Travel agencies adapt their tourist offers and products to the local visitors preferences.

Travel agencies adapt their tourist offers and products to the local visitors preferences.
In the new COVID-19 pandemic reality, local tourism is occupying a growing niche, and economic agents of the tourism sector in the Republic of Moldova must adjust their tourist packages according to local demand. The offers readjustment, including new safety measures, were the main topics discussed within the webinar no. 7 "The COVID-19 pill - Answers to the challenges of domestic tourism". The online session took place at the initiative of the Investment Agency, administrator of the country tourism brand "Tree of Life" and promoter of authentic tourist experiences, in partnership with the National Association for Inbound Tourism in Moldova and with the support of the Moldova Competitiveness Project, Sweden and UK Aid.

The event took place within the national campaign #NeamPornit, which continues with the hashtag # Protejati. It promotes and supports the gradual relaunch of domestic tourism by complying with the necessary protection measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Rodica Verbeniuc, General Director, Investment Agency: “The epidemiological situation is unfortunately uncertain and does not offer us stability, that is why we all went through an exercise of rethinking strategies. Once the tourism in our country was mainly focused on the sender and receiver, we reconsidered the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to come up with a systemic support for the relaunch of domestic tourism. Thus, within the national campaign #NeamPornit, we have developed tools in support of travel agencies and travel service providers, to update their products, adjust them to the preferences and possibilities of our citizens, generating increased domestic consumption.”

During the webinar, "Magenta Consulting" presented the results of the national survey, conducted during the #NeamPornit campaign. The study focused on citizens' expectations, real demand and domestic tourism opportunities and showed that 71% of Moldovans are interested in visiting domestic tourist destinations, and two out of three respondents prefer active rest. The study involved 2109 respondents, aged between 25 and 55 years.

Dumitru Slonovschi, Director of "Magenta Consulting": "This is a complete study that has interesting conclusions for travel agencies. For example, 56% of respondents have children, respectively they are interested in kids friendly travel, and most of them do not have a car and travel agencies can provide them with transport. It is also important to take into account that many do not know where they can go and consider that they have nothing to visit in the Republic of Moldova, so more emphasis should be placed on information and promotion. "

The survey conclusions are a reference point for travel agencies, which are beginning to include in their offers unexplored locations, authentic destinations and unique tourist experiences: food and wine, gastronomy, rural, agrotourism, adventure.

Alexandrina Banari, Visit Moldova travel agency: “We offer a series of activities such as: kayaking on the Dniester River, cycling, hiking in Codri and camping in gorges areas, cliffs, such as those in the north of the country. All these activities are complemented by trips to wineries, museums or guesthouses so that local tourists have a complex, interesting and memorable program.”

Azbuca Travel is the only agency that since the beginning of the pandemic has focused on virtual travel, sounded with stories and legends specific to the presented locations.

Fyodor Evstigneev, travel agency Azbuca Travel: "People are ready to pay for a unique experience, which includes various activities and tastings.They also want to have a person who will not only accompany them, but will reveal a new part of  Moldova,  offering meaning and context of the locations they visit. "
It is important that tour operators organize safe travel in compliance with all safety and hygiene requirements, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.The national #NeamPornit campaign was initiated at the end of April by the Investment Agency, a development partner of the tourism sector and which promotes Moldova as a tourist destination with authentic and unexplored experiences. The initiative aims to stimulate the creation of local tourism offers and increase the consumption of domestic product, in the context in which the hospitality sector has been hardly hit by the pandemic effects. For more information follow the Facebook page #NeamPornit and the web page neampornit.map.md.