Italy, let yourself be surprised by Romania! is the new campaign to promote Romania as a tourist destination, which will take place in Rome and Milan from 28 March to 24 April.
Pictures of Peles Castle, Sucevita Monastery and the Transfăgarășă road will be seen on 90 buses, 2 trams and 100 billboards, announces the Minister of Economy.

The Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEAT) is launching an outdoor promotional campaign for Romania in Rome and Milan – Italy, which will run from 26 March to 24 April this year. More specifically, the „Lasciati sorprendere dalla Romania!” campaign invites passers-by to discover our country through a selection of spectacular images that will be displayed on 2 trams and 100 billboards in 67 underground stations in Milan, as well as on 90 city buses in Rome.

The timing and the way of the campaign „Lasciati sorprendere dalla Romania!”:
For 14 days, between 26 March and 8 April, the 100 billboards, located in the 67 underground stations in Milan, will display images of Peles Castle, Sucevita Monastery and Transfăgărășan, an action that could generate over 38 million views;
For 21 days, between 27 March and 16 April, 90 city buses, fully backed with the same three images, will cross Rome’s major tourist sites, with the potential to generate over 23 million views;
For 28 days, between 28 March and 24 April, passers-by will be able to admire the same three images, which will be displayed on 2 urban trams in Milan, fully decorated on both sides, which could attract over 2.8 million views.
Peleș Castle and Sucevița Monastery, emblems of cultural tourism, will thus be presented alongside the Transfăgărășan, an attractive destination for travellers passionate about nature and adventure. Each image will be accompanied by a QR code that will provide the Italian public with detailed information about our country, stimulating the desire to explore Romania.

Moreover, the same three images were also successfully used in MEAT’s outdoor campaigns last year in Warsaw and Paris, with the repetition of key elements being important for building a coherent and strong visual identity for Romania, as well as increasing familiarity and recognition of its tourism brand.

The choice of Rome and Milan as locations for the campaign is not by chance: both are important cultural and economic centres with a rich history and close links to Romania. Moreover, Italy is considered as a priority market, ranking second in the last year among the top tourist sending countries for our country. In terms of connectivity, there are numerous direct flights connecting major Romanian cities with Milan (Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Bacău, Suceava, Timișoara and Craiova) and Rome (Craiova, Iași, Suceava, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Bacău and Timișoara).

The organisation of the campaign in the run-up to the Catholic Easter holidays is considered timely, as it also marks the start of the tourist season. The chosen period can also contribute to the successful achievement of the objectives of the action, which are to stimulate interest in our destination among tour operators and travel agencies in Italy and to increase tourist traffic to Romania. The initiative was preceded by the participation of our country, with a national pavilion, at the Milan International Tourism Fair, from 4 to 6 February. In addition, in the second part of the year, our country will be present at the TTG Travel Experience Rimini, from 09-11 October.

At the same time, we would like to remind you that last year, from 7 to 20 June, MEAT organized the photo exhibition „Explore Romania” on one of the most vibrant streets of Milan, Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, in order to promote the destination. Specifically, the exhibition included 8 billboards with a total of 16 images (8 front/8 back), measuring 150 cm x 100 cm.

„Last year more than 1.95 million tourists visited Romania, an increase of 24% compared to 2022. The fact that, for the first time after the pandemic, the number of those who came for holiday was higher than those who came for business is very important, showing a change in trend.
The statistics show that: 990,992 foreigners came here for holidays or to visit relatives, compared to 967,940 for business.

So, we are doing the right thing by targeting advertising campaigns on countries with the potential to increase Romania’s visibility as a holiday destination. After the good campaigns in Paris, Warsaw or BBC – UK, we will continue, because we still have some catching up to do to reach at least the pre-pandemic figures”, says Ștefan Radu Oprea.