Some tourist operators in the Danube Delta say that this year the number of visitors was similar to 2019, a peak year for tourism in the area, but the lack of a long-term fiscal policy at national level destabilises them.

        Despite the war in Ukraine, foreign tourists have returned this year to the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DBRD) in large numbers, unlike Romanian visitors, and in the cold season that has started some economic agents in the Reserve are offering visitors 50 percent discount on rates.

        “We had a very good year. We are basically back to 2019, which was the best year before the pandemic. We have had a return of foreign tourists for birdwatching and nature photography. Despite the war, we’ve managed to somehow restore some confidence that things are peaceful here. We have started booking for next year and we are already 70 percent booked, as we work mainly with operators from abroad,” Mihai Baciu, the owner of a travel agency, told AGERPRES.

        He explained the low number of Romanian visitors to the Deltas by the fact that foreign tourists do not regularly receive headlines in the media that drones are falling in the border area.

        “Tourists see that the war is not going on Romanian territory, and people come for the Delta. Bombastic headlines that do much harm to tourism do not reach the international press. Let’s say that the foreign tourist is more objectively informed than the Romanian one,” said Mihai Baciu, who is also a member of the board of the Tulcea Municipality Tourist Destination Management Organization Association.

        In spite of a capricious tourist season for the Delta, while at the beginning of the tourist season the economic agents in the area were complaining about the low number of visitors, Sulina beach was sought after by guests, said the owner of the first terrace opened on the Black Sea beach in the town of Sulina, Leon Tudorel.

        “On the beach, last year’s level was maintained and it is somewhere above that of 2019. It is true that there is war in Ukraine, there were noises, but we have to stay balanced and take it as if it does not affect us directly. Sulina is visited because it’s a more bohemian, quieter town. There are people coming here who do not want to go to the Constanta coast and who find the sea beach and would never leave here,” said Leon Tudorel.

        “Why would tourists come to Sulina in winter? To see something other than people at the beach, to see the sea in winter, tempestuous and with waves, to see the ice on the seashore, the wildness of nature in the true sense of the word,” said Leon Tudorel.

        Behind the two terraces on the shore of the Black Sea, a terrace has been in operation for several summers, offering visitors fresh fish products in summer. It is closed in winter, but fish is still the main source of livelihood for many locals.

        The EU’s easternmost city, Sulina, is alive and kicking in the cold season. The old lighthouse of the town reopened in July this year and is sought after by visitors.

        “I came to the Delta for fishing, and one day was dedicated to Sulina. The lighthouse is an interesting monument, especially since it passed from Russian to Turkish and then European rule. It’s a well preserved monument, and from the lighthouse you have a beautiful view. The ticket price is low and it was well worth the 10 RON (2 euro),” said a tourist, Marin Socolea.