Tourism Clusters – a model for the development of
innovative tourism products
Thorsten Kirschner – Cluster Manager
www.tourism-cluster-romania.com
Cluster Definitions
Enterprise or industry cluster = geographic concentration of interconnected companies, specialised suppliers, service providers and
institutions along an industrial value chain
Tourism cluster = accumulation of tourist resources and attractions,
infrastructures, equipments, service companies, other supporting sectors and
administrative organism whose integrated and coordinated activities allow to
provide the customers with the experience they expect from the destination
they choose to visit.
Carpathian Tourism Cluster
Carpathian Tourism Cluster is an
independent network of regional and
national tourism stakeholders and
Romania´s first supra-regional
tourismus cluster of national interest.
Carpathian Tourism Cluster is a nonprofit, non-govermental organisation,
organised as association according to
Romanian law.
Asociaţia pentru Promovarea şi Dezvoltarea Turismului
Initiators:
din judeţul Braşov
Monteoru Renaissance - Asociaţia pentru dezvoltare
regională durabilă în turism – judeţul Buzău
Benefits
Partners in the alliance bring in specific strengths, not their business as a
whole. They cooperate in specific fields and rest competitors in other fields.
 Linking people, skills and knowledge at a regional level does
enhance productivity and rate of employment
 Boosts innovation
 Improves competitive performance of firms
 Improves resource utilisations
 Stimulates new businesses and investments
 Gives a profile to a region and international publicity
Target group & Members
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Tourism development associations and related NGOs
Local and national authorities
Tour operators/ Travel agencies/ Tourism guides
Event agencies
Accomodation providers (hotels, hotel chains etc.)
Suppliers of the tourism industry (equipment, food, beverage)
Leisure and entertainment industry (golf, tourist parks etc.)
Transportation companies (airlines, bus companies etc.)
Service and consulting companies
Universities, training institutes
Accomodation
Transport
Entertainment
Suppliers
Tour operators
Tourism agencies
Whole regional tourism value chain
Objectives
 Innovation and diversification: Development of innovative tourism products
and services to attract new tourists
 Rise of competitiveness: optimise the value chain in the local tourism
industry
 Quality: improve the quality of the touristic services (European standards)
 Cooperation: exchange of ideas and joint projects between the touristic
regions of the Carpathian Mountains and other international tourism
destination
 Promotion: promote the Romanian Carpathian Mountains as “destination of
excellence” within the national tourism promotion strategy “Romania – explore
the Carpathian Garden”
Activities & Projects
 Networking: Organisation of regular meetings of regional and national tourism
stakeholders
 Thematic working groups (development of new tourism products and services,
quality management, events, tourism promotion etc.)
 Training to improve the regional tourism value chain (suppliers – agencies – service
providers)
 Participation to trade fairs, organisation of road shows
 International cooperation/ international benchmark with leading tourist destinations
 Consulting: Advisory function to public authorities
The projects are developed in cooperation/partnership with national and local
authorities, tourism development associations and leading tourism service
providers.
Project examples
Cycling Routes
Cultural Events
Culinary Concepts
Conferences
Project examples: Mobile Cooking Romania
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Local Products
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Romania’s top
destinations
Tradition
Accomodation
= Added Value
Suppliers
Destinations
Service Providers
Running /Planned Projects
Promotion of regional food tradition and
integration of local products into the tourism
value chain
Development and promotion of homologated cycling
routes in the Carpathian and Subcarpathian
mountains area
Development and promotion of an authentic rural
tourism in the Carpathian Mountains area
(in cooperation with Asociatia Cele Mai Frumoase
Sate din Romania)
Contact
Carpathian Tourism Cluster Romania (CTCR)
Str. Vlad Tepes 12
Brasov/ Kronstadt
E-mail: info@tourism-cluster-romania.com
www.tourism-cluster-romania.com