies a major problem by offering insufficient

resources during summer and an excess of resources in the cold season. As

Dr. Christine Lee puts it, “for a destination in a remote location, seasonality can

cause an under-utilisation of resources when visitor numbers are low and an

over-increased demand for resources when too many visitors arrive in a short

space of time. To address under-utilisation, strategies can be used to attract

more visitors, such as events and festivals, promotion of destination through

advertising and incentives to travel by creating and developing new attractions

for that location” (Lee et. Al, 2008, p. 15).

Therefore, some solutions must be found for winter tourism, focused on either

indoor events or outdoor activities like winter sports. Also in this case,

intervention from both local authorities and managers of guesthouses is

necessary, financial resources need to be allocated evenly, so that the entire

area develops in a harmonious manner.

SEP

(3%)

(3%)

(42%)

(36%)

(15%)

OCT

(3%)

(42%)

(39%)

(9%)

(6%)

NOV

(24%)

(48%)

(18%)

(6%)

(3%)

DEC

(12%)

(18%)

(21%)

(36%)

(12%)

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The fourth question is related to attractions in the geographical area where the

guesthouse is located. "What do you think is the specific attraction in the area

where your accommodation unit is located?" We start from the premise that the

natural environment and tranquillity are superior to urban areas and that they

are important features in attracting tourists in rural areas.

Figure 4.2: Geographic area attractions and importance

We can see that the area is particularly important for these accommodation

units. In addition to the handcrafted items specific to the area, which obtained

a peak on the average line, the others scored a majority in the higher grades of

the classification. Tourists apparently love to transition to another world, a world

beyond time and without agitation. Charles, Prince of Wales said about these

regions that he ”hadn't been aware just how extraordinary this part of the world

is with all its biodiversity, the wildflower meadows. It just seemed to me,

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%Unimportant

Less important

NeutralPretty important

Crucial

Natural environment Exploring possibilities

Handcrafted items Local traditions and customs

Proximity to historical locations

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particularly this area of the Carpathian Mountains, to be literally the last unspoilt,

untouched area" (Daily Express, 4th August 2015). So this charm and local

traditions, culinary diversity, myths such as Count Dracula or the myth of the

haunted Hoia forest from Cluj County must attract visitors and develop the local

tourism. Also, professionalism and diversity of products offered to tourists must

develop as well, while the image of these places must be promoted in a more

enjoyable and active manner.

The fifth question, “What do you think is the specific attraction to your

accommodation unit?" is meant to point out what are the existing advantages

inside the units.

Not

important

Somehow

important

Neutral Important

enough

Crucial

Prices (2%) (9%) (17%) (59%) (13%)

Staff (7%) (16%) (18%) (40%) (20%)

Product

quality (4%) (4%) (7%) (58%) (27%)

Touristic

packages (2%) (5%) (18%) (43%) (32%)

Only unit

in area (31%) (18%) (18%) (29%) (4%)

Promotion (2%) (7%) (35%) (40%) (16%)

Traditions (16%) (18%) (20%) (30%) (16%)

Rooms (0%) (0%) (16%) (53%) (31%)

Placement

of unit (0%) (0%) (12%) (47%) (42%)

Table 4.5: Attractions present in accommodation units

From these answers we can see a general opinion of what makes a unit a

preferential destination for tourists. The prices are perhaps much lower than in

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urban areas while the staff seemed to attract and had a pleasant and

professional character. The products offered, from food to linens and bath

products, are perceived to be of high quality and promote a pleasant

environment. Special touristic packages are offered to guests in order to extend

their stay and to ensure occupancy during the holidays. At the same time, there

is a healthy competitive environment without being subjected to monopoly. The

unit is promoted, or at least this is the impression at the level of the unit, and

the traditions encountered within the guesthouse provide a positive

recommendation. The rooms satisfy the customers in terms of cleanliness and

size. Again, we can notice that the area and the location are positive elements

for the tourists.

“How are bookings made predominantly in your unit?” is the 6th question and it

highlights how these rural units welcome customers.

Figure 4.3: Origin of bookings

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We can see that the majority of bookings are made online and by phone. There

is however a large percentage of unpredictability, of “tourists at the guesthouse

door", about 34% of the questionnaires sticking to the last two options. The

percentage for online is 35% and there were no other reported methods of

booking. The online environment is divided between email and professional

online booking services. The existence of a high percentage of impersonal

bookings reveals a degree of development and promotion rather high for these

units.

The next question, number 7 is related to the degree of loyalty and return of

customers in accommodation units. We start from the idea that tourism that

persuades tourists to come back is healthy and strong, customer satisfaction

and gratitude is high, thus they come back. The question was formulated as

“What is the return rate of customers in your unit, which you consider or is

statistically determined from year to year?”

Figure 4.4: Tourist return rate

We can see that there is a low degree of predominance in the case of tourists’

return. Only 12% of the respondents said that half of the clients return year after

year, and for 38%, i.e. 33 of the respondents, said that less than 10% of the

Under 10%38%

10%-25%26%

25-50%24%

Over 50%12%

CUSTOMER RETURN RATE

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customers are returning. This loyalty can have two directions - a direct one,

effective customer return, and a second, equally important if not more so,

related to the recommendation degree of the location. Again, this problem may

be related to a lack of activities and diversity in rural areas. This is a problem

that could be solved by public private partnerships.

The next question tries to determine the level of facilities in rural locations and

a level of willingness for development and future investment in to equip and

develop the unit: The question is "What facilities does your unit provide?" and

it was answered on average by 84 respondents, i.e. 96.55%.

No facility (nor

intention to

acquire in the

near future)

Yes

No facility (But

we are going to

equip the unit in

the near future)

Restaurant (29%) (67%) (4%)

Pub/Terrace (37%) (54%) (9%)

CableTV/WiFi (4%) (93%) (2%)

Bath tub (37%) (60%) (2%)

Coffee

makers in rooms

(82%) (7%) (11%)

Storage area (38%) (49%) (13%)

Safe for

customers

(61%) (27%) (11%)

Farm or

petting zoo

(55%) (27%) (18%)

Playground (36%) (47%) (18%)

Permanent

reception

(51%) (38%) (11%)

Table 4.6: Unit facilities

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According to almost a third of respondents (29%), there are no facilities for

providing food in the unit. Only 3 of them plan to expand the facilities with a

restaurant to also provide food to the guests. Quite many facilities lose some

money by not providing food or drinks (46%) and also force tourists to seek

other places nearby.

TV cable and WiFi become absolutely necessary equipment and it can be seen

that the percentage approaches 100% mainly regarding future investments. On

the other hand, very few units provide a safe for the customers’ valuables or

storage areas for certain bulky luggage, like skiing equipment or bikes. Many

units do not provide agro-tourist services and do not provide facilities for

families with children, although in all these areas the investment percentage in

the near future exceeds 10%, which is encouraging for tourism and its

relevance for the local economy.

Under 40% of the units have receptions and 24 hours a day available personnel

for customers and this figure should become 50% considering future

investments. There is an increasing level of facilities within the units and there

seems to be a fair amount of willingness (and also financial resources) to invest

in this area.

After trying, through the previous question, to highlight a level of facilities in

housing units, question number nine "Which of the following promotion

environments are used by you?” tries to find the tools used by guesthouses in

daily activities especially for promotion and marketing. On average, 85 of 87

respondents answered this question, i.e. 97.7%, with terms like HRS or Google

+ probably ending up to be confusing (Table 4.7). Furthermore, question

number 10, "Note how relevant the environments in the question above are for

your business with grades from 1 to 5 (where 1 is not at all and 5 is very

important)" was intended to find the employees’ opinion about the importance

of these mediums, as shown in figure 4.5.

