The management of the quality services, the "q" brand the international economic crisis the agrotourism hostels

Abstract

The international economic crisis will drastically reduce the number of tourists visiting Romania this year. There will be a tough fight over tourists’ money. One way for keeping the existing tourists and gaining new ones is by raising the quality of accommodation and nourishment services. The hereby study analyzes the possibility of developing the management of the quality services in agro tourism by implementing the Q brand in the agro tourist hostels in Romania. In 2003, the Ministry of Tourism has initiated a project named “The Q Brand” regarding the increase of quality services offered to tourists in Romania. Unfortunately, along with the liquidation of the Ministry of Tourism, it was impossible to promote and develop this program. In order to analyze the possibility of introducing the Q Brand, we have carried out a study on one hundred hostels located in the main agrotourist areas of the country: Bucovina, Neamt, Maramures, Bran, Marginimea Sibiu, VranceaBuzău, Danube Delta, Harghita Covasna, the Apuseni Mountains and Oltenia under Mountain. The first part of the study comprises a set of quality criteria for the agro tourist hostels. These criteria have been applied on the spot, in order to determine exactly the possible level for implementing the Q brand in the countryside area. The conclusion is on a country level, the average possible implementation amounts to 42.5%; that more than half of the agro tourist hostels studied will not be able to implement the Q brand in a short period of time.