Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece remain the most favorite holiday destinations of Moldovans for this year’s summer. The popularity of Greece increases, with Moldovans choosing mainly to go to the islands Crete, Rodos, Corfu and, newer, Zakynthos. For Ukraine, the travel agencies have offers for the mountain only, not yet for Crimea.
In Ukraine’s Koblevo or Zatoka, the tourists prefer to go to the sea at their own expense. Moldovans go to travel agencies when they want to travel to Odessa, Ivanovo-Frankovsk or at the mountain in Bukovel, president of the National Association of Travel Agencies Alexandr Juraveli has told IPN.
This year, a vacation with flight included to the most popular holiday destinations costs €350 and up for a person. For destinations that start to become popular, such as Montenegro, the prices start from €370. “As regards the exotic destinations, such as Dubai, the exotic islands or Egypt, the demand is greater outside the summer season, when temperatures in these regions decline,” stated Alexandr Juraveli.
The president of the National Association of Travel Agencies said early booking is increasingly popular and the tourists start to realize that they will benefit from significant discounts if they purchase tickets in advance. “For Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, the reductions are of 30-40%. It is better when the tourists book the vacation beforehand to any destination. This year, Greece is very popular and it happens that the tourist has money for hotel when the season arrives, but cannot go on trip because most of the good hotels are already packed in the period,” said Alexandr Juraveli.
As to internal tourism, the tourists in Moldova go mainly to sanatoriums, camps and pensions on the weekend. The foreign tourists are increasingly interested in the Republic of Moldova. They choose Chisinau as the main destination and travel through the country, including to wineries and monasteries.
Last year, about 30% of the Moldovan tourists booked the travel beforehand. Those who purchase tickets during season pay much higher prices.
