Romania's tourism brand, all green and focused on the Carpathian Mountains, is being launched in Bucharest

Being based on the Carpathian Mountains and mostly green, Romania's tourism brand will be made public at the end of this week, not in Vatra Dornei but in Bucharest

Pristine natural surroundings, untouched by civilization, will be the element underlined by Romania's tourism brand, which will be launched at the end of this week in Bucharest, and not in Vatra Dornei as had been initially announced.

"As a result of research conducted in eight target countries, we have determined that Romania is competitive abroad through its pristine natural surroundings", said the Minister of Regional Development and Tourism, Elena Udrea, on the "Dupa 20 de ani" [20 Years Later] TV show aired Sunday by Pro TV. She refused to disclose any brand elements but sources within the Ministry have indicated that the slogan will be focused on the Carpathian Mountains and the predominant color will be green. As a matter of fact, Udrea had stated last month that the slogan would in no way refer to the seaside, which is not a priority destination for promotion. The brand is created by the THR - Asesores en Turismo, Hoteleria y Recreacion SA - Taylor Nelson Sofres consortium.

The consortium of European companies has conducted six months of research in eight countries thought to be tourist providers for Romania: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Russia, Great Britain and the United States of America. Over 10,000 phone interviews and 91 detailed interviews were conducted in these countries. The research has shown that there are 83 million tourists that could visit Romania and for more than 40 million of these it actually represents a priority destination. For tourists that showed interest in Romania the most important attractions are natural surroundings, especially the Carpathian Mountains and rural environment, cultural and historical sites, traditional culture and lifestyle.

According to the latest available information, the creators of the study had proposed a short list of seven visual elements and just as many slogans from whom the final option would be selected. The first reunion of the Brand Council, made up of "representatives of public administration, tourism industry, civil society, as well as experts in the field", as Ministry officials stated at that time, took place February 6th.

Gandul