 TOURISM AND LEISURE |
Visitors touring the country will be positively surprised by all that Romania has to offer. Romania is a beautiful and largely unexplored country, out of the vastly trotted tourist routes. Most of its treasures are still hidden and unknown, but are waiting to be discovered. However, tourists looking for Western facilities are warned not to expect such luxuries except in the capital. Bucharest, contrary to the rest of the country boasts a number of 4 and 5 star hotels, such as the Hilton, Crowne Plaza, or Sofitel. Their standards, service, and facilities are at par with those found elsewhere in the world, although prices are, in most cases, considerably higher. A new star in this plethora of luxury hotels is the Marriott Hotel, which will open its doors in October 2000.
The statistics of the Bucharest Marriott Hotel are mind blowing, particularly for this country where the tourism industry is very underdeveloped. The Marriott boasts 402 rooms, a 633 sq.m. ballroom, casino, night club, cafes, a health academy, swimming pool, squash courts, food corners, and American style restaurants, the largest of which will seat 200 people. As Mr. Thomas Eder, Director of Sales & Marketing put it "you can check in the hotel and you can spend the whole week in without leaving it". The hotel will be the first one to be able to accommodate groups of 400 people. "This means that major conventions can be hold in the city and ministries can bring in large official delegations. I think this is a bust for the whole city and the whole country", exclaims Mr. Eder. So far the building, a massive but elegant structure from Ceausescu's times, is under renovation. When it opens it will certainly revolutionize the hotel concept in Romania.
Once out of Bucharest, it is difficult to find hotels
meeting western standards. Mostly they charge 5
star prices and offer 1 star service. There are
exceptions, of course, such as the delightful Continental
Hotels chain, present in the most important cities
of the country, or the hotels belonging to the Ana
Group, whose jewel is the Crowne Plaza in Bucharest. |
Once in Romania, the offer is as wide as can be. Gambling is legal, so international casinos have mushroomed about the main cities of the country. The Casino Palace and Casino Victoria are a must, especially Casino Palace since its restaurant, Casa Vernescu has the reputation of being the best in Romania. For those who cannot afford to go to a casino, they can certainly take their stakes at the Romanian National Lottery. This institution that just celebrated its 100 anniversary in 1999, has grown from a small organization into a US$ 70 million operation in 1999. Soon after Mr. Nicolae Cristea, President of the Board and General Director, took office, the company started modernizing and adapting its directives to European ones. Today it has escalated from the bottom of the scale into a medium size National Lottery according to European Standards. As recognition for all its improvements, the Executive Committee of the European Association of State Lotteries was held for the first time in its history in Bucharest in April 2000. "This is not only an occasion but also an appreciation of the fact that the State Lottery of Romania has accomplished a good stature within the Organism", remarks Mr. Cristea.
Indeed, the Romanian National Lottery has grown not only in size, but in the number and variety of their products and the quality of their prizes. Today they are present in 2,500 agencies spread all over the country. They offer an array of lotto games, football and horseracing bets, scratch instant lottery and "an instant product call lotto in an envelope, a unique product developed in Romania", proudly explains Mr. Cristea.
But the National Lottery does not stop at lucky games, they also play an important social role supporting culture, education, sports and health programs- through the purchase of material for hospitals. Most significantly, Romania's National Lottery created the Solidarity Lottery, a game supported by President Constantinescu himself. All the cash collected by them was given to the population affected by the floods that inundated the country in 1999 and 2000. |