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41

Yes No More or less

Flyers, brochures and other

printed materials

(27%) (59%) (14%)

Website (70%) (30%) (0%)

Facebook page (78%) (19%) (3%)

Google+ page (23%) (71%) (6%)

Twitter page (3%) (94%) (3%)

Other social networks (12%) (88%) (0%)

Booking.com account (65%) (32%) (3%)

HRS account (14%) (86%) (0%)

Other online booking

accounts

(51%) (49%) (0%)

Own booking platform (33%) (67%) (0%)

Online ads (26%) (74%) (0%)

Radio ads (6%) (94%) (0%)

TV ads (3%) (97%) (0%)

Publication ads (14%) (83%) (3%)

Table 4.7: Promotion environments

In the table, we can see that most respondents own a website for their business

promotion. Also, the vast majority have Facebook pages and accounts for

online reservations. Moreover, when it comes to specific means of promotion

and purchased advertising, the figures show an important lack of advertising

purchase. In addition, figure 4.4 listed below reveals a lack of confidence in

these environments, only the website and the booking.com account

represented an average of over 2.5, meaning a positive average of opinions.

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Figure 4.4: Promotion environments grading (1 to 5) – the order of the elements

presented in figure 4.4 is the same as those in Table 4.7

Professors Crișan and Berariu from Dimitrie Cantemir University in Târgu

Mureș state that ”Advertising has become increasingly international. More than

ever before, tour operators are looking beyond their own country's borders for

new customers. The growth of multinational corporations, rising personal

income levels worldwide, and falling trade barriers have all encouraged

commerce, trade and tourism between countries. No one can predict what new

forms advertising may take in the future. But the rapidly increasing cost of

acquiring new customers makes one thing certain: advertisers will seek to keep

their current customers by forming closer relationships with them and by

promoting products, services, and advertising messages to meet their individual

needs. So advertising will always continue to encourage people to buy goods

and survives no matter if they are useful or not” (Crișan R. E. and Berariu C.,

2011, p. 33).

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The lack of advertising is a major problem of trust. Firstly, there needs to be a

clear identification of what is the entity responsible with promotions - local

authorities, local people providing accommodation or entities conducting

tourism related businesses such as festivals or other events. Advertising should

occupy a leading position in the tourism economy. Any form of promotion should

be considered, any opportunity must be speculated, and any potential negative

attitude from citizens, external and internal, must disappear.

Business owners could use the surrounding environment, like elements of

geology (caves, ice structures, natural art, natural diversity), elements of

biodiversity (exploitation of specific regional flora and fauna, of the wilderness

in the area), ethnographic elements (traditions and customs specific to the area,

which can attract, or turning them into true attractions such as Sângeorz in Alba,

or Junii/The Youth from Brașov), historical elements (promoting myths, historic

rehearsals: LARP sessions combined with medieval festivals, creating

medieval and historic areas inside accommodations). With the help of local

authorities, transformation is necessary to offer a unique Romanian experience

for different types of tourists. It should be something similar to Spanish bull

fights, which became an accessible event for tourists while also satisfying

locals, or similar to the festival Ha in southern China, which annually attracts

millions of enthusiast tourists to "worship" a god of the sea that does not exist

in their culture. Efforts should be made to efficiently promote the geographic

region and to find solutions to present it to the world in a positive image.

Question number 10 is about customer complaints: "What is the degree of

complaints from your customers according to the following table?" This question

provides perhaps the most positive answers, overwhelmingly showing that

customers are mostly satisfied with conditions in guesthouses. None of the

issues suggested is representative for accommodation in guesthouses. This

means that either the overall quality of the guesthouses is constantly meeting

general expectations or that maybe some owners choose not to present their

property in a negative manner, despite the anonymous nature of the

questionnaire.

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44

Almost never2%

More or less4%

Often56%

A lot38%

CONSIDERI NG CUSTOMER

WISHESCLIENȚILOR

Quite often Often Neutral Very rarely Never

Prices

(0%)

(0%)

(8%)

(33%)

(58%)

Staff

(0%)

(0%)

(3%)

(22%)

(75%)

Product

quality

(0%)

(0%)

(8%)

(22%)

(69%)

Cleanliness

(0%)

(0%)

(6%)

(11%)

(83%)

Noise

(0%)

(0%)

(3%)

(19%)

(78%)

Rooms

(0%)

(0%)

(3%)

(22%)

(75%)

Food and

drinks

(0%)

(0%)

(3%)

(14%)

(83%)

False

advertising

(0%)

(0%)

(0%)

(3%)

(97%)

Table 4.8: Reasons for complaints

Question number 11, "To what extent do you think that your unit takes into

account the views and wishes of the clients?” is meant to measure the

employees’ degree of interest towards guests’ suggestions and demands.

Figure 4.5: Taking customer suggestions/demands into consideration

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45

Yes4%

No

60%

No, but I intend to

36%

REQUES TI NG PROFESSIONAL CONSULT ANCY

In this case, the vast majority seems to take into account the customers and

their views, which is a positive aspect for the units. Customer satisfaction should

be imperative as to trigger future loyalty/advocacy.

Question number 12 - "Did you turn to professional consulting and marketing

services to improve your business?" is testing the degree of interest in outside

professional marketing skills.

Figure 4.6: Degree of units that requested professional consultancy services

Question 12 was followed by an open question (addressed only to respondents

that offered an affirmative answer) which unfortunately remained unanswered

due to a low percentage of respondents that have used professional

consultancy/marketing services. Thus, almost half of the rural guesthouses in

Transylvania could benefit from professional marketing in the future, which

should lead to an increase in the number of tourists and also in revenue. Also,

local authorities should be actively involved in increasing the touristic potential

of these areas. The uniqueness and specificity of this area should be reinforced

with quality marketing in order to achieve regional development and keep

business markets active. Professors from The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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46

Absent34%

It exists but does not yield significant

benefits5%

It exists and it is helpful

36%

Will significantly increase in the

future25%

EXISTENCE OF SELF-MARKETI NG

argue that “Hospitality marketing is unique because it deals with the tangible

product, like a bed in the hotel or food in the restaurant, but it also deals with

the intangible aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry. It is about the

experience in a trip and social status it brings eating in a fine-dining restaurant.

Hospitality marketing is very critical in the success of any hospitality and tourism

product, organization and tourist destination. Proper marketing effort promotes

a product or service that fills the needs and wants of the consumers and at the

same time, bring profits to the organization or country that features it” (Tan A.,

Ching-Yick T. and Ling Wong C, 2009, p. 1).

Self-marketing is being addressed through question 13: "Which option do you

think is appropriate to characterize marketing performed in your unit?"

Figure 4.7: Self-marketing

A third of the respondents, i.e. 34%, admit that they do not make any efforts

towards marketing while a similar percent (34%) admit the influence of

marketing on their business and are pleased with their efforts. Only 5% use

marketing without noticing any improvement and a quarter of the respondents

plan to begin marketing efforts in the near future.

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The following four questions are directed towards the respondents themselves,

regarding age, gender, job description and work experience, they offer concise

responses that do not require in-depth analysis and will be briefly presented.

The last two questions reveal the capacity of the guesthouses and the County

from which the respondents originate.

Question number 14 deals with the age group of the respondents. It can be

seen that they belong to all proposed age groups, the majority being between

35 and 44 years, providing 41% of the total answers. This can be linked to the

following factual questions in order to draw a general profile of the respondents.

Figure 4.8: Age of respondents

Question number 15 is represented in figure 4.9 and is regarding the gender of

the respondents, revealing that there is no considerable difference between the

number of male and female employees, 53% of respondents being men and

47% women. These results are relevant as they indicate that this particular

industry is not gender-oriented and there are equal employment chances for

men and women alike.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

What is your age group?

18-34 years old 35-44 years old

45-60 years old Over 60 years old

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48

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

What is your gender?

Female Male

Figure 4.9: Respondents’ gender

When asked about the position they hold within the company, on question

number 16, 80% of the respondents answered that they were managers and/or

owners, while only 20% of them worked at the reception/reservations

department, according to figure 4.10. This is understandable due to the fact that

a large number of establishments does not have a functioning reception and

while the questionnaire was aimed at all categories of employees, it seems no

one working in other departments wanted to answer or perhaps did not receive

the survey at all.

