Revisiting the Master Plan for Tourism Development in Romania. Content Analysis

Abstract

The tourism industry has gained importance as a trigger of sustainable economic growth and regional development after the regime change in 1990. This paper investigates the Master Plan for Tourism Development issued in 2006 as the main strategic policy document to guide the next two-decade long evolution. The gaps between the goals set by the master plan and the persistent low performance of the Romanian tourism call for more systematic research of policy guidelines and outputs. Responding to this need, the study employs the content analysis based on computer-aided techniques (VOSviewer) aiming to get insights into the main themes approached by the master plan. Based on the semantic clustering and relatedness of the key terms, our findings point to a fairly good match of pre-defined categories of the master plan and the core associations of terms identified in the analysis. We also highlight the conceptual shortages and themes overlooked that hamper the coherence and structuring of the master plan. The analysis provides policy relevant information for government, entrepreneurs and local communities engaged with tourism development. We argue that this analysis is timely in the anticipation of future tourism reassessments and recovery strategies in post-COVID-19 era prompted by the reorganization of stakeholders and their actions to meet the changing perceptions and behavior of tourists. Further directions of research are outlined.

Discussing the Spatial Underpinnings of Tourism Policy and Planning in Romania

“…As part of the accession process to the European Union, a master plan was issued in 2006 to set the legislative framework for long-term sustainable development and management. Designed to guide tourism development for the next two decades , the master plan failed to bridge the gap between the policy goals and outcomes (Popescu et al, 2022). Seven years before the reference period ended, the strategy for tourism development was redesigned in 2019 pointing to institutional instability, poor administrative capacity, and financial shortages as the main factors that prevented the implementation of the master plan.…”

“…However, revisiting the master plan based on content analysis (semantic clustering and relatedness of the key terms), Popescu et al (2022) identify the neglect of 'space' and related terms (balanced territorial development, unevenness, and inequalities) as one of its main liabilities. The aim of this paper is to provide policy-makers with insights into the relevance of space and spatial analysis to restructure the tourism strategy, especially in anticipation of further revisions of tourism strategies in the post-COVID19 era.…”