Developing Senior Tourism in Remote Regions (TOURAGE)

The North-West Region (Northern Transylvania) is one of the eight development regions in Romania and it has six counties: Bihor, Bistriţa-Năsăud, Cluj, Maramureş, Satu-Mare, Sălaj. The surface of the region is of 34.159 square km, 14.32% of the country’s surface with a total population of 2.744.914 inhabitants.

The North-West Regional Development Agency Romania (NW RDA) as executive body of the Regional Development Board represents  the driving force of sustainable development in the Northern Transylvania. Through its strategic planning skills and competences, our organisation supports the development of the local communities bridging  them with the national authorities and the relevant European institutions and organisations.

As the implementing body of the Regional Operational Programme, with a dedicated  component on Tourism, NW RDA  has gathered significant expertise regarding the tourism development in the area. Both Regional Tourism Strategy for Northern Transylvania 2007-2013 and Regional Innovation Strategy of the Region  revealed  tourism as „the industry most likely to help isolated rural areas to develop”.

NW RDA has good connections with the local authorities, as beneficiaries of tourism development projects and with the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism. Besides, NW RDA is one of the founders of the first Water Cluster in Romania and the thermal tourism is considered as one of the four main important pillars for the tourism development in the region.

As partner in the TOURAGE project, the NWRDA team promotes the concept of the senior tourism and the good practices in the field, emphasizing the need of “age-sensitive tourism products” among actors in the region.