Added Value Of Climate And Environmental Information For Agritourism

Capitalizing on the natural, cultural and anthropogenic potential for tourism in rural areas represents an important chance for local economy in Romania. Some of the main assets of a rural touristic destination are weather and climate conditions along with overall quality of services provided. Therefore, including climate and other relevant environmental information (e.g. on the greenness of the vegetation, low level of pollution etc.) in the promotion of agrotourism may contribute to a faster uptake of potential consumers/tourists and increase of overall success of the agritourist activity. In this line, we present a selection of such information tailored for tourism and customizable for specific locations which may positively contribute to building the image of the agritourist destination. The information, developed by the National Meteorological Administration, is currently available for 160 touristic locations in Romania, free of charge, through the web-based application WECTOU (Weather and Climate for Tourism) http://wectou.meteoromania.ro/. Personalized information is available as well as a larger palette of climate and environmental products, such that to answer efficiently the specific requirements of the user.