Discovering Europe
What future for rural tourism in Romania?
The countryside and mountains have preserved their landscapes and their traditions. But although green tourism represents a very real opportunity for Romania, its growth threatens the authenticity of unique regions such as Maramures. Meeting with Raluca Nagy, researcher in anthropology at the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and at the University of Cluj.
Typical house interior in Lunca Livei.
© EC
The tiny mountainous region of Maramures, neighbouring the Ukraine in northern Transylvania, is sometimes presented as the Shangri-La of all that is quintessentially Romanian. But the mythical Romanian peasant is having a hard time in a country that remains predominantly agricultural as it joins the European Union.
Far from the mass tourism of the Black Sea coast or the castles that are said to have been the home of Dracula, this green region with its deep-rooted traditions has seen the arrival of a quite separate race: the post-modern tourist, explains Raluca Nagy. “Ten years ago, these tourists discovered Prague; today they have their sights on Bucharest or Sofia.” She adds, “The ethno tourist is not interested in getting a suntan, but in discovering something new, and is fascinated and attracted by all that is different.”
She goes on, “The picture-book landscape of Maramures and the myth of the true Romania, somewhat erroneous given a history marked by the arrival of the Hungarians and Ukrainians, have made this region a success. In just a few years, ‘friendly’ tourism based on traditional hospitality has given way to a more commercial relationship.”
Nagy adds, “The people of Maramures, often part-time farmers, have turned to rural tourism. Some of them, those who work abroad, have even put up new buildings to welcome the visitors in greater comfort than the traditional wooden houses. The development of these sanitized pensiuni is, however, a threat to the very thing that attracts the tourist to Maramures: its authenticity. It could even risk disappearing altogether.”
Yet despite all this, green tourism remains an asset for Romania. As Nagy puts it, “No other country in Europe has more variety to offer the tourist, but it is a potential that must be used intelligently.”