Figure 4.10: Respondents’ position within the company

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

According to your attributions, the position you hold within the company can be included in the following department:

Other department Housekeeping/technical

Restaurant/kitchen Reception/reservations

Administration (owner/manager)

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49

Less than 1 year

13%

1-3 years15%

3-5 years17%

Over 5 years55%

WORK EXPERIENCE

The 17th question reveals the work experience that the respondents have

acquired in the tourism/hospitality field. A significant 55% of these answers

indicated more than 5 years of experience while the smallest percent was 13%,

which were respondents working for less than 1 year. We can therefore assume

that rural tourism is a non-volatile field of work, in which employees keep their

jobs for large periods of time which in turn leads to a stable economic context.

Figure 4.11: Work experience in the field of tourism/hospitality

Question number 18 is about the capacity of the accommodation units,

quantified in usable beds. From figure 4.12 we can see that most units have a

capacity between five and 20 beds, hence the low percentage of groups over

15 persons in table 4.3.

Figure 4.12: Guesthouse capacity

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50

Alba13%

Brașov45%

Cluj18%

Sibiu24%

RESPONDENTS ' LOCATION (BY COUNTY)

Lastly, question number 19 reveals the origin/location of the respondents,

divided between the four Transylvanian counties. Although the questionnaires

were distributed in a relatively even proportion, Brașov had the most responses

which is understandable since it is the most developed tourism-wise, judging

by number of guesthouses and touristic attractions including the fortified

churches in the old Saxon villages and Bran Castle which is widely known as

“Dracula’s Home”.

Figure 4.13: Origin of respondents

4.4 Summary

Following this sociological research, we found some benchmarks related to

tourism in the rural areas of these four counties of Alba, Brașov, Cluj and Sibiu.

Globalization and the rapid development of global tourism determines

sustained efforts to promote and develop the local tourism market and to

improve overall products and services. While the overall picture seems

optimistic with intent to invest in facilities, with positive attitudes towards guests

and reduced customer complaints, we can still notice a few gaps where there

is still room for improvement and rethinking strategies. In order to end this

section properly, there is a list that summarizes the findings discussed above,

split into identified problems as well as potential marketing solutions.

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51

Problems

identified

Solutions proposed

Short stay of

tourists: 1-2

days

o Creating new events and (re)discovering potential

touristic attractions. Promoting them and

pinpointing their individualities in order to attract

targeted segments of visitors.

o Development of internal activities in and around

accommodation units, presenting tourists with

alternatives so that they are not tempted to move

on to other areas/establishments.

o Promoting sports, trips, developing unique

activities in the surrounding areas and creating a

centralized system of promotion for most

Transylvanian locations.

o Collaborating towards infrastructure development,

providing easy transit from rural to urban areas.

Few tourist

groups

o Improving/establishing communication between

accommodation units and external partners such

as international travel agencies.

o Creating partnerships between neighbouring

villages to handle the lack of accommodation

spaces in busy periods.

o Using “bio” tourism in terms of nutrition, developing

and promoting traditional eatable products,

created/harvested at a local level in a micro -

factories system.

o Providing guesthouses with low capacity coaches

and hiring drivers for tours/transfer, also introducing

the possibility of benefitting from urban medical

services while accommodated in a rural setting.

o Creating small annexes where possible, permanent

or temporary, thus being able to accommodate

occasional extra guests.

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52

Seasonal

character of

tourism

o Creating new attractions through festivals and

exploiting the historical/ethnographic character of

the region.

o Developing a basis for all year round sports and

activities while providing guests with basic

equipment (free of charge where possible).

o Promoting products specific to each season

(mulled wine, tea, hot chocolate and even

handcrafted hats/mittens) to attract tourists.

Exploiting the

environment

and the

geographical

position

o Creating a centralized strategy to promote the

specific attractions of the area.

o Allowing guests to partake in daily specific

activities/traditions (agri-tourism).

o Exploiting fishing and sportive hunting.

o Heavily promoting regions in UNESCO patrimony.

o Imposing own themes for guesthouses to provide a

unique experience (ranch, mill, cabin, sheepfold).

Increasing

informatization

degree

o Providing tourists with special offers for online

reservations (discounts, small personalized gifts)

o Offering support at a county level for future

hospitality employees’ training and preparation.

o Creating online pages for unitary promotion of the

uniqueness of each accommodation unit in each

village.

Low level of

resources for

development

o Seeking to obtain EU touristic grants.

o Maximizing occupancy rate of units by promotion

(significant increase in marketing investments).

o Affiliating with new, external business partners

Lack of

promotion and

marketing

o Creating common promotion platforms at county

organizations level.

o Promoting businesses in all national tourism fairs.

o Attracting personalities to pro - bono promotion of

these accommodations by various incentives.

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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This final chapter briefly presents the most important findings in this research

paper and proves that the aim of the study, effectively determining successful

marketing strategies in Transylvanian rural guesthouses, was reached one

objective after another.

5.2 Conclusions

In order to properly assess the findings from this research we will now bring up

the objectives that were set up at the beginning of this paper and confront them

with our results. The fifth and final objective will be detailed in the following

subchapter.

The first objective was to understand the concept of rural tourism. Advancing

through the literature review chapter we learned that rural tourism is used for

bridging the gap between developed urban areas and their less exploited rural

counterparts. Moreover, it is constantly subjected to a strenuous competition

coming from the traditional tourism that is considerably more popular and

attracts the vast majority of touristic spending. While its designation is to help

regional development through job creation, urban-to-rural migration and

infrastructure enhancement, most areas have trouble with the initial stages of

creating an independent touristic destination. Even when the region has

established a constant touristic flow, there is still work to be done in the

customer service area, as well as regarding product quality. As rural tourism

constantly develops, the appearance of new destinations forces existing ones

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54

to diversify their offer and reach out to various marketing strategies like

rebranding and switching to agri-tourism.

In order to define successful marketing strategies, which was our second

objective, we must look at the literature review chapter one more time, as to

examine the solutions that were used to combat the numerous challenges faced

worldwide by rural tourism. The best way to attract customers is to offer

diversity, something that is new to the customer, which is what some

accommodation units did when they offered their customers the opportunity to

be involved in local customs and daily activities like producing handcrafted

items. Branding is vital to the success of any business and since the natural

environment is the most appealing factor to visitors, guesthouses should

intertwine their identity so that it matches and blends in with the surrounding

area. Also, accommodation units should consider partial reorientation, trying out

other activities as well, like the case of Serbia where organic agriculture is

helping tourism as visitors arrive to buy the products and spend time and money

in the area.

The third objective was to identify marketing strategies used in Transylvania

and we can point out several of these. Perhaps the most easily recognizable is

the branding of the Bran area as “home of Dracula”, a local myth that constantly

attracts visitors from all over the world, benefitting the accommodation units as

well as the surrounding region. In the literature review we see that in 2006,

many locals from Maramureș reoriented themselves by turning their private

residences into guesthouses, while the article about Romanian tourists visiting

Transylvania shows us that depending on the destination specific, it is important

to appeal to the right sensory dimensions. Unfortunately the questionnaire

results reveal that Transylvanian hosts do not rely that much on the

ethnographic factor which could be used as a powerful marketing tool seeing

as the uniqueness of every area is bound to generate interest.

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55

The fourth objective was to establish successful marketing strategies that are

being used in Transylvania and we can only answer this by examining the

results yielded by our questionnaire. Question number three reveals that the

occupancy rate in guesthouses is high or very high during summer and

December (probably due to the Christmas holidays) which is telling us that they

effectively promote their unit since many rural guesthouses are remotely

situated and tourists do not regularly just stumble across them. This assumption

is backed by results from questions numbers six and nine, from which we

understand that the units rely heavily on online advertising, using personal

websites, Facebook pages and various online booking accounts. A number of

52 respondents, making up a total of 60%, admitted that they have not used

professional consultancy nor marketing services, although an optimistic 36%

seems interested in doing so. Also, self-marketing is practiced by a third of the

respondents while another 25% thinks that it will increase in the future.

