Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.

11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640

EVOLUTION OF TOURISM IN S-W OLTENIA REGION

Manea DRGHICI1, Drago-Ion SMEDESCU1
1

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest

59 Marasti, sector 1, 011464, Bucharest, Romania, Phone: +40 21 318 25 64/232, Fax: +40 21318 28 88, Email: dmprofesor@hotmail.com Fax: +40349 401346, Email: smedescudragos@yahoo.com Corresponding author : dmprofesor@hotmail.com

Abstract This paper is a simple pass through the development of tourism in S-W Oltenia region from 1990 to 2009. Were considered and analyzed: the state of reception capacity in Oltenia region in comparison with the other seven regions, the situation in the reception capacities Oltenia region, comparison between the counties of components, development of accommodation capacity from 1990 to 2009, tourist reception with functions Accommodation in the Oltenia Region 1998 - 2009 and the situation where levels of classification of hotels, from 03/31/2005. In all these cases conclude that S-W Oltenia region in the early '90s, had a capacity of a five rank among the eight regions and 7th place at the facilities (accommodation). In coming years the situation has not changed much, Oltenia was all between the last regions to these indicators. It is remarkable that only after 2003, have diversified forms of tourism and the increased number of accommodation, having been a more intensive development of rural tourism and the tourist and agro tourism in the region in the year 2009 to 50 respectively 70. Some conclusions are also presented the idea of a better exploitation of tourism in the area. Keywords : S-W Oltenia Region, rural tourism , reception capacity

INTRODUCTION For a better coordination and implementation of programs and preaccession EU funds in Romania, the association of county councils were formed eight (8) statistical size unincorporated called developing regions corresponding to NUTS level divisions II of the EU, development regions with an average of 2.8 million inhabitants (NUTS I level that involves macro-regions are not used to us.). The 8 (eight) regions without administrative status, the council having legislative or executive body, had only one function, that of the EU PHARE funds allocated for regional development and

research to interpret and regional statistics coordinate regional infrastructure projects. In 2007, when Romania joined the EU, the 8 regions have joined the Committee of the Regions (Photo 1).

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area, thanks to diverse forms of relief in its possession, (meeting here, the Mount with the Danube, the two axes that conditioned, in distant times, the history of the native element in the Carpathians "I.Donat, Oltenia, page 299), started the first buds of the romanian tourism., an area with a rich dowry of tourist offer, totaling elements with geographical, historical, religious, cultural, ethnographic, folklore, art, etc ... elements which, despite all the vicissitudes of weather, and kept their uniqueness, identity and specificity.
Photo1: Romania Regions

One of the eight regions developed, named after their geographical location in the country, South-West Oltenia, consists of five counties, Dolj, Gorj, Valcea, Mehedinti and Olt, based in Craiova, the largest city in the municipality of the Region. About this region and about one of the counties components namely county, we speak in terms of tourism, in the present study. Tourism, beyond concepts, definitions and interpretations, as part of human nature and as a form of expression, was born with the knowledge and awareness of the need to relax. The monumental work "Encyclopedia Romn", published in four volumes in Bucharest, in 1943 the National Printing in vol.4, head. "Tourism in Romania", Valeriu Puscariu considered shepherding and carting "are ancestral forms of romanian tourism" (pag.195). With this statement the first researcher informed the romanian tourism phenomenon and together with the fact that the region is the region of Oltenia historic "first dry continental geology of the Carpathians, the romanian race and ethnicity and speech kept the cleanest, and finally, it is the region where specific romanian, in port, faith and culture, is the purest form and feature." (Voiteti Popescu, I., Oltenia 1943 pag.189), is incorporated into current regions South-West development, we can say that even in this

Is a county located in the south, the Lower Olt River, bordered by the Danube, and in terms of historical and geographical, is part of the old provinces, Oltenia and Wallachia. Unfortunately, despite having potential, tourism is not a strong point of this county relative to other parts of South-West Region Oltenia, although has several leading tourist attractions. Perhaps a focus on rural tourism and agrotourism, would lead to real growth potential, to denote both existing resources as well as finding new ones (development of traditional crafts such as weaving, pottery, furriers, making traditional products, etc. this is what the old traditional centers such as Oboga-pottery, Vadastra, Vadastra-furriers,) and a better correlation with economic and social needs. MATERIAL AND METHOD

