Submission

Tourism-an engine of rural development for Moldova

The Moldova Competitiveness Project invests in sustainable tourism to turn Moldova into one of the ‘must-visit’ locations in Europe

Moldova’s rural regions suffer significantly from an absence of job prospects, poverty and the effects of economic migration. Up to 50% of children in these areas are raised by their grandparents or left alone due to their parents seeking employment abroad.
Moldova has undeniable potential as a tourism destination, standing today in a “start-up” situation with regards to international tourism. Properly organized and supported, the tourism sector in Moldova could grow 10 times in the next 10 years, contributing up to 3% in GDP growth by stimulating job creation, SME development and attraction of foreign currency and direct investment.

MCP works to develop a sustainable international market for Moldovan tourism, simultaneously developing innovative tourism products which can attract high paying tourists to rural regions.
Moldova’s key potential lies in Wine Tourism, and 71% of tourists surveyed by the project said that their most valued experience of Moldova was ‘local hospitality’. MCP therefore invests in a complex program to prototype innovative rural and wine tourism products, fostering quality growth, innovation, diversification and expansion of services in small and micro B&Bs, craft centers, and wineries.
Every dollar spent on press trips and media relations can bring in an average of four hundred dollars’ worth of return of investment, so the project organizes targeted marketing campaigns in regional and European source markets, and familiarization trips to achieve positive foreign media coverage for Moldova. MCP supports participation in international trade fairs under the Tree of Life national brand to strengthen business ties between Moldovan tour operators and their international counterparts, all aimed at increasing the numbers of foreign tourists each year. Digital media form a key pillar of the approach, creating 360 virtual reality experiences for tourists to explore Moldova before making a trip.

Product development and quality upgrade programs are delivered by the Inbound Tourism Association ANTRIM.
The project works closely with the Ministry of Culture to ensure the long-term preservation of vital tourism attractions such as Orheiul Vechi, and capacity builds public-private partnerships set up to deliver key draws for international tourists, specifically the PPP delivering the international opera festival Descopera, and with National Office for Wine and Vine (ONVV) to deliver National Wine Days. ONVV is a key partner for MCP’s tourism market development program, due to the importance of Wine Tourism for the success of Moldova as an international tourism destination.

Moldova’s tourism legal framework requires profound restructuring to align with international best practices, engaging public-private partnership models, and reducing barriers to entry for businesses such as rural B&Bs. To insure the sustainability of the industry itself, MCP strengthens the capacity of inbound tourism business associations, facilitates transparent dialog with the Moldovan Government, and supports the private sector to respond to changes in legislation affecting the industry.

Moldova has been declared as one of the least visited countries in Europe, but MCP-assisted promotion of Moldova as a tourism destination put Moldova on the map for major media publications. International focus on Moldova exploded throughout in 2017, when over 150 publications, blogs and TV shows in tourism industry target countries Romania, Poland and Italy, featured Moldova as a travel destination. Moldova appeared in ‘top-ten’ lists of recommended travel destinations to discover, released by Trip.com, Forbes, The Telegraph, The New York Post, National Geographic and Lonely Planet magazines, and Moldova is now a ‘top 10 place that deserves more travellers’ according to National Geographic (2018).
After a constant fall in inbound tourism in recent decades, the number of foreign visitors to Moldova has seen some quality growth since 2015. MCP’s assistance for the promotion of Moldova as a tourism destination played a major if not critical role in this growth, especially for leisure travelers. 3.2 million foreign visitors were recorded in 2016, 20% more than 2015, and growth in foreign visitor arrivals continued in the first half of 2017, with an increase of 16%.

Association for Inbound Tourism

National Office for Vine and Wine: National Wine Days, Startup Wine Tourism

Chisinau Town Hall, and the EU/UNDP

National Tourism Office

Ministry of Culture for the DescOpera festival

Smithsonian Institute: Preservation of cultural heritage (Orheiul Vechi)