With the arrival of summer, The Telegraph brings Romania’s tourist attractions to the fore, revealing a well-kept secret: the 244 kilometers of Romanian coastline hide beaches with fine sand, comparable to those of the Caribbean. But the Danube Delta, which amazed British journalists, attracted fewer foreign visitors last year than in 2022.
British journalists, impressed by the Danube Delta – Photo Linea Trips
Because of the border war, the heart of the Delta has lost foreign tourists. In the last two years, the Danube Delta has felt the impact of the nearby conflict, there have been incidents of drones falling on Romanian territory, which has increased tourists’ concerns about safety in the area. But things seem to be getting better starting this year.
The Danube Delta was declared the “Destination of the Year” in the Eco-Tourist Regions category of the “Destination of the Year 2024” competition organized on the homonymous platform, whose jury was made up of over 200 experts.
Last year, more than 125,000 tourists visited the destination, of which 9,800 tourists were foreigners, according to data provided by the Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (ARBDD). Although the number of tourists increased in 2023 by 20.73% compared to 2022, the number of foreign tourists decreased. Two years ago, 13,522 foreign tourists visited the Danube Delta, out of a total of over 103,000 visitors.
Tourism operators expect the 2024 season to bring more foreign visitors, especially as around 200 cruise ships are expected, with tourists from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia and America.
The authorities emphasize that the proximity to the border with Ukraine has not affected the development of tourism under normal conditions, hoping that the number of tourists will increase. The number of foreign visitors dropped to more than half compared to the period before the pandemic, in 2019 about 20,600 foreign tourists visited the Danube Delta, compared to 9,800 in 2023.
“The fact that tourists also understood that the Tulcea Danube Delta is a safe area, and we who live here know this, we are happy. We have everything we need for high-quality tourism”Horia Teodorescu told the president of the CJ Tulcea at the beginning of May, when the first 200 tourists were greeted with joy.
The Romanian coastline, praised by British journalists: fine sand like in the Caribbean
Attracted to Romania by “amazing views”, cheap food and drink and good accommodation prices, Heidi Fuller-Love visited the Romanian coast at the beginning of June. The journalist from The Telegraph told that she came by plane from Great Britain to Constanța, from where she rented a car and went to Tulcea.
On his journey, the initially monotonous landscape of wheat fields and sad Soviet-era villages suddenly transforms into an idyllic, almost magical scene near Sarichioi. Here, tall trees with stork nests shade the road, and gray apartment blocks are replaced by picturesque thatched houses in vibrant colors like powder pink, pistachio green and poppy red. The gardens are full of onions, melons, tomatoes and roses, creating a charming image of the traditional Romanian village, says the journalist from Great Britain.
“Maybe my decision to try a beach vacation in a country known mostly for Dracula and Dacia wasn’t totally wrong.“, writes the journalist.
The Danube Delta, a magical place
Heidi Fuller-Love then took a boat to the coastal town of Sfântu Gheorghe, which can only be reached by water, to stay. She said she was the only foreign tourist on the boat, big enough for 10 people and their luggage.
“White-tailed eagles and Dalmatian pelicans were flying above while herds of long-horned cattle splashed like hippopotami in the glass-green waters. Dampened by the spray, we disembarked on a narrow iron wharf, surrounded by the blackened hulls of traditional canoe-type fishing boats, many abandoned since the resort became part of the Danube Biosphere Reserve“, reports the journalist.
After declaring herself satisfied with the accommodation which cost 100 euros per night with breakfast and lunch, Heidi Fuller-Love described the beach where she stayed.
“Stretching for miles in either direction and strewn with the striated shells of Venus clams, the sand was gray as clay but soft as talc under my bare feet. I spent most of the next few days in the sun, playing in the waves and watching the white pelicans gathering fish“, she wrote.
Cheap snacks and cold beer
The journalist was also impressed by the prices for drinks and food. She reported that she paid 45 lei for a plate of grilled carp or 35 lei for her favorite dish of puddle chicken (crispy frog legs in a garlic sauce).
On the hottest days, the journalist chose boat trips. He visited the old fishery at Gârla Turceasca and the Letea Forest, where wild horses live. He explored the carefully decorated tombs of pirates and princes in the old cemetery of Sulina, one of the oldest settlements in Romania. And, in a restaurant in Sfântu Gheorghe, he admired the sunset over the Danube, while he enjoyed fresh mussels cooked in white wine and bread, in an atmosphere created by a “chorus of a thousand frogs“.
“Returning on the busy road to Constanța after a week spent in this magical place, I stopped at a cafe for lunch. The TV reporters were discussing Romania’s decision to adopt the euro currency, after finally becoming a Schengen member. I asked the waiter if he enjoyed this prospect. He gave me a resigned look and handed me the 5 pound plate of pork sarmales (cabbage rolls) and the 2 pound beer. “Enjoy our cheap country while you can,” he joked.“, concludes the journalist from The Telegraph.
