Archives February 2015

“Less is more” is the Y generation’s approach when it comes to the hospitality industry, which could benefit Romania.

Romania can become a destination preferred by tourists who seek authentic experiences, namely those from the millennials generation (generation Y). They don’t care about the bad infrastructure and look for isolated places to spend their holidays, according to an EY study.

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.

More than 1.9 million foreign tourists visited Romania last year, almost 200,000 (or 12%) more than in 2013. Some 77% of them came from Europe, 12% came from Asia, and less than 7% came from North America, data recently released by the National Statistics Institute (INS) shows.

Germany, Italy, Israel, France and the U.S. were the top five countries of origin for incoming tourists in 2014. Almost 800,000 foreign tourists came from these countries. The U.K., Hungary, Spain, Poland and Austria completed the top ten.

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.

South African real estate fund New Europe Property Investments NEPI will open the new Mega Mall shopping center in Bucharest on April 23. The Mega Mall has a leasable space of 72,000 sqm, which makes it one of the largest shopping centers in Bucharest.

NEPI and its Austrian partner, Real4You, invested EUR 165 million in the new mall. The shopping center is located near the National Arena, in Romania’s capital, and was finished in record time, as the developers laid its foundation in February 2014.

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.

Written by the most popular contemporary Romanian writer, Why we love women is a simple, yet moving homage – often, in the most concrete, erotic, sense of the word – brought to women “because they are women”. Although of a different consistency from the works that brought Mircea Cărtărescu international acclaim, the collection of short stories is very popular in the country and, either your partner is Romanian or not, it’s a great gift for anyone “in the mood for love”. English edition available on Amazon from USD 10.99.

Fuyor is a hip Romanian brand of natural cotton t-shirts with original artworks. Our recommendation for Valentine’s Day is their Mihai Eminescu t-shirt. Almost any local would recognize the profile in the artwork to be Romania’s national poet, an icon for romantics, passionate lovers and free spirits. A perfect gift from Romania for such a spirit. The model is for men only, available here on Black, sizes: S-XL.
Price: RON 90

Those planning to ask for their girl’s hand on February 14, still on the look for a special ring may find this hint very useful. This model is made by a Romanian contemporary jewelry designer Mihaela Ivana from 14K pink gold and diamond. The engagement ring was first modeled in wax and then cast.
Price available upon request.

For those away from their loved one, sending a fine art print is one choice if they can’t make it themselves. It can always be around and remind someone of their love. Cristiana Radu is a visual artist and a fervent illustrator from Bucharest who loves to do book illustration and decorate interiors, especially children’s rooms.  She has published so far 10 children’s books. The Love Tree is a Giclée fine art print (high-fidelity reproduction of original artwork, produced on a professional ink-jet printer) available here at the price of EUR 25, 48 or 96, depending on the size.

Surprise her and decorate the room with her favorite flowers, with the help of a special designer. Hint: if your loved one lives in Bucharest, we thought of designer Madalina Mocanu. She was responsible with the floral design of one of Sonoro Festival’s editions and a few fashion designer shops & pop-up stores in Bucharest.
Price: available upon request
Phone: +4 0721 952 120

French men’s fashion brand Louis Purple plans to open four new stores in Romania this spring. Louis Purple sells men’s suits and shirts produced in Romania, in the city of Botosani, by the Formens factory.

The retailer currently has shops in France, in the U.S. (New York), Russia (Moscow and Sankt Petersburg), Czech Republic (Prague), Ireland (Belfast) and Moldova (Chisinau).

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.

The Cluj-based Romanian restaurant chain SaladBox plans to open five units in Germany. It recently inaugurated the first restaurant in Heilbronn.

“The restaurant was opened by SaladBox in partnership with a Romanian resident in Germany. It has the same dishes that you find in any SaladBox restaurant in Romania,” said Dan Isai, SaladBox CEO and shareholder, cited by local Ziarul Financiar.

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.

This year’s edition of Carnival of Venice will also feature a concert dedicated to well-known Romanian composer George Enescu.

Violinist Vlad Maistorovici and pianist Diana Ionescu will go on stage and play works signed by George Enescu, Arcangelo Corelli and Ernest Chausson, according to a statement of the Romanian Cultural Institute INS in Venice.

The event is called ENESCU 60 – Enescu: l’amore in sepia and will take place on February 14, at Ateneo Veneto in Venice.

Read the entire article on Romania-Insider.com.