A cabin owner from Predeal, desperate that his rooms were not occupied for Christmas, came with an offer that could not be refused: “pay as much as you can afford”. Instead of people interested in the offer, the Facebook group where he posted the ad sparked a debate about the state of tourism, prices and criticism of him.
The austerity measures, the price increases in recent years and the change in tourist behavior have begun to be seen more and more clearly in Romanian tourism. A recent post on a Facebook group dedicated to Romanian holidays has gone viral and sparked a heated debate about prices, expectations, adaptation and survival in an increasingly tense market.
A cabin owner from Predeal reached the borderline situation of negotiating his own Christmas rate. “It’s the first year I’ve had no guests for Christmas. One cause may be the impoverishment of the population“, he writes in the message that has gathered hundreds of comments. The desperation is obvious: “Please call me and tell me how much you can afford to pay for 3 or 4 nights. And I will try to make the necessary discounts.”
The situation is not unique. The press reported that many hotels and guesthouses are empty in Valea Prahova for Christmas. The empty rooms made the administrators lower the prices, but even so the tourists did not flock. Sorin Ciobotaru, patron of the guesthouse, claimed that if last year it was “full” for Christmas, now it had only one rented room out of 10.
According to an Avangarde study, 8 out of 10 people preferred to stay at home this Christmas.
“Sales have decreased due to the fact that vouchers are no longer used. Vouchers have disappeared, this year they decreased by 60%, next year they will no longer exist and this trend will continue. (…) Probably somewhere, domestically, it will decrease (not the number of tourists) between 10% and 15%. I am referring to balneos, mountains and the coast”, said ANAT president Alin Burcea.
“It’s the first year without Christmas guests”
Doru Nicolae, the owner from Predeal who tried to “save” his Christmas with an irresistible offer posted on a holiday Facebook group, namely “pay as much as you can”, explained that he has not changed anything in his offer: “The prices are the same as I practice the rest of the year. I live permanently in the villa, nothing has changed. And yet this is the first year I don’t have guests for Christmas.” The standard rate is “500 lei/apartment/night”, for apartments of 60-80 sqm intended for families.
Moreover, the lodger promises total fairness: “If I accept a lower price for one tourist than what was originally negotiated with another, then the first guest will also benefit from that lower price. To be fair.”
He was open to solving the problem of lack of customers: “Therefore, let’s find the cause and if it’s the one I assume, let’s try to solve it.”
The post, although empathetic and open, did not bring bookings. Instead, it brought an avalanche of reactions that say a lot about the current state of Romanian tourism.
Advice, criticism and a harsh reality
Some users tried to explain why the offer did not convince. A woman punctuates the lack of clarity: “As a tourist, I don’t understand exactly what you are offering. I don’t know if you can eat at the location, how child friendly it is, what leisure possibilities there are.” She also adds an appearance-related criticism: “The level of comfort I perceive from the pictures is a minus. You should seriously invest in a renovation, otherwise the price is unjustified.”
Others talk about maladjustment: “Tourism is not dead at all. There are tourists, but lack of adaptation and lack of online visibility can bring you to this point.” she says, also suggesting a return to platforms like Airbnb.
“Better less money but full”
The discussion quickly degenerated into a confrontation between two camps: those who consider the prices exaggerated and those who see the negative reactions as a lack of empathy. “90% of the comments reflect the meanness of people“, writes an Internet user, who added: “They are happy to see another Romanian about to close a business. Who gives you the right to laugh at his dream?”
On the other hand, the price criticisms are harsh and repetitive. “How to ask for 500 lei per night? In Bușteni there are locations for 200 lei per day, with accommodation and 3 meals”someone says. Another netizen adds: “500 lei means 100 euros. Outside the country I didn’t pay more than 60 euros, and it was luxury.”
Some propose pragmatic solutions. “Try the small apartment for 200 lei and the big one for 250. Better less money, but full“. Others indicate the need for redecoration: “Pthe net is not necessarily big, but you need someone to help you inside“.
“I would never rent an accommodation that looks worse than the space I live in”
A frequently mentioned aspect is the lack of privacy. “Not many people would spend Christmas with their owners“, observes an anonymous participant. The owner specified that he will also spend the holidays in the cottage, so it is possible to meet in the common areas with tourists.
Another commentator directly warns: “No one wants to spend their mornings with the owners, getting unsolicited advice or comments about their schedule.”
“I would never rent accommodation that looks worse than the space I live in“, says another participant, who states that for 500-800 lei per night, tourists demand high standards.
Romanian tourism, caught between impoverishment and claims
In the midst of this avalanche of opinions, the lodger’s original message remains: “One cause may be the impoverishment of the population.” Some sneeră: “The population has impoverished so much that the Romanians are on holidays in Bali and Thailand.” Others are more blunt: “How can you spend 100 euros per night in Romania, in a country with a minimum pension of 1,280 lei?”
The story of the cottage in Predeal is not an isolated case, but a hard x-ray of a sector at a crossroads. Between rising costs, more demanding tourists and an increasingly competitive market, Romanian tourism seems caught between two realities: the need for survival of small entrepreneurs and the increasingly firm refusal of customers to pay “outside prices” for experiences perceived as “at home”.
Christmas with empty rooms is a wake-up call for an entire industry.
