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Josef and Lenka Sikrha are two Czechs who decided to write a book describing their travels by car in Romania.
They titled it "Romania Is Not A Wild Country," which reflects on the way they knew their fellow Czechs and the Slovaks perceived the country.
Jurnalul National: What motivated you to write a book on Romaniaâs tourism offer?
Lenka Sikrha: We wrote a travel book on Romania because we were enchanted with the many opportunities the country presents to tourists and impressed with the many historical sites, the beauty of the rural areas, the hospitality of the people, the quality of service, and the environment safety.
The Romanians are very open towards tourists from central and western Europe. At the same time the authorities are blind to the countryâs huge economic potential resting in the hospitality industry. We thought proper promotion of tourism would succeed to change the opinion the Czechs and the Slovaks held on Romania: hence the title we chose.
JN: How did the readership assess the book?
LS: Well, the readers were fantastic. They were surprised by the reading and said they would have never thought Romania could be that interesting.
JN: Did the authorities in Bucharest help you to publish this book promoting Romaniaâs tourism?
LS: No, not at all. We contacted Veronica Miclea, director with Romania Tourism in Prague, for maps, contacts and recommendations in Romania. We send ten letters and emails to public institutions but received no answer so far.
JN: Which was the reaction of your friends, when they heard the topic of the book you were about to write?
LS: When we told them we were going for travel in Romania they said we were both crazy. "You will be killed or robbed, the country is dirty, the roads are bad and the police will harass you to get back-paid," they said. This was their picture of your country. I hope we managed to change that.
JN: Before 1989 Czech tourists traveled to Romania. Why did they stop coming afterwards?
LS: There were few opportunities back than, and the opening of the borders 17 years ago prompted them to explore new destinations. They keep in mind the negatives at the time, and are not aware of the changes you made in the mean time.
JN: Why so?
LS: You have a very poor policy prompting your tourism. We are a case in point and proof to that.
JN: How many travel agents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia offer travel packages in Romania?
LS: Ten to 15 travel agencies provide trips in the Danube Delta or in the mountains.
JN: How was Romania doing at the tourism fair in February in Prague?
LS: Lame. Romaniaâs allotted surface at the Holiday World Prague, in February 2006, was very big and empty: few Romanians, no promotion publications available, nothing. Greeceâs and Bulgariaâs presentation was totally different.
The Czechs and the Slovaks travel to Bulgaria; there were 150,000 Czechs and 50,000 Slovaks visiting Bulgaria last year.
Romania also lacks direct flights between Prague and Constanta or Brasov.
JN: What should the authorities do to alter the situation?
LS: Promotion, promotion, promotion. We like your country and we would like to help. We stand ready to write another travelerâs guide on the Danube Delta, the mountain region and the hunting activities.
Translated by Anca Paduraru
