Romanians pay 3m euros on cruises

Cruise ship holidays, which enable tourists to visit several destinations, cost Romanians 3 million euros in 2008, double as much as in the previous year, with around 4,000 Romanians opting for such a travel package last year, according to a survey by business consulting company Net Worth Advisory, conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT). The destinations in highest demand were the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea. “The cruise travel market in Romania is in a burgeoning stage, and has a long way to go before reaching its full potential. This also has to do with promotion of the service,” said Luciana Petrescu, general manager of the consulting firm. The total number of tourists going on cruises amounts to over 5 million on the European market, of which the most, 34%, are British tourists, 19% German, 16% Italian, 13% Spanish, 7% French, and under 1% Romanian, according to the “Annual Cruise Holiday Market Digest UK & Europe 2008” survey, quoted by Net Worth Advisory.