Brasov Tourism

The Brasov County Geotourism Initiative
Geotourism Site Nomination Project

Project Overview
On September 27th, 2005 the government of Romania signed a National Geographic Geotourism Charter with the National Geographic Society to promote sustainable tourism and destination stewardship in Romania.  Geotourism, a concept put forth by the National Geographic Society, is defined as "tourism that sustains or enhances the geographic character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.” Geotourism seeks for destinations to remain unspoiled for future generations, conserves resources, respects local culture and traditions, and strives for quality not quantity of visitors.  Like ecotourism, it considers that tourism revenue can promote conservation — extending that principle beyond nature travel to encompass culture and history as well: all distinctive assets that ad character and appeal to a place.  Geotourism also builds community-based tourism partnerships that emphasize economic and social benefits to the destination. For more information on geotourism, visit the Center for Sustainable Destinations page at:
www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/ 

At the request of the newly created Brasov County Association for Promotion and Development of Tourism (APDT), a representative of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations visited Brasov County the week of May 10-14th to participate in a series of geotourism awareness workshops designed to educate the people of Brasov County about the significance of preserving the region’s special sense of place. 

This Geotourism Site Nomination Project is designed to engage the community and businesses of Brasov County to nominate geotourism attractions that will be promoted through the county’s network of tourism information centers and the association’s tourism website portal - BrasovTourism.com.  Nominations may include flora and fauna, historic structures and archaeological sites, scenic landscapes, traditional architecture, and all of the things that contribute to the region’s culture, such as local music, crafts, dances, arts, festivals, traditional celebrations, and local cuisine.

In addition to the site nominations, the project is designed to establish a Geotourism Council in Brasov County.  The consultative body comprised of individuals and organizations representing all facets of geotourism – community leaders, natural protected areas, food and hospitality sectors, conservation organizations, historic preservation societies, artisans and artists, adventure travel and eco-tour operators, and media, among others. The Council will lead a local grassroots effort to promote the tenets of geotourism, and encourage destination stewardship in the region.


Download the Geotourism Brochure