Looking on Oltenia region's tourism potential, as materials and methods we use the following indicators of accommodation: 1990 - 2003, by county components, receiving capacity situation in the region of Oltenia, comparison between counties 1990 - 2003; capacity of the Oltenia region compared with other regions of tourists' reception with functions of accommodation in the Oltenia region between 1998 - 2003 and hotels, 2

Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640

according to the classification levels. All these indicators have been cited as a source of Romania's Statistical Yearbook 2004. There were used: the accommodation 2004 - 2009 S-W Oltenia region, structures of the functions of accommodation S-W Oltenia, both as a source National Institute of Statistics Dolj and Data Development Plan S-W Oltenia Region (Department Development of Tourism). To determine the evolutionary trend equations were calculated on the type Y = a + bt + ct ^ 2, where t = time. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

indicators are: the ability of accommodation, tourists stay, nights, index of capacity utilization in service, have decreased in some cases less than half. Unfortunately Oltenia region is the region with the most significant decrease in accommodation capacity, more than doubled compared with the regions SW, S, V and Bucharest - Ilfov and about 3 times compared with the N - W Region (tab.1). The indicators on the number of overnight stays, S-W Oltenia region is not better, finding somewhere in 6th place in 2003. Speaking of S-W Oltenia region that is a real tourist area, therefore, the development program S-W Oltenia region, including details of land development include: the creation of regional tourism clusters with infrastructure development, operations and delivery capacity, especially in the counties Gorj and Valcea, developing cultural tourism in areas outstanding national heritage (churches and monasteries in Valcea and Olt counties), the development of sport tourism (caving, tourism, cycling, etc.) mountain and hill areas in the counties of Mehedinti, Valcea and Gorj, the rehabilitation of health tourism through the transformation of social tourism .
Table1. Situation reception capacities in Oltenia region, compared with other regions
Accomm odation capacity 1990 Accomm odation capacity 2003 Capa city decr ease (%) Overnigh ts 1990(tho usands) Overn ights 2002 (thous ands) Overn ights decrea se (%)

From discussions on reception capacities in Oltenia region compared to other regions under consideration were two reference periods: 1. 1990, out of the old social system and in 2003, where we see that the 1990 Oltenia region, have an accommodation capacity of 26,376 seats, which ranked 5 in relation to other regions in the first place, on a considerable distance and at a rate of almost 50% of the total accommodation capacity is Moldova (353 236). Unfortunately, in 2003, S-W Oltenia region, the material contained accommodation only 183 units, representing 5.12% of the national total, a number that was on the penultimate place compared with other regions and, with a total of 15,112 jobs accommodation (5.52% of the national total) Oltenia region occupies the whole place in July, before the Bucharest region, which had 10,025 seats. We mention that in 2002 in the Oltenia region, were registered 58 travel agencies (24 in Dolj, Valcea 15, 7 Olt, 6 in Gorj, Mehedinti 6), there are data from the socio-economic development S-W Oltenia region, conducted by Applied Economics group GEA Bucharest. All these indicators, the reference to tourism, have been continuously declining in a natural way by following the economy of the area. These

Region

NE SE S OLT ENIA V NV C

24986 162799 26900 26376 26006 29102 44241

17965 130991 21729 15112 20713 24320 32759

28,0 9 19,5 3 19,2 2 42,7 0 20,3 5 16,4 3 25,9 5

3824,5 14115,6 4205,8 4045,6 4089,2 4909,9 6341,5

1451 5154 1704 1643 2034 2251 2431

62,06 63.49 59,48 59,39 50,25 54,15 61,66

Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640
B Rom nia 12826 353236 10025 273614 21,8 3 22,5 4 3019,7 44551,8 1177 1784 5 61,02 59,95

accommodation capacity development for the years 1990 - 2003 S-W Oltenia (Tab. 3).
Tab. 3. Evolution accommodation capacity 1990 - 2003
Year Accommodation capacity

