Number of tourists served by competent agencies increased by almost 50 per cent in Moldova in 2022

Chisinau, 21 February /MOLDPRES/ - The number of tourists served by tourist agencies and tour operators in 2022 increased by 48.7 per cent against 2021 and reached 447,000 people, according to data put out by the National Statistics Bureau (BNS). Experts say that the tourism branch of Moldova last year recorded an unprecedented increase and fully recovered following a collapse triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Economic expert Veaceslav Ionita said that the increase in the number of tourists was prompted by two factors: the quick growth of the domestic tourism and the war in Ukraine, which re-oriented to tourist agencies a considerable number of tourists who had used to go to Ukraine for leisure in a non-organized way.    

At the same time, the number of Moldovans who chose to spend their vacations in Moldova, visiting tourist objects from the country, grew by 56 per cent in 2022. Thus, the number of tourists and excursionists participating in the domestic tourism reached a level of 124,000 people, which is thrice as much against the situation before the pandemic. ‘’While before the pandemic, the share of the domestic tourism in terms of number of people was of 15 per cent of all tourists, then in 2022, its share reached 25 per cent, and has, in continuation, a clear tendency of increase,’’ Veaceslav Ionita noted.        

BNS data shows that, in 2022, the revenues of tourist agencies and tour operators from the tourism activity amounted to 3.3 billion lei, up by 41.2 per cent against 2021.     

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