Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Romanians have spent more than €3-billion on international travel in the first four months of 2025 – up 15% on the same period in 2024. This spending binge on international presents is evidence of a change from passive tourism to active consumption abroad, including dining, shopping and immersive experiences, believes the National Bank of Romania.

Domestic tourism is on the rise across the country. Hotel stays have increased by about 1% in early 2025 from 2024, further enhancing 2024’s distinction as the strongest year for local travel in 30 years. Any increases would mean tourism within the country could break records in 2025.

With the current trends, Romanians’ spending on international travel and business trips will top €11billion by the end of 2025. This would be much higher than the previous record of €9.6billion set in 2024, and significantly above pre-pandemic levels (€5.4billion in 2019).

Romanians spend the most when abroad in Germany and Italy – both of which take in more than a billion euros in visitor expenditure. The Netherlands comes next with roughly around €700million, and Spain and France each received just under €600million of Romanian travel money. That figure includes leisure travel, business travel and visits to family members.

Director of Retail Agency Colliers Liana Dumitru underscores this behavioral change: Romanian tourists are becoming more active when it comes to travel. They don’t just check landmarks off their list; they go shopping, to cultural events and to eat. This trend is turning places of purchase in old town centers into living, lively spaces.

Historic towns with bustling pedestrian zones, such as Piața Sfatului in Brașov, Piața Unirii in Oradea and the Old Town in Sibiu, have become incubators for experiential retail. Stores from international brands, independent eateries, and concept stores are bustling, combining elements of fashion, art and dining in immersive spaces. According to Colliers, the projects are the most significant urban regeneration developments in the region and represent a mixed-use real estate highlight that combines tourism, retail and cultural elements.

In Romania, Colliers forecasts that the equivalent of more than 190,000m² of new modern retail space could open in 2025, with over 10% growth focused in tourist destinations. Such new projects are increasingly incorporating walkable spaces adorned with restaurants, cafes, cultural facilities and makers’ markets providing genuine regional experiences.

This convergence of travel and retail can provide a critical view for retailers gasping for air in a digital age, as well as a valuable window into real estate developers’ minds:

From our eyes as travelers, this means great new travel itineraries. By providing its visitors with a frictionless experience that combines culture, cuisine and shopping, through ideal places that are a curated mix of local and convenience.

With outbound expenditure exceeding €3billion in Q1 2025 and further growth of domestic demand, Romania is experiencing a game-changing moment in the travel field. As tourists become active consumers while abroad, cities like Brașov, Oradea and Sibiu are metamorphosing into experiential playgrounds. Real estate investors were able to respond to changing traveler preferences through the integration of retail, culture and tourism into real estate developments. At the same time, travelers get a more full travel experience that includes culture and cuisine and sourcing.