5.3 Recommendations

The final objective was to draw conclusions and make recommendations so we

can safely say that we have managed to reach this last objective as well,

through the detailed summary of the data analysis chapter. We highlighted a

few important issues like the reduced stay of tourists which could be solved by

creating new events and gain outside interest by promoting their individualities.

Attracting groups of tourists can be done by providing transport for multiple

persons as well as by constructing small annexes, if building a new unit is not

feasible. The seasonal character of tourism can be countered by organizing

festivals during low season or promoting all year round sports. Exploiting the

environment should be a top priority and perhaps introducing agri-touristic

elements and creating personalized themes can prove to be beneficial. Another

recommendation would be to either invest in professional marketing services or

to seriously consider allocating resources into self-marketing seeing as the

market is nearing saturation and individuality becomes a must.

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5.4 Reflections and evaluation of the methodology

The methodology is considered appropriate and successful as its goal has

ultimately been reached. However, due to the relatively low number of

respondents, some results could have been more relevant. Also, an additional

method of distribution, perhaps handed personally, might have gotten the

questionnaire to employees in other departments. Regarding the structure of

the questionnaire, some of the provided questions might have had too many

options which may have led to an increase completion time and/or loss of

interest.

5.5 Suggestions for further research

Regarding future research on the subject, authors should consider a larger

sampling pool in order to obtain a higher response rate and an increased level

of relevancy. Also, the questions should be more synthesized and the questions

presented in this questionnaire should be asked again towards a comparison of

results.

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Sciences 148 (2014) p. 507–515. Available from:

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CRIŞAN, R. E., BERARIU, C., (2013) Advertising aspects of tourism. [Online]

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[Accessed: 1st September 2016]

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KLIMASZEWSKI, C., NYCE, J. (2009). Does universal access mean equitable access? What an information infrastructure study of a rural Romanian

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MAKSIMOVIC M., MIHAJLOVIC D., UROSEVIC S. (2012) Economic effects of rural tourism in eastern Serbia based on the concept of sustainable

development [Online] Quaestus Multidisciplinary Research Journal (2012), 41-55. Available from: http://www.quaestus.ro/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/maksimovic.mladan1.pdf [Accessed: 11th September

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PALMER, R. (2015) Charles and the Dracula connection: Prince reveals his love of Transylvanian countryside. Daily Express. [Online] 4th August 2015. Available from: http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/595780/Prince-Charles-

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http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/39629247/An_evolutionary_approach_to_the_study_of20151102-16301-5t21uk.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=147333

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RID W., EZEUDUJI I. O., PROBSTL-HAIDER U. (2014) Segmentation by motivation for rural tourism activities in The Gambia [Online] Tourism

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SHARPLEY, R. (2002) Rural tourism and the challenge of tourism diversification: the case of Cyprus. [Online] Tourism Management – June 2002

p. 233-244. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223459404 [Accessed: 10th

September 2016] STANGE J., BROWN D. (2011) Tourism destination management. [Online]

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318.pdf [Accessed: 9th September 2016] TAN, A., CHING-YICK TSE, E., LING WONG, C. (2009) Hospitality Marketing

[Online] Available from: http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/kla/pshe/nss-

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THE INTERNATIONAL ECOTOURISM SOCIETY (2015) What is ecotourism? [Online] https://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism [Accessed 11th

September 2016] TRAVEL TO MALAYSIA (2014) Malaysia is ninth most visited country in the

world in UNWTO list. [Online] Available from: http://travel- to-malaysia.com/malaysia-is-ninth-most-visited-in-the-world-in-unwto-list/

[Accessed: 1st September 2016]

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APPENDIX A: DETAILED QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

1. What is the average time that a tourist or a tourist group spend in your

unit?

1 day 1 - 2 days

3 - 4 days

5 - 7 days

Over 7 days

Responses

All Data

27 (37%)

44 (52%)

13 (15%)

3 (2%)

0 (0%)

87

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1 day 1-2 days 3-4 days 5-7 days Over 7 days

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2. How would you characterize your tourists according to the following table within a year?

At all

Very rarely

Average rate

Very often

Almost always

St.

Dev. Resp.

W.

Avg.

One tourist

21

(26%)

48

(58%)

7

(9%)

4

(5%)

2

(2%) 19.16 83 2/5

Young couples

without children

6

(9%)

10

(13%)

41

(47%)

22

(27%)

3

(4%) 15.53 85 3.04/5

Couples over 60

4

(5%)

19

(20%)

42

(50%)

21

(25%)

0

(0%) 16.6 84 2.95/5

Couples with

children

2

(2%)

6

(9%)

41

(47%)

34

(36%)

5

(7%) 18.39 85 3.36/5

Foreign citizens

3

(4%)

27

(31%)

28

(31%)

24

(29%)

23

(4%) 10.27 85 2.98/5

Romanian citizens living

abroad

3

(4%)

24

(27%)

52

(62%)

6

(7%)

0

(0%)

21.67 85 2.71/5

Romanian citizens

0

(0%)

2

(2%)

18

(20%)

43

(51%)

24

(27%) 17.60 85 4.02/5

Groups

larger than 15 people

36

(40%)

25

(29%)

20

(24%)

4

(4%)

2

(2%)

14.38 85 2/5

2.89/5

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

At all

Veryrarely

Average

rate

Veryoften

Almost

always

One touristYoung couples without childrenCouples over 60Couples with childrenForeign citizensRomanian citizens living abroadRomanian citizensGroups larger than 15 people

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3. How would you characterize your occupancy rate (OR) by month of the year, rating every month from 1 to 5 where 1 means “very low occupancy

rate” and 5 is “very high occupancy rate”?

Very low OR Low OR Avg. OR High OR Very high OR St.

Dev. Resp.

W. Avg

.

JAN 21

(25%) 42

(47%) 19

(22%) 5

(6%) 0

(0%) 16.41 87 2.08/5

FEB 41

(44%)

25

(31%)

21

(25%)

0

(0%)

0

(0%) 17.76 87 1.81/5

MAR

12 (17%)

43 (49%)

10 (14%)

19 (20%)

0 (0%) 16.14 87 2.37/5

APR 5 (6%)

39 (43%)

22 (26%)

19 (20%)

5 (6%)

14.10 87 2.77/5

MAY

2

(3%)

10

(11%)

46

(57%)

19

(20%)

8

(9%) 17.32 87 3.2/5

JUN 0

(0%) 5

(6%) 23

(28%) 40

(44%) 17

(22%) 14,12 87 3.83/5

JUL 0

(0%) 2

(3%) 4

(8%) 46

(51%) 34

(38%) 19,04 87 4.24/5

AUG

0

(0%)

2

(3%)

3

(5%)

28

(32%)

52

(59%) 20,27 87 4.49/5

SEP 2

(3%) 2

(3%) 38

(42%) 32

(36%) 11

(15%) 15,18 87 3.58/5

OCT

2 (3%)

38 (42%)

35 (39%)

7 (9%)

5 (6%) 15,70 87 2.73/5

NOV

20

(24%)

44

(48%)

14

(18%)

5

(6%)

2

(3%) 14,94 87 2.15/5

DEC

9 (12%)

14 (18%)

17 (21%)

32 (36%)

8 (12%) 8,65 87 3.18/5

3.05/5

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4. What do you think is the specific attraction in the area where your accommodation unit is located?

Unimportant Less important Neutral

Pretty important Crucial

St. Dev. Resp.

W

Avg.

Natural environment

10

(13%)

5

(7%)

9

(11%)

42

(46%)

23

(24%)

13,53 87 3.61/5

Exploring possibilities

8

(11%)

12

(16%)

12

(16%)

41

(44%)

10

(13%) 12,29 87 3.33/5

Handcrafted items

15

(20%)

14

(18%)

25

(29%)

17

(20%)

10

(13%) 4,96 87 2.89/5

Local traditions

and customs

12

(16%)

23

(24%)

12

(16%)

24

(27%)

14

(18%)

5,37 87 3.07/5

Proximity to historical

locations

7

(9%)

7

(9%)

21

(24%)

36

(40%)

14

(18%) 10,83 87 3.49/5

3.28/5

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%Very low OR

Low OR

Average ORHigh OR

Very high OR

JAN FEB MAR APR

MAY JUN JUL AUG

SEP OCT NOV DEC

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5. What do you think is the specific attraction to your accommodation unit?

