A new sector-specific programme for the development of local tourism is being prepared in Gagauzia. The autonomy is confident that the region is capable of attracting tourists and not only during the traditional Hederlez Holiday. Why Gagauzia is already becoming a part of popular tourist routes of Moldova and how the region intends to develop despite of the pandemic, all that is discussed in the NM interview with Natalia Ciuvalscaia, Head of the Economic Development and Tourism Department of Gagauzia.
“Anyone will feel like a member of a Gagauzian family“.
– How does Gagauzia itself answer the question today why should a Moldovan or a foreign tourist go there?
– The main attraction of Gagauzia is our people, hospitable, warm and friendly. The Gagauz can attract and do attract tourists already by the history, culture and traditions. There are unique exhibits in local museums.
It is worth visiting main cultural events in Gagauzia: the national holiday Hederlez, the regional festival of the national costume Gagauz Gergefi, the ‘Day of Family, Love and Fidelity’, the festival of the Gagauzian kilim ‘Gagauz kilimneri’, the wine festival ‘Gagauz şarap yortusu’. And of course there is clean air, beautiful vineyards and orchards.
Foreign tourists most often choose rural guesthouses and pensions in order to experience the local authentic atmosphere. For example, more and more foreign and Moldovan tourists choose the Gagauz Sofrası tourist complex in Congaz. This is the place where you can experience how the Gagauz used to live and can learn about the Gagauz culture. We want such tourist attractions and success stories in Gagauzia to appear and develop as much as possible, for the benefit of local communities.
In Gagauzia, we offer to our visitors delicious local wines and traditional dishes, the recipes of which came from our ancestors. In Ceadir-Lunga there is the only horse breeding farm in Moldova ‘At Prolin’, where thoroughbred pedigree horses – Orlovsky trotters – are bred. There are also some historical sites – Ancient windmills that date back to the middle of the 19th century in the villages of Gaydar and Besalma, Troyanov val, and others.
But the main thing is that the hospitality of our people will make any tourist feel like a member of a Gagauz family and will prompt a desire to come back to Gagauzia many more times.
– In particular, during the pandemic, not only authorities started talking about domestic tourism. There are already several tourism projects at the national level. To what extent do people in the autonomy realize that tourism is important and that it could be a source of income and development for the region?
– Development of tourism in Gagauzia is really one of the priority areas of economic development. And it is already reflected in our strategies and plans at the local level. We strive for it and it is extremely important for us to have Gagauzia included in the national plans for the development of the tourism industry.
The Executive Committee of Gagauzia, with expert support from the CMI programme, initiated inclusion of the autonomy in the National Tourism Development Programme until 2025. We proposed to include a separate tourist destination ‘Ethno-cultural destination Gagauzia, as a reference model for promotion of the unique ethnic Gagauz and Bulgarians residing in the south of Moldova’.
The Executive Committee of Gagauzia together with CMI experts, have developed a strategic document in the field of tourism development. This policy document would allow us to see a clear distinction between bodies that determine and implement policies in the field of tourism development and would also contribute to better cooperation with central authorities.
– You are talking about plans for the future. Are there any estimates: How much is tourism bringing already now to the local budget? If it could be calculated at all.
– It is difficult to give any general estimates. Because tourism is a whole range of services, starting with the opening of hotels and other accommodation structures, catering companies and development of the transport system, up to training of employees for this industry, training of tour guides and artisans. The existing official statistics shows that so far tourism accounts for a small share of the GDP of Moldova, which in recent years reflects the situation caused by the pandemic.
“Gagauz businesses want to invest in tourism”.
– Are there any economic indicators and targets in the development programmes that are being drafted now?
– The Working Group that developed the special-purpose programme has analysed the economic indicators, on the basis of which their future growth forecast was prepared: These are investments in the fixed capital of the accommodation facilities, the volume of chargeable services, the number of employees and wages in the HORECA sector, the number of tourists (both local and foreign) and other indicators.
Our group has developed a realistic and feasible programme, in which we decided to focus on the components that are more important at present and would be relevant for the development of the tourism industry over a long-term horizon. It is very important to create a solid base on which tourism will be built in the coming years in order to achieve the desired performance.
– Very often, when people speak about tourism, first of all they mention the need of large investments in infrastructure and support for businesses. Are there any rough estimates of the investments needed in Gagauzia? And where should they be directed to in the first place?
– Most experts in the field of tourism believe that the major obstacle for development of tourism in Gagauzia is underdeveloped infrastructure. Of course it is necessary to improve the transport and road infrastructure and to enhance the quality of material and technical resources and services. However at present, issues concerning advertising tourist services through active use of modern promotion methods become especially relevant. Gagauz businesses are also ready to invest in the development of the tourism industry but they need financial and technical support. In this field we expect relevant actions in the framework of implementation of the National Tourism Development Programme 2025.
