Bucharest Business Week

Tourism in the family

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By: Roxana Grosu | Date: 2008-03-24

Carmen and Aurel Pavel, a married couple who worked as guides in the tourist industry in the state national agency before 1989, have decided to open their own tourist agency after 1990, J'Info Tours. "My husband and I were passionate about what we were doing, and decided to guild our own business". The name of the business is also interesting. "The initial J comes from our daughter's name, Jacqueline, info comes from informatics, my husband's specialty, and Tours comes from tourism. We wanted to have a name with a special sound to it, which is easy to remember, and which represents us", said Carmen Pavel, in an exclusive interview with BBW.
At present, the company is one of the largest in the country, with a turnover of around 29 million Euro in 2007. The beginning, though, was not easy. "In the '90s, it was pretty hard to do tourism, people were skeptical and the mentality was obsolete, but in time, things changed, and tourism is now profitable", said Pavel.

Even if 2007 was very good for the business, Pavel estimates that 2008 will be even better. "For the current year, we estimate a growth in turnover of around 25%, as well as a doubling in the number of business trips and charters", he said.

With regard for the future of the business, Pavel said: "I don't plan on selling the company, although I've had offers. In the future we want to develop through franchises, because small companies want to associate themselves with a big name". The franchises would pay 500 Euro a year, with the obligation to sell J'Info Tours products. One problem facing Romanian tourism is the lack of qualified workforce and the very high expectations of prospective employees. "Some people come with zero experience, but want very large salaries. We were lucky to have kept most of our people across the years", Pavel said.

Regarding world tendencies in tourism, Carmen Pavel said that "in the past cultural tourism was the favorite, but nowadays individual tourism is predominant. People no longer want to travel in groups, with a common schedule, they want to make their own schedules".

The present state of tourism and the infrastructure in Romania is another problem that affects the tourist business. "I believe that Romanian tourism could make much bigger progress with better legislation, and with better organization. The people in this industry don't get tax breaks as in other countries, which have developed much better".

Even if she has visited a lot of places, due to the nature of her work, Pavel does not have a single favorite destination. "Each place has its own charm, and has to be taken for what it is. You shouldn't start off with preconceived ideas, because reality is totally different from what is said about one destination or another", she said, adding that she has not yet decided where she will spend her Easter, because she is spontaneous, she packs her bags in half an hour for a trip. Pavel recommends that people who travel should try to go outside season, "when prices are lower, and there is no crowding as during season".

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