Not important

Somehow important Neutral

Important enough Crucial

St. Dev. Resp.

W.

Avg.

Prices 1

(2%)

7

(9%)

14 (17%)

52

(59%)

9

(13%)

18,18 87 3.72/5

Staff 4

(7%)

12

(16%)

13 (18%)

36

(40%)

17

(20%)

10,67 87 3.51/5

Product quality

3

(4%)

3

(4%)

5

(7%)

51

(58%)

23

(27%)

18,59 87 3.98/5

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%Unimportant

Less important

NeutralPretty important

Crucial

Natural environment Exploring possibilitiesHandcrafted items Local traditions and customsProximity to historical locations

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%Not important

Somehow important

NeutralImportant enough

Crucial

Prices Staff Product quality

Touristic packages Only unit in area Promotion

Traditions Rooms Placement of unit

Touristic packages

1

(2%)

3

(5%)

15 (18%)

39

(43%)

29

(32%) 14,72 87 3.98/5

Only unit in area

27

(31%)

15

(18%)

15 (18%)

26

(29%)

3

(4%) 8,77 87 2.58/5

Promotion

1

(2%)

5

(7%)

31 (35%)

36

(40%)

12

(16%) 14,01 87 3.6/5

Traditions 12

(16%)

14

(18%)

17 (20%)

26

(30%)

12

(16%) 5,23 87 3.11/5

Rooms 0

(0%)

0

(0%)

13 (16%)

49

(53%)

27

(31%) 18,52 87 4.16/5

Placement of unit

0

(0%)

0

(0%)

9 (12%)

44

(47%)

38

(42%) 19,00 87 4.3/5

3.66/5

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6. How are bookings made predominantly in your unit?

By telephone

Online Personally On arrival Other (please specify)

Responses

All

Data

29

(31%)

32

(35%)

13

(17%)

13

(17%)

0

(0%)

87

7. What is the return rate of customers in your unit, which you consider or

is statistically determined from year to year?”

Under 10% 10%-25% 25%-50% Over 50% St.

Dev.

Resp.

All

Data

33

(38%)

23

(26%)

21

(24%)

10

(12%) 8,17 87

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

By telephone Online Personally On arrival Other (please specify)

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8. What facilities does your unit provide?

No facility (nor intention to

acquire in the near future)

Yes

No facility (but we are going to

equip the unit in the near future)

St.

Dev. Resp.

W.

Avg.

Restaurant 24 (29%) 57 (67%) 3 (4%) 22,23 84 1.76/3

Pub/Terrace

32 (37%) 48 (54%) 6 (9%) 17,31 86 1.72/3

Cable TV/WiFi

3 (4%) 81 (93%) 2 (2%) 37,01 86 1.98/3

Bath tub 32 (37%) 49 (60%) 2 (2%) 19,43 83 1.65/3

Coffee makers in

rooms

72 (82%) 6 (7%) 8 (11%) 30,65 84 1.3/3

Storage area

27 (38%) 42 (49%) 6 (13%) 14,76 85 1.7/3

Safe for customers

50 (61%) 25 (27%) 9 (11%) 16,87 84 1.5/3

Farm or petting zoo

47 (55%) 23 (27%) 15 (18%) 13,60 84 1.64/3

Playground 32 (36%) 42 (47%) 12 (18%) 12,47 86 1.82/3

Permanent reception

46 (51%) 32 (38%) 6 (11%) 16,57 84 1.6/3

1.67/3

Customer return rate

Under 10% 10%-25% 25-50% Over 50%

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

No facility (norintention)

Yes

No facility (butintention)

Restaurant Pub/Terrace

Cable TV/WiFi Bath tub

Coffee makers in rooms Storage area

Safe for customers2 Farm or petting zoo

Playground Permanent reception

9. Which of the following promotion environments are used by you?

Yes No More or less

St. Dev. Resp. W. Avg.

Flyers, brochures

and other printed

materials

22 (27%) 44 (59%)

11 (14%)

13,72 87 1.86/3

Website 56 (70%) 31

(30%)

0 (0%) 22,91 87 1.3/3

Facebook page

64 (78%)

21 (19%)

2 (3%) 25,94 87 1.24/3

Google+ page

20 (23%)

61 (71%)

4 (6%) 24,00 85

1.83/3

Tw itter page 2 (3%) 80 (94%)

2 (3%) 36,77 84 2/3

Other social netw orks

8 (12%) 75 (88%)

0 (0%) 33,63 83 1.88/3

Booking.com account

56 (65%) 29 (32%)

2 (3%)

22,05 87 1.38/3

HRS account

10 (14%) 77 (86%)

0 (0%) 33,50 87 1.86/3

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%Yes

No

More or less

Printed materials Website

Facebook page Google + page

Twitter page Other social networks

Booking.com account HRS account

Other online booking accounts Own booking platform

Online ads Radio ads

TV ads Publication ads

Other online booking

accounts

44 (51%) 43 (49%)

0 (0%) 20,51 87 1.49/3

Ow n booking platform

28 (33%) 58 (67%)

0 (0%) 15,00 86 1.67/3

Online ads

24 (26%) 63 (74%)

0 (0%)

25,96 87

1.74 /

3

Radio ads 4 (6%) 81

(94%)

0 (0%) 38,50 85 1.94/3

TV ads 2 (3%) 82

(97%)

0 (0%) 38,19 84 1.97/3

Publication ads

11 (14%) 72 (83%)

2 (3%) 31,09 85 1.89/3

1.71/3

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Please note how relevant are the environments presented above in relation to your business, rating 1 to 5 where 1 means “not relevant” and 5 means “very

relevant”.

1 2 3 4 5 St. Dev. Responses W. Avg.

Flyers, brochures

and other printed materials

42

(51%)

12

(14%)

7

(9%)

12

(14%)

10

(12%)

12.74 83 2.21/5

Website 21

(25%) 7

(9%) 12

(14%) 9

(11%) 34

(41%) 13.19 84 3.34/5

Google+ page 53

(63%)

10

(12%)

4

(5%)

6

(7%)

11

(14%) 18.31 83 1.98/5

Tw itter page 66

(76%) 4

(5%) 10

(11%) 4

(5%) 2

(3%) 21.35 86 1.54/5

Other social netw orks

47

(57%)

0

(0%)

8

(10%)

15

(19%)

12

(14%) 16.24 82 2.33/5

Booking.com account

25 (30%)

4 (5%)

15 (16%)

20 (23%)

23 (27%) 7.97 84 3.14/5

HRS account 50

(71%) 12

(17%) 7

(10%) 1

(2%) 0

(0%) 20.68 71 1.44/5

Other online booking accounts

40 (49%)

2 (2%)

25 (30%)

9 (7%)

10 (12%) 15.42 83 2.3/5

Ow n booking platform

48 (58%)

0 (0%)

6 (7%)

10 (12%)

19 (23%) 16.82 83 2.42/5

Online ads 45

(55%)

11

(14%)

7

(9%)

7

(9%)

11

(14%) 17.65 84 2.14/5

Radio ads 62

(76%) 10

(12%) 6

(7%) 4

(5%) 0

(0%) 26.91 82 1.4/5

TV ads 72

(83%)

4

(5%)

2

(2%)

9

(10%)

0

(0%) 27.97 81 1.39/5

Publication ads 56

(70%) 8

(10%) 6

(8%) 8

(10%) 2

(3%) 20.06 80 1.65/5

2.12/5

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%One

Two

ThreeFour

Five

Printed materials WebsiteGoogle + page Twitter pageOther social networks Booking.com accountHRS account Other online booking accountsOwn booking platform Online adsRadio ads TV adsPublication ads

10. What is the degree of complaints from your customers according to the following table?

Quite often Often Neutral Very rarely Never St. Dev. Resp. W. Avg.

