Min Upbeat On Romania’s Tourism Promotion Campaign To Lure More Foreign Tourists In ‘09

"I hope the number of foreign tourists coming to Romania this year will see an at least 10% increase in the wake of tourism promotion campaigns. The ministry chose Paris to set off this campaign considering the strong ties between Romania and France. Bucharest was once called The Little Paris," said Udrea, at the launch of the campaign.

Udrea invited French tourists to visit Romania and promised Romanians would be great hosts.

"We hope Bucharest will revive into The Little Paris," Udrea said.

Romania’s former gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who participates in this campaign, alongside former tennis player Ilie Nastase and former football player Gheorghe Hagi, said she hopes the campaign will bring as many foreign tourists as possible to Romania.

The Romanian Tourism Ministry launched Friday in Paris the country’s international promotion video in the presence of minister Udrea, alongside Nastase, Comaneci and officials of the Paris city hall and the French Tennis Federation.

The video premiered on a giant screen in the Paris city hall square, where it will be featured several times throughout Friday.

The ministry has rented the Parisian square for the entire day and has prepared shows of Romanian traditional music and dancing groups and a tennis court, for a demonstrative game between Ilie Nastase and Peter McNamara.

Romania’s Tourism Ministry is currently working to select an international news channel and an international sports channel to buy air time for the country’s tourism promotion video.