Mention at this point that social tourism has been tourism, in long periods of time (kept alive) many of the resorts in the county of Valcea, although tourism was poor, those benefiting from the state tourist ticket discounts rest and treatment. It was thus a form of subsidized travel to the present time, is found only at pensioners, in a rather small number. Also in the reference period 1990 to 2003 reported here, in the same situation Statistical Yearbook of Romania and the reception capacities of selected counties in the region of Oltenia. It is noted here, the gap between the five counties receiving both capacity and at nights. Only Valcea with its huge tourism potential and a more basic material placed in the report differs from other counties with the lowest indices both indicators of decay (Table 2).
Tab. 2. Reception capacity situation in Oltenia region, comparison between counties
Accom modatio n capacity 1990 1929 4426 2407 1863 15751 26376 Accom modatio n capacity 2003 1179 1159 1358 725 10691 15112 Capac ity decrea se(%) 38,9 73,8 43,6 61,0 32,1 -42,7 Overn ights 1990 (thou sands ) 333,1 358,5 341,4 258 2754, 6 4045, 6 Overn ights 2003 (thou sands ) 58 84 117 36 134 8 1643 Over nights decre ase (%) 82,6 75,2 65,7 86,0 51,0 59,4

Arrivals
(thousands)

available 199 0 199 1 199 2 199 3 199 4 199 5 199 6 199 7 199 8 199 9 200 0 200 1 200 2 200 3 26373 22230 18766 18046 17875 17462 17010 17118 16890 15363 15295 15326 14855 15112

in operation 6790,3 5906 5167,5 4926,3 4125,3 4149,8 4095 4238,9 4082,3 3758 3736 3885 3755 3701

Overnight stays (thousands)

Ratio (%) of the capacity function

1024,6 793,3 642,4 576 495,4 544,6 506,3 433,7 374,3 343,1 327 338 350 324

4045,6 2730 2369 2070 1974,9 2044,1 1791,9 1682,1 1619 1569,8 1591 1745 1691 1643

59,8 46,2 45,8 42 47,8 49,3 43,8 39,7 39,7 41,8 42,6 44,9 45 44,4

Terri torial unit Dolj Gorj Meh edint i Olt Vlc ea Regi une

Following graphs represent the table 3.

Among the factors that led to the collapse of indicators (privatization, changing the legal status of facilities and land, lack of investment from the state, etc.) we can enumerate the precariousness of access infrastructure to undeveloped areas of interest, lack of utilities or unmodernized the existing technical facilities, lack of qualified personnel and, last but not least, lack of adequate management and tourism marketing programs. We present below the

Fig.1Accommodation capacity available(Y=25822,551885,27t+82,91t^2)

Fig.2 Accommodation capacity (Y=6990,64-611,34t+28,21t^2)

in

operation

Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640
boarding houses Camping sites Hosts 13 10 12 1 10 1 10 10 1

Fig.3 Arrivals (thousands)( 121,271t+5,1819t^2)

Y=1039,037-

Fig.4 Overnight stays (thousands)( Y=3899,607477,919t+237964t^2)

Fig.5 Ratio (%) of the capacity function(Y=57,1313,35827t+0,18238t^2)

Based on the development of accommodation capacity, we present the structure of tourists' reception with functions of accommodation in the Oltenia region taking benchmark years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. What we noticed analyzing data in this table (Table 4):
Tab. 4. Tourist reception facilities with accommodation in the Oltenia region
Total which: Hotels and motels Tourist inns Tourist chalets Tourist villas and bungalows School camps Tourist 1998 186 1999 157 2000 162 2001 164 2002 158 2003 183

since 1998, there is a certain balance regarding the situation of tourist reception (all in 1998, 186, all in 2003, 183) of which 71 hotels and motels in 1998, 72 in the 2003 disappearance of tourist inns: 2 1999, 3 in 2000 and 0 in 2001, increasing instead of tourist boarding houses, from 7 in 1998 to 12 in 2000 and 27 in 2003, maintaining a constant number of school camps for 12 students in 1998 and 1999, 13 in 2000 and 12 in 2001, 2002, 2003. Is interpretable position tourist villas and bungalows, where in 1998 had a total of 75 such capacities in 2002 have decreased to 41 and in 2003 an increase to 50 units. Here is a complaint or possible downgrading of the accommodation in question. As a conclusion, this structure is noted, by far, hotels and motels that have the largest share in terms of accommodation capacity S-W Oltenia region, a situation that is reflected nationally. And we're in this chapter, we should note that in the Oltenia region until 31/03/2005 (Source Ministry of Transport, Constructions and Tourism. National Tourism Authority) there are no five-star hotels just 2 4 stars, both in Dolj (Table 5).
Tab. 5. Hotels by levels of classification certificates valid on 03/31/2005 County DOLJ GORJ MEHEDI NI OLT VLCEA OLTENI A 0 0 0 0 0 0 Classification Level: 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 2 2 0 7 16 4 2 3 6 16 31 0 0 0 0 3 3

