After the restrictions were lifted, the situation in the tourism sector has improved swiftly and the losses caused by the pandemic will most probably be recovered in 2022, stated economic expert Veaceslav Ioniță, of the Institute for Development and Social initiatives “Viitorul”.
According to the expert, owing to the restrictions, the Moldovans were unable to leave the country, but took part in the development of domestic tourism. In 2021, following the relaxation of restrictions, the Moldovan travel agencies served 320,000 foreign and national tourists. “The number of Moldovans traveling abroad has increased considerably. We also have a first record of 24,000 foreign tourists who came officially, in an organized way, to the Republic of Moldova. We haven’t had such a figure earlier. The tourism sector in the Republic of Moldova has recovered on account of organized tourism.
In 2021, almost 70,000 foreign tourists came to the Republic of Moldova and 24,000 of these came through travel agencies for touristic purposes. “In 2021, we had the largest number of foreign tourists in the last 17 years. After the pandemic, we have witnessed a rather swift recovery as regards the number of tourists who want to come to the Republic of Moldova,” stated Veaceslav Ioniță.
In the first quarter of 2022, the number of tourists accommodated in Moldova increased quickly, to 213,000 persons in annual value. In the period, over 25,000 tourists and 4,800 Moldovan citizens stayed at a pension.
Last year, through the agency of travel agencies, 48.1% of Moldovans went to Turkey, while 22.6% chose to vacation in Egypt.
