Sector strategy for tourism development of Timis County 2018 – 2028

Expert Consulting was in charge of developing the tourism strategy in the Western region.

The complexity of the existing relations and dependencies at the level of a territorial administrative unit creates on the one hand a series of development opportunities, and on the other hand a series of problems that require short, medium and long term improvement solutions.

The choice of the structure of the fields of analysis for this paper materialized the desire for integrated development of the tourism sector in Timis County, mentioned both by the direct beneficiary of this strategy – Association for Tourism Promotion and Development in Timis County and by participants in public consultations – interested entities increasing the importance of the tourism sector in the target area, thus creating a useful working tool for the development of public-private partnerships.

In the process of elaborating the strategy, the general principales of sustainable development were observed, such as:

• Urban development through integrated territorial strategies
• Development of the circular economy
• Sustainable administration and management of communities
• Protecting biodiversity and combating climate change

The strages followed in the process of elaborating the development strategy of the tourism sector in Timis County:

STAGE I – Elaboration of the analysis of the existing situation in the current socio-economic context

1. Presentation of the context and dynamics of the tourist activity
2. Presentation of the infrastructure and forms of tourism practiced in Timis County
3. The SWOT analysis

STAGE II – Development of the strategy

4. Establishing strategic objectives
5. Strategic development directions and general objectives

STAGE III – Elaboration of programmatic documents for the implementation of the strategy

6. Strategic development plan
7. Short, medium and long term action plan

STAGE IV – Design of systems for monitoring and evaluating the strategy and the strategic program 

8. Monitoring system
9. Evaluation, formulation of corrections and where appropriate, new public policies

The elaboration of this strategy was based on a normal methodology used for these types of works.

The process started with the preliminary discussions with the beneficiary of the strategy “Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism in Timis County”. After agreeing on the way of working and communication, the necessary information was gathered. This process was laborious, taking information from both secondary and primary sources identified in the field.

After collecting the initial data and information, a first public consultation was made with all “actors” interested in developing this strategy (Territorial Administrative Units, travel agencies, political parties, associations and foundations in the field, media, individuals, etc.). Following the debate, important conclusions were drawn which led to the completion of the information provided by the consultant and to the continuation of the whole process.

In the second stage of the strategy development process, questionnaires were developed and sent to ATUs in the county. Another questionnaire was developed for the other interested entities which was uploaded on the site of the beneficiary of the strategy and can be filled out online by those interested.

From the information taken from the completed questionaries and from the collection of complementary information, a second public consultation was organized with the participation of representatives of the same types of entities as in the first public consultation. The discussions resulted in additional conclusions and relevant proposals that were included in the paper.

In order to reach the development targets of the tourism sector in Timis County for the period 2018 – 2028, it is necessary to have a unitary and focused approach in the following aspects:

• Modernization of tourist offers;
• Development of county tourism products;
• Continuous qualification and improvement of the workforce;
• Improving the quality of tourist services and those related to tourism;
• Creating a network between the participants in the tourist act and improving the collaboration and the public-private partnership
• Improving tourism promotion;
• Operationalization and expansion of local and regional tourist information points

As a final conclusion of the strategy, we can draw the following conclusions:

• Timis County can become a pole of attraction for tourism in the conditions in which it will be able to highlight its strengths and have an effective promotion plan. As the natural, cultural, historical conditions did not give it significant advantages over the neighboring counties, this can be compensated by a promotion adapted to the needs of the tourism consumer.
• Action in this direction can only be done in a concentrated way, by all interested local, public and private entities.
• The necessary funds are also public and private with a smart prioritization and compliance with the initially established plan.

This strategy is a necessary and useful tool that can be upgraded at certain intervals as new information appears and the economic – social – cultural context undergoes substantial transformations that could not be predicted at this time.