THE STUDY REGARDING THE EVOLUTION OF AGROTOURISTIC

PENSIONS FROM THE ECONOMY OF GORJ COUNTY USING

STATISTICAL DATA

Ph.D. student Ing. Elena Loredana Stăncioiu,

University of Petroșani, ROMANIA
Prof. Ph.D. Habil. eng., ec. Andreea Cristina Ionică
University of Petroșani, ROMANIA
Lecturer Ph.D. Eng. Alin Stăncioiu, „Constantin Brâncuși”
University of Tg -Jiu, ROMANIA

Abstract: In its evolution, according to statistics, agrotourism has had periods of growth but also periods of
decline. It is certain that it was never on the verge of extinction. The forms of agritourism are currently
experiencing the greatest momentum so far, due to the desire for freedom and the lack of rigid programs. Carried
out as complementary activities, the forms of agritourism do not break the balance of peasant life, do not cause
the disappearance of the existing activities until then, but allow the superior valorisations of the products
obtained and implicitly their development, simultaneously with the appearance of others. Agritourism pensions
increase the income of the economy of Gorj county, create jobs, develops infrastructures and creates a sense of
cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens, ensures the continued promotion and preservation of cultural
heritage and supports the economic survival of otherwise under-resourced communities.

Keywords: agrotouristic pensions, rural tourism, statistics, the comparative analysis

1.INTRODUCTION alternative from an economic-social point

Gorj County, through the diversity of the
natural environment (mountains, hills,
valleys, depressions, rivers, calcareous
area, gorges, caves) as well as through the
human resources it possesses (historical
places, museums, statues, monuments,
towers, memorial houses, monasteries,
churches, etc.) represent a first-rate tourist
potential for Romania. Rural areas offer
great opportunities for the development of
agrotourism, its practice being even
necessary in the current period. Most
studies have shown that tourism combined
with rural resources and traditional
products would represent an important
"tool" for the revitalization of the rural
economy, and that they should be essential
components in the development strategy.
There are multiple examples according to
which many areas have managed to
capitalize on the niche character of the
forms of tourism specific to the rural
environment and through appropriate and
efficient strategies to capitalize on
resources and traditional products to move
from the pioneering stage to a valuable
of view for the rural environment. The
development of rural tourism is required in
the rural area, both economically and
socially. In rural areas across the European
Union the average age is higher than in
urban areas and will start to slowly fall
over the next decade. When coupled with a
lack of connectivity, underdeveloped
infrastructure and a lack of diverse
employment opportunities and limited
access to services, this makes rural areas
less attractive to live and work in. At the
same time, rural areas are active factors in
the green and digital transition of the
European Union. Achieving the European
Union's objectives for 2030 can provide
more opportunities for the sustainable
development of rural areas beyond
agriculture and forestry, developing new
perspectives for the development of the
processing sector and, in particular,
services, and contributing to the
improvement of the geographical
distribution of services and industries.
This long-term vision for rural areas of the
European Union aims to address these
difficulties and concerns by: harnessing the
emerging opportunities of the EU's green
and digital transition and the lessons
learned from the COVID-19 pandemic,
identifying means to improve the quality of
rural life, achieving a balanced territorial
development and stimulating economic
growth. In parallel with the agritourism
development process, infrastructure
elements, cultural elements, as well as
those related to traditional occupations
(including handicrafts) which have become
attractive factors in the countryside have
been amplified, under the impulse of
tourists.
2. DATA PROCESSING
The research was carried out on the basis
of data taken from the National Institute of
Statistics Tempo-online database. A first
element analysed is the tourist
infrastructure along with the main
particularities of the field found at the level
of Gorj County in table no. 1, The table
shows the situation of tourist reception
units and accommodation capacity in
operation at the level of Gorj county for
the period 2007-2021. The tourist
accommodation capacity in operation
represents the number of accommodation
places made available to tourists by the
tourist accommodation units, taking into
account the number of days the units are
open during the considered period.