As I have already said, we want to have Gagauzia included there. And separately, we want to develop the horse farm: to modernize it and to make it a tourist attraction. The national programme also envisions allocation of investments for specific facilities.
In addition, the time has come to digitalize the tourism industry, and this is also included in our plan.
– What it is about, exactly?
– Creation of websites for businesses operating in the field of tourism and presence at international tourism platforms. I know that some of our businesses already use the services of such platforms as for example, booking.com and Airbnb.
When coming to a restaurant, café or a culture complex, it would be good if guests could book tickets online, choose dishes from the electronic menu and learn the history of traditional Gagauz dishes and also have their recipes there. Some businesses in Gagauzia are already using such technologies and this is in demand by tourists.
– What is Gagauz tourism missing right now for a serious breakthrough? Apart from the obvious lifting of restrictions related to the pandemic.
– First of all, there is lack of developed infrastructure, of programmes for promotion of tourism services and implementation of hospitality training programmes for villagers. Both local authorities and our businesses need to work together on that. We go to great lengths for that: We have a programme of capital investments and there is a fund for reimbursement of contributions. In other words, everything that local authorities can do to promote tourism is being done today.
– And what do you expect from businesses?
– It is necessary to develop tourist facilities, especially accommodation in rural areas. We do not have so many hotels and rural pensions. Those that were opened do not meet expectations of tourists. For example, in some places toilets are still located outdoors. It is necessary to open high quality catering establishments, where traditional dishes of the Gagauz and Bulgarians are served, dishes that are cooked using old recipes and cooking methods. Transport services are underdeveloped.
“We have brands of Gagauz national dishes – cold kaurma and baur“.
– You have mentioned that the tourism development programme focuses on the ethno-cultural component of the region. How exactly do you see it now? In the Republic, they most often talk precisely about rural tourism.
– In Gagauzia, about 60% of the population live in rural areas. That is why we also focus on the development of rural tourism. We have a compact region and one can explore it from different sides simultaneously – to learn about Gagauz traditions, to taste local cuisine, to take part in winemaking tours.
Rural tourism in Gagauzia can combine different types of tours – Wine tours, cultural and educational, gastronomic tours. Guests can gain unique experience in our region.
– And to what extent is it necessary to single out Gagauzia’s own brand in Moldovan tourism? And to what extent does the autonomy depend on the general positioning of Moldova in the tourism market?
– At international tourism exhibitions and forums, Gagauzia always appears as part of Moldova, while at the same time, we highlight the uniqueness and originality of the Gagauz people and cultural traditions.
By the way, Gagauzia already has the logo and brandbook that were developed, taking into account the specifics of the region. Internal brands of Gagauz national dishes have been developed – these are cold – ‘kaurma’ and ‘baur’, as well as the brand of Gagauz kilim weaving. The brand of the Gagauz spice ‘murdia’ is being prepared for patenting.
– You have mentioned that it is especially worth visiting Gagauzia during holidays and festivals. And to what extent is sustainable year-round tourism possible in the autonomy? Or is seasonality inevitable?
– We took this into account when developing the sector-specific programme for tourism development in Gagauzia. Yes, there are good reasons for visiting the autonomy and it is possible to visit Gagauzia at any time. The region is specific for its diverse culture, language, traditions and heritage which are of interest for both our tourists and foreign tourists at any time of the year.
Of course, today the seasonality of events affects the flow of tourists. For example, the wine festival usually gathers up to 30 thousand persons from Moldova and from other countries. During the pandemic, domestic tourism was more active. Although in the last two years we did not organize the wine festival at all because of restrictions.
“Because of the pandemic, many people are now discovering Gagauzia”.
– What kind of tourists does Gagauzia want and is able to attract? During the development of the programme, as I have heard, there was even a proposal to focus on Turkish citizens, for example and to move forward in this direction.
– We conducted surveys among the diaspora, travel agencies and local population. And we found out that the main audience of the Gagauz tourism is mature people over 51 years of age. They account for 85%. Another 7% are those from 41 to 50 years of age, 5% are people aged from 31 to 40, and 3% are those from 21 to 30 years of age.
We found out that tourists visit Gagauzia in order to learn something new, to get familiar with the way of life, rich culture of the Gagauz people, the folklore, to take part in harvesting grapes and processing grapes into wine. They are interested in master classes on crafts that are typical for the Gagauz people.
