In spite of a very good season for the resorts in Valea Prahovei and of the good results posted by the hotels in Bucharest, the overall tourism industry had a very slow start of the year, experienced by hotel operators and travel agencies alike. The data provided by the National Statistics Institute (INS) for the first two months of 2003 show the turnover posted by hotels and restaurants shed 13.1%, while travel agencies witnessed a 12.1% decline, compared with the same time last year. "Everyone could have the seen the decline for the travel agencies coming. I for one had even estimated it to reach 15%," says Marcel Badescu, honorary chairman of the National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT). Badescu explains this trend was caused by a number of factors both domestic and foreign. "On the one hand, we've had several days off, and the lower commission for Tarom ticket sales upset the balance of the financial systems of many agencies. On the other, the events in the Middle East made a visible impact on tourism and many airlines cancelled flights to certain destinations, therefore hitting the companies in Romania that were selling tickets for them," the ANAT official says. ZF
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