71 8 75 12 7

66 2 7 52 12 8

67 3 6 48 13 12

63 7 51 12 19

64 6 41 12 21

72 5 50 12 27

Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640

We said in early material, that there are countless forms of tourism and I listed some of them. Of the 2003 analyzed by the structure reception capacities were not available agro-touristic boarding or hostels, tourist accommodation structures newest entrants in the Romanian tourism market. Agro-touristic boarding played and plays an important role since recovered by accommodation and food services, rural and marginal areas of cities. Also because of them have been developed some forms of turism: cultural tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, agriturism, ecumenical, wine, fish, many having the local area. S-W Oltenia region is, in terms of number of monasteries and churches on the 2nd place after Moldova, also in the Valcea region, the country ranks number 3 on the functional capacity of accommodation and place 2 to number of nights. It should be noted that the counties of Oltenia have a natural virgin environment, a rural area of wild beauty that hasn't felt yet to much the human touch. In 2004 only 26.57% of the existing accommodation capacity of Valcea County was working with an occupation rate of 44.5%, higher rate, however, the national average. Tab. 6. Tourist
reception with functions of tourist accommodation, 31 July 2009
Number of units Development Region SOUTH - WEST OLTENIA Total Hotels and motels Tourist chalets Camping sites Tourist villas School and pre-school camps Tourist boarding houses Agro-tourist boarding houses 299 92 9 9 47 3 56 70 2009

Tourist halting places Hostels

3 10

Although the capacity of accommodation, both existing and operational as increased from 2004 to 2009, the latest year data in the table below, we see variations in the index of arrivals and overnight stays at even decreases. It is curious, in a sense this phenomenon, given that the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 were years where the economy and prices stabilized to some extent. Here for shelters and composition with functions of tourist accommodation and accommodation capacity, 31 July 2009. (Table 6.7).
Tab. 7. Tourist accommodation capacity and activity, S-W Oltenia region.
Accomodation capacity Develop
Capacity In function Arriva Nights utilization ratios of (thousands ls (thous personsands) spent (thousan ds) net operating (%)

ment

Availab

Region

le

Years
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

(places)
days) 13936 14672 14816 15219 14973 16349 3703 3950 4226 4107 4197 4233 361 334 371 403 429 366 1648 1602 1641 1674 1730 1442 44,5 40,6 38,8 40,7 41,2 34,1

Observing the accommodation capacity, we see that they have increased almost every year, but indications of net capacity in service use were lower. Also we may note the increasing tourist boarding houses from 27 in 2003 to 70 in 2009 and tourist boarding houses from 27 in 2003 to 56 in 2009. But dramatically decreases the number of school and pre-school camps from 12 in 2003 to 3 in 2009. 6

Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol.11, Issue 3, 2011 ISSN 1844-5640

CONCLUSIONS 1. Regiunea S-W Oltenia is a region with a strong and diversified tourism potential. 2. It has many attractions (historical, religious, folk art, architecture, etc). 3. Many of these objectives are in rural areas, by exception, enabling rural and agro-tourism development that can lead to a development of traditional crafts: weaving, pottery, furriers, making the crafts. 4. Accommodation capacity in recent years is constantly increasing. 5.Improving infrastructure through national and regional road networks. 6. Qualification of personnel from all the tourist reception and accommodation units. 7. An improvement in the management of reception and accommodation of these capacities. 8. Diversified forms of marketing in promoting and supporting tourism phenomenon. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research work was carried out with the support of Project POSDRU/CPP107/DMI1.5/S/76888 Program, SOP Human Resources Development from 2007 to 2013. REFERENCES
[1] Statistical Yearbook of Romania 2004 [2] S-W Oltenia Regional Plan for Development, 2005, chapter. Tourism. [3] National Institute of Statistics Dolj, 2009, Tourism