Aspects of the influence of the economic crisis upon the accommodation activity in Băile Tușnad resort

Abstract

The town of Băile Tușnad (Tușnad Spa, Tusnádfürdő) is the most important tourism centre in Harghita County, aspect favoured, besides the mineral water resources, by its position on an important road and rail route. In time, due to successive upgrades, it has become one of the most important mountain spas in Romania, classified as a national importance tourist resort. The last stage of development took place after 2004, especially with EU development funds. Partially, this phase coincided with the economic crisis, manifested more intensely between 2008 and 2010, when people’s lower income reduced tourism activities too. During the economic crisis one can find a more intense decrease of the number of tourists and overnight stays, reflected in smaller weights in the total of the county, most likely because during this period the tourists went for lower less expensive services. In Băile Tușnad the situation also reflects itself in the growth of the weight of tourists accommodating in tourist pensions, compared to the one of those accommodating in hotels. In comparison to the general evolution of Harghita County, as a consequence of the important weight of high comfort accommodation units and superior tourism services in Băile Tușnad resort, one can find a more difficult aligning to the crisis conditions, with bigger negative inflexions of the parameters, but without a prolonged period.