Prices 0

(0%) 0

(0%) 7

(8%) 29

(33%) 50

(58%) 18.18 87 4.5/5

Staff 0

(0%) 0

(0%) 2

(3%) 19

(22%) 65

(75%) 20.34 87 4.72/5

Product

quality

0

(0%)

0

(0%)

7

(8%)

19

(22%)

60

(69%) 19.37 87 4.61/5

Cleanliness

0 (0%)

0 (0%)

5 (6%)

9 (11%)

73 (83%) 23.5 87 4.78/5

Noise 0

(0%)

0

(0%)

2

(3%)

17

(19%)

68

(78%) 20.72 87 4.75/5

Rooms 0

(0%) 0

(0%) 2

(3%) 19

(22%) 65

(75%) 20.34 87 4.72/5

Food and

drinks

0

(0%)

0

(0%)

2

(3%)

12

(14%)

72

(83%) 21.15 87 4.8/5

False advertising

0 (0%)

0 (0%)

0 (0%)

2 (3%)

85 (97%) 23.91 87 4.97/5

4.73/5

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11. To what extent do you think that your unit takes into account the views and wishes of the clients?

Almost never More or less Often A lot St. Dev. Resp.

All

Data

2

(2%)

4

(4%)

47

(56%)

34

(38%)

19,32 87

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Quiteoften

Often

NeutralVery

rarely

Never

Prices Staff Product qualityCleanliness Noise RoomsFood and drinks False advertising

Almost never More or less Often A lot

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74

12. Did you turn to professional consulting and marketing services to improve your business?

Yes No No, but I intend to St. Dev. Resp.

All Data 3

(4%)

52

(60%)

32

(36%) 20,12 87

13. Which option do you think is appropriate to characterize marketing

performed in your unit?

Absent It exists but does not yield significant

benefits

It exists and it is helpful

Will significantly increase in the

future

St. Dev. Resp.

All Data

30 (34%)

5

(5%)

33

(36%)

19

(25%) 10,99 87

Yes No No, but I intend to

Absent

It exists but does not yield significant benefits

It exists and it is helpful

Will significantly increase in the future

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75

14. What is your age group?

18 - 34 years

35 - 44 years

45 - 60 years

Over 60 years

St. Dev. Resp.

All

Data

20

(24%)

35

(41%)

20

(24%)

8

(11%) 9,58 87

15. What is your gender?

Female Male St. Dev. Resp.

All Data 41

(47%)

45

(53%) 2,00 86

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Female Male

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

What is your age group?

18-34 years old 35-44 years old

45-60 years old Over 60 years old

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16. According to your attributions, the position you hold within the company can be included in the following department:

Administration (owner / manager)

Reception / reservations

Restaurant / kitchen

Housekeeping / technical

Other department

St. Dev.

Resp.

All Data

69

(80%)

18

(20%)

0

(0%)

0

(0%)

0

(0%) 26,73 87

17. How long have you been working in the tourism/hospitality field?

Less than 1 year 1 – 3 years 3-5 years Over 5 years

St. Dev.

Resp.

All Data

11 (13%)

13 (15%)

15 (17%)

46 (54%) 14,36 87

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Reception/reservations Administration (owner/manager)

Less than 1 year 1 – 3 years 3 - 5 years Over 5 years

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18. What is the total capacity of your accommodation unit?

Under 5 beds

5 – 10 beds 11 – 20 beds Over 20 beds St. Dev.

Resp.

All Data

6 (7%)

29 (33%)

30 (35%)

22 (26%) 9,60 87

19. What is the county in which your accommodation unit is being located?

Alba Brașov Cluj Sibiu St. Dev. Resp.

All Data

11 (13%)

39 (45%)

16 (18%)

21 (24%) 10,57 87

Under 5 beds 5 - 10 beds 11 - 20 beds Over 20 beds

Alba Brasov Cluj Sibiu

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APPENDIX B: GUESTHOUSE MAILING LIST Alba County – 100 questionnaires

[email protected] - Filonul de Aur (Abrud)

[email protected] - Casa Helvetica (Aiud)

[email protected] - Doua Salcii (Aiud)

[email protected] - Melinda (Aiud)

[email protected] - Mobis (Aiud)

office@pensiunea-t ransilvania.ro - Transilvania (Aiud)

[email protected] - Aurora (Albac)

[email protected] - Corina (Albac)

[email protected] - Lenuta (Albac)

[email protected] - Perla Ariesului (Albac)

[email protected] - Steaua Ariesului (Albac)

[email protected] - Vila Rustica (Albac)

[email protected] - Poiana Verde (Albac)

[email protected] - Ady (Albac)

[email protected] - La Topivan (Albac)

[email protected] - Casa David (Almasu Mare)

[email protected] - Bianca (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Casa Motului (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Diana (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Gianina (Arieseni)

pensiunea_ [email protected] - Juliana (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Sarra Vank (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Viorica (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Casa Dory & Dan (Arieseni)

[email protected] - La Vasile (Arieseni)

rezervari@moaratitului. ro - Moara Titului (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Ada (Bubesti)

[email protected] - Poarta Ariesului (Bubesti)

[email protected] - Vraja Muntelui (Bubesti)

[email protected] - Maria (Fata Lapusului)

[email protected] - Casa Dorina (Galbena)

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[email protected] - Iara (Galbena)

[email protected] - Casa Noastra (Izlaz)

[email protected] - Giulia (Izlaz)

rezervari@moaratitului. ro - Moara Titului (Arieseni)

[email protected] - Shanti (Brazesti)

[email protected] - Roua Muntelui (Baia de Aries)

[email protected] - Ela & Cata (Bistra)

[email protected] - Casta Tirol (Blaj)

[email protected] - Cosmi (Blaj

[email protected] - La Popa (Blaj)

[email protected] - Man President (Blaj)

[email protected] - Montana Popa (Blaj)

[email protected] - Casa Motilor (Bucium)

[email protected] - Casa din Vii (Ciugud)

[email protected] - Poarta Raiului (Cugir)

[email protected] - Cosette (Galda de Jos)

[email protected] - La Poiana (Galda de Jos)

[email protected] - Bleumarin (Galda de Jos)

[email protected] - Floare de Colt (Galda de Jos)

[email protected] - Casa Buna (Garbova)

[email protected] - Danciu (Garda de Jos)

[email protected] - De sub Munte Dobra (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Mama Uta (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Marydor (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Onelia (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Ghetar Scarisoara (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Lia (Garda de Sus)

[email protected] - Nicola (Horea)

[email protected] - Fey (Ighiel)

[email protected] - Terra Mythica (Ighiu)

[email protected] - Conacul Teleki (Telna)

[email protected] - Templul Cavalerilor (Livezile)

[email protected] - Galaxy (Lupsa)

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[email protected] - Casa Apuseana (Lupsa)

[email protected] - Casa cu Dor (Apoita)

[email protected] - Izvorul Muntelui (Ampoita)

[email protected] - Casa Cerbului (Pianu)

[email protected] - Sapte Cetati (Pianu)

[email protected] - Casa Dives (Pianu)

[email protected] - Iedera (Pianu)

[email protected] - Ioana (Pianu)

[email protected] - Agota (Rametea)

[email protected] - Aranyos Panzio (Rametea)

[email protected] - Bitai Magda (Rametea)

[email protected] - Dulo Ana Maria (Rametea)

[email protected] - Gyopar (Rametea)

[email protected] - Panorama (Rametea)

[email protected] - Perla Trascaului (Rametea)

[email protected] - Sub Piatra (Sub Piatra)

[email protected] - Lena (Sona)

[email protected] - Silva Dobra (Susag)

[email protected] - Codru (Salciua)

[email protected] - Totu' Bun (Salciua)

