OREANDA-NEWS. September 29, 2011. Moldova’s travel industry is not attractive for foreign tourists, - the National Travel Agencies Association. The Association’s chairman Sevastian Botnari said at the news conference on occasion of the International Tourism Day that Moldova’s travel industry is developing mainly by means of the exit tourism.

According to him, foreign tourists inflow in our country has reduced 2.1 times for the last 10 years, to 8.9 thousand. Meanwhile, the exit tourism grew 3.6 times, to 117.2 thousand people. The Association’s members said tourism is not development in Moldova because of the whole number of factors: lack of the road infrastructure; low development of tourism objects and low use of the industry’s potential; lack of the Moldovan tourism promotion program on he international level; unstable political situation in the country and the level of the country’s economy.

At the same time, financial receipts from travel companies’ activity in Moldova have grown: from 31.5 mln leis in 2003 to 243 mln leis in 2010. The number of the market’s participants increased as well, the fact that proves interest in this field as such. The Association believes that the exit tourism will be developing along with the growth of the Moldovan population’s living standards, whereas to develop the entrance tourism, the state’s support is needed as well as the travel industry promotion strategy.