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Volume XIII |

Present and perspectives for health tourism – spa services in Romania

Abstract: The current paper aims at assessing the extent to which spa tourism developed in Romania after the fall of the communism, and to investigate the typology of Romanian spas in order to identify the drawbacks and opportunities of this sector from the supply perspective. The wellness offer (day spas, destination spas, medical spas, mineral spring spas and hotel spas) and the territorial distribution of spa centres within the country are analysed. The current trend is to diversify the offer, with numerous projects for day spas and destination spas within towns, and even resorts offering accommodation, sport and entertainment facilities, as well as spa facilities and programmes. Most of the spas in Romania are focusing only on wellness, less than 10% of them offering advice regarding nutrition, and only few meditation. The balneary spas, capitalizing the mineral and thermal spings, have failed to meet the demands and standards of the international market, thus loosing the fame they enjoyed before 1990.

Volume XII |

Urban territorial dynamics and socio-economic changes in Craiova city

Abstract: The city as a form of spatial organization had different typologies along the time which have been shown in various models of urban organization. The complex functions of the city which are based on the analysis of its functional areas imprints a specific model and a specificity of the local potential that can be capitalized in various ways. The economic and social phenomena that occur in the city such as industrialization, tertiarization, deindustrialization and functional reorganization of spaces, population dynamics, the share of its involvement in different economic sectors, influence very clearly the physiognomy of the city. The urban dynamics reveals that the city is constantly facing a number of problems and has a close connectivity with the rural and urban areas nearby. This study aims to make a diagnosis analysis of Craiova urban space revealing the urban dynamics and systemic analysis and also the socio-economic aspects presented through the quantitative processing of statistical data (between 1965 and 2012) on population dynamics, its employment by sector of economy and the functional profile of the city. The determination of the urban organizational model and the morpho-functional zoning of Craiova will reveal the spatial characteristics which are reflected in the social and economic activities undertaken in the city.

Volume XI |

Urban image analysis through visual surveys. Craiova town (Romania) as a case study

Abstract: The cities were affected by the processes of urban revitalization, aiming to be included in the global market competition where they try to attract more economic resources and to achieve an important position, thus transforming their perceptual urban representations. Some cities opted to reshape their urban spaces, projecting an image that attracts the visitor and the resident, while at the same time they try to manage the issues and tensions associated with this process of urban transformation.Thus, the city image is increasingly exposed to recent progresses and transformations of infrastructures and land use. This article aims to outline the perception of the urban image at micro- level scale with the help of data analysis resulting from the VPS- Visual Preference Survey, conducted in Craiova town, Romania. A new urbanistic approach to measure the urban image, avoiding the classical Lynch model of analysis, is the VPS, developed by Anton Nelessen, which is a process that allows the residents to take part in the urban assessment and to create a new development vision for the future. By ranking different images of places, people from Craiova express their perception on the urban image, taking into consideration four urban aspects: public spaces, built environment, transportation and socio-cultural environment, and building in this way the community they want to see in the future. The results show that the city image needs some major urban interventions in terms of design, architecture and functionality of the public urban spaces. Consequently, some principles are proposed to public actors for improving the four main sections discussed in the survey.

Volume XI |

Residents and non-residents’ perception towards the touristic image of Craiova municipality, Romania

Abstract: As for every major tourist destination, the touristic image plays an important role serving to consolidate the binding between visitor and destination, being an amalgam of knowledge, feelings, expectations and impressions that people have about a location (Henderson, 2007). The destination identity is created by the sender (essentially the marketers), being sustained by the natural and man-made tourism resources, while the image, supported by the experiences and communications of the senders, is perceived by the receiver. In the touristic selection process tourists take into account tangible features such as the elements of the natural background and anthropic patrimony and intangible elements (relaxation, freedom).This study aims at exploring in which way Craiova municipality seen as a tourism destination conveys into a unique identity within the consumer’s mind, focusing on the identification and explanation of the attitudes of a sample of urban residents and non-residents towards tourism in Craiova and their grouping with respect to these attitudes. Thus this helps to identify the main tourism attractions and forms of tourism associated with this city and to further develop tourism activities.Identitatea destinaţiei turistice este creată de către emițător (în esenţă, marketeri turistici), fiind susţinută și de resursele turistice naturale şi antropice, în timp ce imaginea, susţinută de experienţele şi comunicările expeditorilor, este percepută de potențialul vizitator, adică receptorul. În procesul de selecţie turistică, turiștii iau în considerare caracteristici tangibile, cum ar fi elementele cadrului natural şi antropic şi elemente intangibile (relaxare, libertate). Acest studiu vizează explorarea modului în care municipiul Craiova este perceput ca destinație turistică și cum se transmite într-o identitate unică în mintea consumatorului, concentrându-se pe identificarea şi explicarea atitudinilor unui eşantion de respondenți din mediul urban faţă de turismul din Craiova, cât şi gruparea lor cu privire la aceste atitudini. Astfel, studiul ajută la identificarea principalele atracţii turistice şi forme de turism asociate cu acest oraş pentru a dezvolta activităţi turistice pe viitor.

Volume X |

The Problem of the Sanitary System in the Land of Severin With Respect to Regional Development

Abstract: The difficulties with the health system, occurred after 1989, are mainly induced by the lack of appliances and human resources and by the natural consequences due to the interruption of the reform process, which negatively influenced the repartition of medical service within the urban and rural spaces, in the Land of Severin. The supply and access to medical services are the major problems concerning the assurance of a better living standard and also social and economic development, especially in rural areas. Villages with a dispersed population (in the mountainous and piedmont area in the Land of Severin), represent quite a unique challenge for the management and use of medical services. The claim to improve the support is laid by vulnerable groups, as elders and those who live in isolated places (e.g. Marga, Negrușa and Moisești villages) or people who compulsory need dialysis three times a week. The low level of economic development have induced problems concerning the existence, the quality and accessibility of social services and difficulties in case of temporary or permanent health care services. The present reformation measures take into consideration the way of organization and operation of health care services, the problem concerning the financial means and equipment of sanitary units and, the provision of last generation medical technique correlated with a continuous training process of medical staff and health care personnel. Currently, by means of the Local Development Programme 2006 – 2013 and with the help of the European structural funds, the authorities want to establish and implement a special programme to modernize the medical cabinets in villages, to convey pharmaceutical products to this area, to eliminate the daily travel of doctors and to provide ideal conditions for them and for the nurses to integrate into local communities.