And Turkish citizens are really attracted to Gagauzia. They believe that the Gagauz are their fraternal Turkic speaking people. It is planned to develop touristic routes ‘Roads of Ancestors’ – in this area we work together with representatives of Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania within the framework of cross-border projects.
– Among other things, are there enough human resources to welcome Turkish citizens and foreigners in general? At the very least, it is necessary to know languages, both for tour guides and for hotel staff.
– There are certain gaps in providing the tourism industry with qualified staff. Sufficient attention is given to this issue in the special-purpose programme as well. In particular, it is not just the question of knowing languages, it also the fact that our businesses need to acquire academic professional knowledge about the region and its history. It is necessary not only for tour guides, but also for employees of hotels, restaurants and for artisans. And together with the Scientific and Research Centre named after Maria Marunevici and the Comrat State University and College named after M. Ciachir, we plan to conduct courses, training and workshops in order to enhance the educational level of all those employed in the service sector.
– And is there enough data on the history of Gagauzia? Monographs, textbooks?
– Yes, of course, employees of the Scientific and the Marunevici Research Centre and Comrat State University conduct research and scientists develop and publish articles and books. In schools of the region, starting with the first grade, children study the history and traditions of the Gagauz people.
– Are funds for scientific research allocated from the central budget?
– As far as I know, funds for these purposes were allocated from the budget of Gagauzia. We even allocated funds for excavations, in the course of which we later found ancient household items and utensils.
– Don’t you feel that people in Moldova lack knowledge about Gagauzia? It seems that many people do not come to the autonomy, because they know very little about the region in general.
– You are right. There are even cases when citizens of Moldova and people from other regions ask whether they need a visa to come to Gagauzia, if they need a foreign passport, what currency is used in the region. However, awareness about Gagauzia is growing with each passing year. Because of the pandemic, domestic tourism becomes more intense and many people are now discovering Gagauzia.
– This is a question for the future, after the pandemic, but still. Does Gagauzia have any plans to work specifically with Romania?
– Recently, a conference was held in Galati on creation of wine tourism routes together with travel agents from neighbouring regions of Romania. We will have a joint project, that would include three Romanian regions – Galati, Vaslui and Iasi. And from our side – the border zone of Moldova, including Gagauzia. We want to create a joint wine cluster. In our territory, four wine routes will be created and four more will be created in Romania. It will be a cross-border wine cluster, in line with the Moldova – Romania Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Programme, it will be funded by the EU. This work is planned for several years ahead.
“It is a great time now to develop local tourism”.
– The eternal problem of Moldova is emigration, outflow of the population from the country or from certain regions. Does Gagauzia have any programmes to support young people in the sphere of tourism?
– We have grant programmes for students, the scholarship named after Stepan Topal, which is awarded to students who have ‘tourism’ as their major, among others.
– And if we talk about business and entrepreneurs?
– There is a financial instrument in Gagauzia – the Entrepreneurship Support Fund. It is formed from budgetary and non-budgetary funds and is aimed at supporting small and medium entrepreneurship in Gagauzia. It is possible to get a grant of 200,000 MDL. This Fund supports the development of entrepreneurship in all areas of activities. However at present, tourism has already been included in the list of priority areas for funding.
– How has the pandemic affected plans for tourism development? Did you have to adjust the entire programme to it?
– The pandemic became the most serious challenge the tourism industry has ever faced. The tourism sector has changed. Domestic tourism became more popular but tourist groups became smaller due to the need to maintain social distance.
Local businesses and museums took up this challenge. Some of them have already approved detailed COVID related protocols in order to prevent infection and these protocols are in line with international standards in this field. All of them are aimed at working in the so-called ‘safe travel’ mode, and they welcome visitors, meanwhile paying increased attention to safety and health of tourists and employees.
– Have there been any cases that someone from the tourism business had to close down because of the pandemic?
– We are not aware of such cases, there is no such statistics. For example, as far as I know, none of the 14 hotels in the region has closed. They continue working and adjusting to new conditions. Of course, the overall flow of foreign tourists decreased but domestic tourism increased.
– And will you take advantage of this opportunity?
– Yes, it is a great time right now to develop domestic tourism. I will repeat, it is one of the priority areas in the field of economic development of Gagauzia. This area was included in the Work Plan of the Executive Committee for years 2019 – 2023, in the Regional Plan for development of localities in Gagauzia for years 2018 – 2022 and in sector specific programmes, for example, in the development of wine-making in the region.
Most economic entities in this sphere rely on cultural identity and uniqueness of the Gagauz people. And it helps them in their development and further advancement in the tourism service market. Now many people have the opportunity to discover Gagauzia.
