TOURISM INDUSTRY IN EUROPE AND ROMANIA OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS-TRENDS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Tourism is in the top of the most significant industries worldwide, contributing significantly to the economic growth and development of many countries. Europe is among the top tourist destinations in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year. This paper aims to provide an overview of the tourism industry in Europe compared with the one from Romania over the last few years, including trends, challenges, and opportunities. Romania has a wide variety of natural and cultural tourist attractions that attract tourists from all over the world, but Romanian tourism still has many challenges to address. One of the challenges was the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on tourism in Romania, with many hotels and restaurants closed, or operating at reduced capacity due to travel restrictions and a drop in the number of tourists, to which other European countries have adapted and recovered much faster.