[email protected] - Rustiq (Santimbru)

[email protected] - Podul Cetatii (Santimbru)

[email protected] - Vraja Vacantei (Capalna)

[email protected] - Hanul Surianu (Sibot)

[email protected] - Axa (Cunta)

[email protected] - Casa Butnarului (Stremt)

[email protected] - Silva Dobra (Dobra)

[email protected] - Nuta (Sugag)

[email protected] - Valea Frumoasei (Jinar)

[email protected] - Ana-Simona (Sugag)

[email protected] - Bellamy (Sugag)

[email protected] - Sureanu (Sugag)

[email protected] - Cotul Ariesului (Vadu Motilor)

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[email protected] - Casa Anda (Vadu Motilor)

[email protected] - Craiul (Vidra)

[email protected] - Vidra de Sus (Vidra)

Brașov County – 152 questionnaires

[email protected] Casa din Bran (Bran)

[email protected] Casa Enescu (Bran)

[email protected] Casuta Bunicii (Bran)

[email protected] Cheile Castelului (Bran)

[email protected] Ina (Bran)

[email protected] Ioana (Bran)

[email protected] La Maison (Bran)

[email protected] Micul Castel (Bran)

[email protected] Narcis (Bran)

[email protected] Nicoleta (Bran)

[email protected] Regalina (Bran)

[email protected] Trattoria al Gallo (Bran)

[email protected] Vila Ambasadorului (Bran)

[email protected] Casa Kiss (Bran)

[email protected] Casa Miracole (Bran)

[email protected] Conacul Bratescu (Bran)

[email protected] La Busu (Bran)

[email protected] Paradis (Bran)

[email protected] La Voicut (Bran)

[email protected] Mis (Bran)

[email protected] Convivium Transilvania (Bunesti)

[email protected] Elena (Bunesti)

[email protected] Casa Vanatorului (Comana)

[email protected] Valceaua Zanelor (Dragus)

[email protected] Pepino (Moieciu)

[email protected] Andrei (Moieciu)

[email protected] Dorali (Moieciu)

[email protected] Casa Maria (Moieciu)

[email protected] Hanul Dorului (Moieciu)

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[email protected] Popas Sambata (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Valea Sambetei (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Vila 3 (Tarlungeni)

[email protected] Cabana Vamii (Tarlungeni)

[email protected] Mama Mia (Tarlungeni)

[email protected] Casa Visteana (Vistea de Jos)

[email protected] Transylvanian Inn (Bran)

[email protected] Alina (Predelut)

[email protected] Belvedere (Predelut)

[email protected] Vila Predelut (Predelut)

[email protected] Carpathia (Predelut)

[email protected] Casa de sub Padure (Predelut)

[email protected] Casa Iacob (Predelut)

[email protected] Casa Serena (Predelut)

[email protected] Marmot (Predelut)

[email protected] Milenium (Predelut)

[email protected] Muntele Rece (Predelut)

[email protected] Orizont (Predelut)

[email protected] Pasul Caprioarei (Poiana Marului)

[email protected] Brandeberg (Simon)

[email protected] Casa Alex (Simon)

[email protected] Casa Maria (Simon)

[email protected] Conacul Boieresc (Simon)

[email protected] Cretu (Simon)

[email protected] Dumbrava Minunata (Simon)

[email protected] Hanul Simon (Simon)

[email protected] Laura (Simon)

[email protected] Traian (Simon)

[email protected] Vilica (Simon)

[email protected] Casa Domneasca (Simon)

[email protected] Casa Nobila (Simon)

[email protected] Bradul Inalt (Sohodol)

[email protected] Cehov (Sohodol)

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[email protected] Coroana Reginei (Sohodol)

[email protected] Contele Vladimir (Sohodol)

[email protected] Gentiana (Sohodol)

[email protected] Taverna Branului (Sohodol)

[email protected] Alisa (Sohodol)

[email protected] Lais (Bran)

[email protected] Le Provence (Bran)

[email protected] Popasul Reginei (Bran)

[email protected] Guest House (Bran)

[email protected] Lunca Popii (Bunesti)

[email protected] Casa cu Zorele (Bunesti)

[email protected] Rozalia (Crit)

[email protected] Tabaluga (Roades)

[email protected] Viscri 125 (Viscri)

[email protected] Viscri 38 (Viscri)

[email protected] Casa Georg Prister (Cristian)

[email protected] Conacul Ambient (Cristian)

[email protected] Vila Old Cars (Cristian)

[email protected] Alpin (Fundata)

[email protected] Casa Muntelui (Fundata)

[email protected] Edera (Fundata)

[email protected] Padina Ursului (Fundata)

[email protected] Euro Park (Fundata)

[email protected] Ursul Carcotas (Fundata)

[email protected] Pensiunea Soarelui (Sirnea)

[email protected] Valea cu Struti (Sirnea)

[email protected] Natalia (Fundata)

[email protected] Rasaritul Soarelui (Fundata)

[email protected] Dynasty Club (Harman)

[email protected] Roma Antica (Harman)

[email protected] Templars' Inn (Harseni)

[email protected] Casa Fermierului (Fantana)

[email protected] Ionut (Hoghiz)

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[email protected] Trei Stejari (Jibert)

[email protected] AdÓro (Moieciu)

[email protected] Darius (Moieciu)

[email protected] Cetatea Carului (Moieciu)

[email protected] Garden Resort (Moieciu)

[email protected] Casa Tabacaru (Moieciu)

[email protected] Nea Marin (Moieciu)

[email protected] Acasa la Moieciu (Moieciu)

[email protected] Brancoveanu (Moieciu)

[email protected] Camelia (Moieciu)

[email protected] Casa Stan (Moieciu)

rezervari@casutacuponei. ro Casuta cu Ponei (Moieciu)

[email protected] Casuta din Povesti (Moieciu)

[email protected] Cote D'Amour (Moieciu)

[email protected] La Perla (Moieciu)

[email protected] Moeciu - Bucegi (Moieciu)

[email protected] Niculina (Moieciu)

[email protected] Piatra Craiului (Moieciu)

[email protected] Podul Turcului (Moieciu)

[email protected] Preto E Branco (Moieciu)

[email protected] Valea Lunga (Moieciu)

[email protected] Craiasa Muntilor (Moieciu)

[email protected] Orzan (Moieciu)

[email protected] La Turcu (Moieciu)

[email protected] Malina (Moieciu)

[email protected] Nicoleta (Moieciu)

[email protected] Perla Carpatilor (Moieciu)

[email protected] Pui de Urs (Moieciu)

[email protected] Raza Soarelui (Moieciu)

[email protected] Roua Diminetii (Moieciu)

rezervari@vilamoecel. ro Vila Moecel (Moieciu)

[email protected] Vlahia Inn (Moieciu)

[email protected] Wiarusti (Moieciu)

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[email protected] Casa Boiereasca (Moieciu)

[email protected] Gentiana (Moieciu)

[email protected] Nobillis (Moieciu)

[email protected] Prestige (Moieciu)

[email protected] Georgiana & Gabriel (Poiana Marului)

[email protected] Flori de Mar (Poiana Marului)

[email protected] Piscu Ioanei (Poiana Marului)

office@pensiunepoianamarului. ro Poiana Marului (Poiana Marului)

[email protected] Poiana Viselor (Poiana Marului)

[email protected] Paradisul Naturii (Dejani)

[email protected] Belmonte (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Caprioara (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Lacramioara (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Emma (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Miruna (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Poiana Izvorului (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Transilvania (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Casa Moga (Sambata de Sus)

[email protected] Baile Persani (Persani)

[email protected] Equus Silvania (Sinca)

[email protected] Roua Muntelui (Sinca)

[email protected] Traian (Carpinis)

[email protected] Alina (Vama Buzaului)

[email protected] Cincsor (Voila)

Cluj County – 99 questionnaires

[email protected] Paduricea (Apahida)

[email protected] Casa de Vis (Baisoara)

[email protected] Apus de Soare (Belis)

