ROMANIAN TOURISM: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION

Tourism is one of the factors that foster the interconnection and development of societies and the formation of interdependent economic, social and cultural relationships. Tourism may generate competitive advantage for a country, thereby contributing to its economic progress and to a proper assessment of its products on an international level. Recent studies on tourism have shown that the social and cultural structures of the world countries have undergone considerable changes due to the impact of international tourism. Taking into account the above aspects, the authors attempt to highlight the post-communist evolution of tourism in Romania as well as its possible development directions depending on the factors that might help Romania emerge as an important international tourist destination. To this effect, the authors provide a number of arguments in favor of the tourism potential of a former communist country, emphasizing the prospects, opportunities and risks associated with its global integration