“Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University Knowledge Horizons - Economics Volume 7, No. 3, pp. 39–42 P-ISSN: 2069-0932, E-ISSN: 2066-1061 © 2015 Pro Universitaria www.orizonturi.ucdc.ro POSSIBILITIES TO DEVELOP CULTURAL TOURISM IN THE TIMIŞ COUNTY, ROMANIA Cipriana SAVA Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Faculty of Tourism and Commercial Management Timişoara, E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Tourists’ motivations are multiple and varied, and the decision to spend free time in a destination is Key words: personal and subjective, determined by endogenous and exogenous incentives. Therefore, several types and forms of tourism have developed, capable to meet the needs of tourists. Cultural tourism is Tourist motivations, one of the forms that attract more and more people and that offer the possibility to develop the cultural tourism, intercultural dialogue. The Timiş County, located in the west part of Romania, can be considered a tourist resource, traditional, dynamic and innovative cultural area. The development of cultural tourism in this area has development real chances to succeed. Introduction The analyst Plog S., in „Why destination areas rise Tourism has known a continuous development and fall in popularity” (1972)1 classifies the tourists as following the action of several factors: economic, social, follows: technical, demographic, psychological, educational, - psychocentrics, those always looking for and political-organizational and legal. Among the economic choosing destinations close to their home and planning factors we include the population’s incomes and their ahead their holiday; fluctuations, the unicity and variety of the tourist offer - near psychocentrics, those under the influence and the evolution of prices and fares. The urbanization of the group they belong to; degree and the weekly and annual paid holidays are - mid-centrics, those always resorting to the part of the social factors category. An important role is services of a tourist agency; played by the technical factors that are construction - near allocentrics, those who are attracted to technologies, technical indicators of installations and rural, religious, hunting and fishing, and sport tourism, equipment, and their performances. The evolution of trips on the continent; the number of population, the change in life - allocentrics, those interested in various and expectancy, the structure of the population according to unique attractions; their travels will be semi-organized age, sex and social-professional categories are or on their own account. demographical factors that act upon the development of According to the main motivation that generates the tourism. People’s desire to spend their free time outside trip, tourism can be: their home come under the psychological, educational . recreational; and civilization factors, namely the training level, the . leisure; knowledge desire, the thirst for culture, temper and . cultural; trends. The national legislation in force, the border . sport (amateur sportsmen or spectators); formalities, the visa requirements, the facilities or the . religious; priorities of organized tourism are the political- . ethnical; organizational and legal factors that influence the . business; tourism activity. technical; Each individual has their own personality, dreams . scientific. and preoccupations that influence tourist motivation. Currently, an upward trend is recorded for cultural This is subjective, personal, influenced by a series of tourism. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) endogenous (psychological) or exogenous (from the estimates an annual growth of 10-15% of cultural trips social environment) incentives. The motivation is what given the fact that there is a 4-5% increase in average influences the decision to purchase a tourist product of the total tourist industry in general. According to a and its consumption. European Commission study, 20% of foreign tourists 39 Knowledge Horizons - Economics Volume 7, No. 3, pp. 39–42, © 2015 Pro Universitaria visiting Europe have as main motivation culture, and Not always can we talk about pure cultural tourism, 60% of European tourists are at their turn interested in since it is most often combined with other forms of culture. tourism. Annually the European Tourism Forum is held. Here The characteristics of persons practicing cultural are debated European Union tourism issues, related to tourism are: existing competition and tourists’ preferences. The topic - average and over average income; of the meeting in Naples in October 2014 was "Tourism - the majority come from the urban area; and culture in Europe, innovative actions in jobs and - with a higher educational level or medium economic growth". During the meeting, the European level (pupils, students); Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, - obviously attracted to culture; Fernando Nelli Feroci noted that "promoting culture and - specialized in a culture-related field; improving the quality of tourist services support social - on holidays, whose main motivation was cohesion and integration, regeneration of different, but also visits some existing sights in disadvantaged areas, create local jobs and improve the the respective cultural destination. quality of life in local communities."2 Through cultural tourism we maintain human Romania, as a member of the European Union can identity, territory, history, traditions, civilization, that is align with this policy through its own cultural tourism the whole cultural heritage, and intercultural dialogues offer. take place. In the current context, in which globalization is increasingly obvious, this form of tourism preserves Cultural tourism the national identity of the people. The International Council on Cultural and Historical Monuments published in 2002 a definition of what Timiş County and cultural tourism means, in its view, cultural tourism, namely: "cultural Timiş County is the westernmost county of and cultural - cognitive tourism is that form of tourism Romania, between coordinates 20° 16 ' and 22° 33' that focuses on the cultural environment, and that also east latitude and 45° 11' north latitude, and the most includes cultural and historical landmarks of a cultural extended with an area of 8.697 km². The landscape of destination or the cultural-historical heritage, values this county is varied but predominantly plain, lower in and lifestyle of the local population, arts, crafts, the west and highest in the centre. The hydrographic traditions and customs of the local population”.3 In its network is well represented, the rivers Bega and Timiş turn, in a 2012 report, the WTO considers that cultural being the most important. The thermo-mineral waters tourism means the organization of tours aiming at are also present in Timiş County. The climate is visiting sites and participating in various events with continental with sub-Mediterranean influences and has cultural and historical value recognized as a cultural influenced the development of flora, vegetation and heritage of the community. fauna. Cultural tourism is driven, on the one hand, by According to the National Institute of Statistics the people's desire of knowledge, and on the other hand by county's population was 650.544 inhabitants in 2013, of the desire for profit of local authorities where there are which 424.732 inhabitants in urban areas (65.28%). significant anthropogenic resources which might Along Romanians who are the majority (85.53% of the increase people’s desire to visit. Across Europe, the total county population) live in great harmony action "European Capital of Culture" initiated in 1985 Hungarians (5.43%), Roma (2.24%), Serbs (1.6%), has a contribution to the development of cultural Germans (1.31 %), Ukrainians (0.92%), Bulgarian tourism. (0.7%) and other ethnic groups. This form of tourism includes anthropogenic From the administrative point of view there are two sightseeing in a city, historical, religious, industrial, local cities (Timişoara and Lugoj), 8 towns (Sânnicolau Mare, cuisine, traditions, architecture, literature and visual arts Jimbolia, Buziaş, Făget, Deta, Ciacova, Recaş, Gătaia), in an area. 89 communes and 313 villages. In order to achieve it there can be organized: The existing tourist resources in the Timiş County - Stays; support tourism development. A greater emphasis is - Pilgrimages; placed on anthropogenic resources and the forms of - Circuits; tourism that they support, which is due to the less - Training courses; spectacular landscape (the plain takes 77.2% of the - Excursions; total area of the county and mountains 3.45%), as well - Visits. as to history and the culture of the places. The forms of tourism that are currently practiced are: 40 Knowledge Horizons - Economics Volume 7, No. 3, pp. 39–42, © 2015 Pro Universitaria - movement tourism that has emerged, especially - churches (Metropolitan Cathedral Timisoara - due to the geographical location and the access roads, 1936-1946, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Timisoara the travel and transit tourism being more obvious; 1745-1748, Roman Catholic Dome Timişoara- 1734- - wellness and spa tourism in Baile Buziaş and 1754, the Great Church of Lugoj- 1759-1766, etc.) Calacea; Cultural-artistic heritage: - recreational tourism is practiced in areas with - museums (Timişoara, Lugoj, Sânnicolau Mare, recreation facilities on the river banks, at the edges or collections in Deta, Ciacova, Buziaş, Găvojdia); forest clearings; - monuments and architectural sites (Union - business tourism developed