[email protected] Casa Morar (Belis)

[email protected] Diana (Belis)

[email protected] Rustic Nicusor (Belis)

[email protected] Zori de Zi (Belis)

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[email protected] Alexandra (Belis)

[email protected] Valeria (Belis)

[email protected] Oaza Apusenilor (Calarasi)

[email protected] Valea Viilor (Camarasu)

[email protected] Casa Florela (Capusu Mare)

[email protected] Casa Dinainte (Ciurila)

[email protected] Primera (Feleacu)

[email protected] Carol (Floresti)

[email protected] Roata Faget (Floresti)

[email protected] Aniko (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Iulia (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Katalin (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Katika (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Lacramioara (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Rozmarin (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Valentin (Floresti)

[email protected] Levi (Floresti)

[email protected] Larix (Margau)

[email protected] La Noru (Mica)

[email protected] Cheile Turzii (Cheia)

[email protected] Perla Transilvaniei (Moldovenesti)

[email protected] Poienita Apusenilor (Moldovenesti)

[email protected] Art 1000 (Poieni)

[email protected] Mara (Poieni)

[email protected] Casa Rasca Pastrav (Rasca)

[email protected] Harmonia Mundi (Vlaha)

[email protected] Adrenalin Park (Tureni)

[email protected] Farama de Rai (Tureni)

[email protected] Gold Fayen House (Tureni)

[email protected] Gemenii (Apahida)

[email protected] Victoria Apahida (Apahida)

[email protected] Bonanza (Baciu)

[email protected] Skiland (Baisoara)

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[email protected] Moara de Padure (Baisoara)

[email protected] Andreea (Baisoara)

[email protected] Nicoleta (Baisoara)

[email protected] Doru (Belis)

[email protected] Rom Concord (Belis)

[email protected] Alpin (Belis)

[email protected] Ana & Irina (Belis)

[email protected] Maria (Belis)

[email protected] Meridian (Belis)

[email protected] Sandor (Belis)

[email protected] Podina (Belis)

[email protected] Anda Lux (Calatele)

[email protected] Elena (Capusu Mic)

[email protected] Capus (Capusu Mic)

[email protected] Giulia (Caseiu)

[email protected] Route 60 (Ciucea)

[email protected] Domeniul Regilor (Ciurila)

[email protected] Kereki (Cornesti)

[email protected] Lacul Stiucii (Sacalaia)

[email protected] Aimee (Floresti)

[email protected] Casa Zanelor (Floresti)

[email protected] Il Milanese (Floresti)

[email protected] Matis (Floresti)

[email protected] Iozefini (Floresti)

[email protected] Maria (Floresti)

[email protected] Armonia (Garbau)

[email protected] Cionca (Gilau)

[email protected] Vila Gong (Gilau)

[email protected] Comtessa (Jucu)

[email protected] La Ionel (Maguri - Racatau)

[email protected] IC Ponor - Padis (Margau)

[email protected] Colt de Rai (Belis)

[email protected] Stefanut (Margau)

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[email protected] Casa Eden (Marisel)

[email protected] Motilor (Marisel)

[email protected] Alpin (Marisel)

[email protected] Casa Moteasca (Cornesti)

[email protected] Nova (Bunesti)

[email protected] Hanul Dacilor (Moldovenesti)

[email protected] Valea Paradisului (Racatau)

[email protected] Mirabilandia (Bucea)

[email protected] Casa Morar (Poieni)

[email protected] Vila Roca (Poieni)

[email protected] Valerica (Belis)

[email protected] Sequoia (Sacuieu)

[email protected] Ady Endre (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Erika (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Golyafeszek (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Hajnal (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Leda (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Tunde (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Palinkas (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Sarika (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Saroklak (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Puspok (Sancraiu)

[email protected] Hanul Moara Veche (Savadisla)

[email protected] Sovirag (Sic)

[email protected] Paula (Suatu)

[email protected] Lacul Micesti (Tureni)

Sibiu County – 108 questionnaires

[email protected] Any (Arpasu de Sus)

[email protected] Albota (Arpasu de Sus)

[email protected] Casa Arpasana (Arpasu de Sus)

[email protected] Balada (Avrig)

[email protected] Ghiocelul (Avrig)

[email protected] Poiana Neamtului (Avrig)

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[email protected] Popasul Avrig (Avrig)

[email protected] Dobsi (Bazna)

[email protected] Bassen (Bazna)

[email protected] Bazna (Bazna)

[email protected] Cetate (Biertan)

[email protected] Oppidum (Biertan)

[email protected] Copsa Mare (Biertan)

[email protected] Casa Moga (Blajel)

[email protected] Voicu (Lotrioara)

[email protected] Moara de Piatra (Carta)

[email protected] Casa Mosului (Cartisoara)

[email protected] Rafael (Cristian)

[email protected] Hanzu Darius (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Popasul Junilor (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Verde-Poli (Poplaca)

[email protected] Enescu (Rasinari)

[email protected] Robert (Rasinari)

[email protected] Domeniul Orlandea (Saliste)

[email protected] Ecvestria (Selimbar)

[email protected] Europa Transfagarasan (Cartisoara)

[email protected] Muntean (Sibiel)

[email protected] Mioritica (Sibiel)

[email protected] Ciortea Ana (Sibiel)

[email protected] Luca (Sibiel)

[email protected] Casa Stanca (Sibiel)

[email protected] Sandra (Sibiel)

[email protected] Cabana Sibiel (Sibiel)

[email protected] Pensiunea Andrei (Sibiel)

[email protected] Scorobet (Cartisoara)

[email protected] Casa Duse (Cartisoara)

[email protected] Casa Belvedere (Cisnadioara)

[email protected] Casa cu Flori (Cisnadioara)

[email protected] Casa Soarelui (Cisnadioara)

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[email protected] Sub Cetate (Cisnadioara)

[email protected] Ananas (Cisnadioara)

[email protected] Casa Pandora (Cristian)

[email protected] Insula Christiana (Cristian)

[email protected] Izabel (Cristian)

[email protected] Daniela (Cristian)

[email protected] Casa Lucas (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Maria Koeber (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Lacul de Argint (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Lapadat (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Calin (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Conacul dintre Rauri (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Norica (Gura Raului)

[email protected] Elisabeta - Centrul Tarii (Merghindeal)

[email protected] Casa Verman (Ocna Sibiului)

[email protected] Cryss (Ocna Sibiului)

[email protected] Mamaruta (Ocna Sibiului)

[email protected] Lacul Verde (Ocna Sibiului)

[email protected] Ileana (Orlat)

[email protected] Perla Marginimii (Orlat)

[email protected] Bujorul de Munte (Poplaca)

[email protected] Natura (Porumbacu de Jos)

[email protected] La Curtea Porumbaceana (Porumbacu de Jos)

[email protected] Briana (Rasinari)

[email protected] Marcu (Rasinari)

[email protected] Miorita (Rasinari)

[email protected] Phoenix (Rasinari)

[email protected] Badiu (Rasinari)

[email protected] Bendorfeanu (Rasinari)

[email protected] Cioran (Rasinari)

[email protected] Curmatura Stezii (Rasinari)

[email protected] Mai (Rasinari)

[email protected] Otilia (Rasinari)

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[email protected] Nora (Rau Sadului)

[email protected] Bio-Haus (Rosia)

[email protected] Romantic (Sadu)

[email protected] Trandafirul (Sadu)

[email protected] Printul Vlad (Saliste)

[email protected] Rudi & Ella (Saliste)

pensiunea.adriana.sibiel@t -i.ro Adriana (Sibiel)

[email protected] Bunica Eugenia (Sibiel)

[email protected] Casa Elena (Sibiel)

[email protected] Casa Stanca (Sibiel)

www.pensiuneacristina.uv.ro Cristina (Sibiel)

[email protected] Gentiana (Sibiel)

[email protected] Luca (Sibiel)

[email protected] Morariu (Sibiel)

[email protected] Sibiel (Sibiel)

[email protected] Carmen (Sibiel)

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