Chisinau has a strategy for promoting tourism for the next five years. The document compiled by the General Economy, Trade and Tourism Division of the Chisinau Municipal Council, with the assistance of the National Inbound and Domestic Tourism Association of Moldova (ANTRIM) and experts in urban architecture and history and with the participation of representatives of the business community, is designed to identity the tourist, human, social and economic potential and the tourism development opportunities of the municipality of Chisinau. The authors of the strategy set the goal of achieving a number of accomplishments until 2026. The experts invited to IPN’s public debate “Tourism development strategy “Chisinau – tourist capital 2022-2026”. Analysis of documents, objectives and expected results,” discussed the set goals, the measures on which the strategy is based and the steps that need to be taken.
Roman Vitiuc, head of the General Economy, Trade and Tourism Division, said the designing of the strategy was one of the aims of the Division. Until 20202, the tourism sector hadn’t been regulated and hadn’t been represented in the structure of the local public authorities. Together with the institutional reform done at municipal level, the municipal tourism development unit was introduced in the General Economy, Trade and Tourism Division and the idea of working out a strategic, long-term document that would show the current state and the expected results appeared as a result. Without such a document, it is very hard to work out a roadmap and to plan particular priorities in the projected operational activity. It was necessary to finalize the roadmap and to agree the view as to how things should look like in a period.
ANTRIM executive director Natalia Țurcanu said that the NGO sector, those who represent the voice of the inbound tourism sector of Moldova were consulted. As part of focus groups, there were identified problems and proposed solutions that are now part of the strategy. Among the set objectives is the creation of a visual identity of Chisinau as a tourist destination, which is a priority. There was developed a website to promote Chisinau as a tourist destination: visit.chisinau.md. This platform deserves to be more intensely promoted through different channels for foreign tourists, not only local tourists. The promotional activities and events, the development of the tourist product in Chisinau are aimed at diversifying the tourist offer of the city so as to attract the attention of more groups of tourists of different categories. After the pandemic and during the regional crisis, the tourism sector of Moldova meets with difficulties in recovering as there are many foreign factors that affect the economic circuit. That’s why the business community should be helped to cope with the problems experienced in the period.
Irina Popa, senior specialist of the General Economy Division, noted that the strategy lays emphasis on the incoming tourism as it is important that the wave of tourists should come to the city. They should also stay longer in Chisinau. They will start with “city break” that will later turn into “long stay”. “For us, it is important that the municipality of Chisinau should become an important tourist nucleus and we should not be dependent on the Chisinau Airport. We need to have what to show, how to promote the city and what to be proud of,” stated Irina Popa. She also said that over 6,000 tourists in 2020 stayed longer than 24 hours in Chisinau. The tourist trolleybus is a tourist project launched last August. About 10,000 excursionists travelled by it so far. In the course of the year, one more trolleybus was connected to this project and is used for special routes and runs not only along routes with audio guides. The designed strategy suggests extending the tourist area beyond the central part of the city.
Over 50 persons worked on the tourism development strategy “Chisinau – tourist capital 2022-2026. The document contains 150 pages.