Tab.no.1 The situation of accommodation units and accommodation capacity in operation at

the level of Gorj County
Year Number of Accommodation capacity in operation
accommodation units places-days
2007 40 404003
2008 40 443377
2009 61 574349
2010 61 556379
2011 69 656987
2012 79 728607
2013 79 766858
2014 87 761641
2015 85 735313
2016 87 782214
2017 102 942175
2018 144 1001245
2019 161 1046046
2020 176 848012
2021 180 1013600
Data source: INS TEMPO-online database

Figure 1. Representation of the evolution of accommodation units and accommodation

capacity in operation at the level of Gorj County, 2007-2021
The obtained data highlight an upward of 150.88% compared to 2007 at the
trend in the total number of county level. Another analysis from a
accommodation units, in 2021 an increase statistical point of view is related to the
of 350% was recorded, compared to 2007. accommodation capacity by types of
Regarding the accommodation capacity in tourist reception structures, evolution in
operation, places-days in 2021, an increase the period 2007-2021.

Table No. 2 Accommodation capacity in Gorj county, number and type of structures 2007-
2021
Tourist Tourist
Tourist Tourists Agrotourism
Year Hotels Hostels Motels Pension Stopover
Villas Cabins Pensions
s s
2007 11 1 2 0 1 3 21 1
2008 10 1 2 1 1 3 21 1
2009 13 1 3 1 5 4 33 1
2010 11 5 4 1 6 14 19 1
2011 15 4 6 1 7 16 19 1
2012 15 4 7 2 7 18 25 1
2013 15 4 7 2 7 18 25 1
2014 17 4 7 3 7 20 28 1
2015 16 4 6 3 7 22 26 1
2016 16 4 7 3 6 20 30 1
2017 17 5 7 5 6 23 38 1
2018 17 5 7 8 8 35 62 1
2019 17 5 7 7 8 35 79 1
2020 17 5 8 9 6 32 97 1
2021 18 4 8 10 7 34 97 1
Data source: INS TEMPO-online database

Following the analysis of the data from
table no. 2 in which the information
centralized from a numerical point of view,
we can observe an increase of 361.90% in
the year 2021 compared to the year 2007
of agrotourism pensions, an increase of
63.63% for the hotels, an increase of
obtained from the National Institute of
Statistics Tempo-online database is
10.33% for tourist guesthouses, an increase
of 6% for tourist cabins. The number of
tourists stops remained constant over the
entire period analysed.

Figure.2 Accommodation capacity in Gorj county, number and type of structures 2007-
2021 evolution
The evolution over time by type of tourist the year 2021 is 53.88%. from the total
reception structure highlights that the number of accommodation units. Since the
largest share in number is held by agrotourism pensions have the largest
agritourism pensions, the percentage for weight from a numerical point of view
among the reception units, we make a
detailed analysis of the agrotourism
pensions. In table number 3, we have
centralized the data obtained regarding the
accommodation capacity in operation, the
number of overnight stays and the
utilization index for the agro-tourism
guesthouses in the county for the period
2007-2021.

Tab.3 Detailed analysis of the evolution over time of agrotourism pensions 2007-2021
Year Number Accommodation capacity in operation Overnight Index
places-days stays of usage
2007 21 38012 10600 28
2008 21 47825 12146 25,4
2009 33 115726 18156 15,7
2010 19 7919 858 11
2011 19 85820 17976 21
2012 25 86766 15872 18,3
2013 25 92694 16352 17,6
2014 28 101933 20247 20
2015 26 107385 19498 18,2
2016 30 147303 25371 17,2
2017 38 229343 40618 17,7
2018 62 262135 53493 20,4
2019 79 280522 50613 18
2020 97 263447 44401 16,9
2021 97 352133 58159 16,5
Data source: INS TEMPO-online database

Figure.3 Evolution of the number of agrotourism pensions, period 2007-2021

The evolution regarding the growth of The development of private property in

agrotourism pensions is a significant one, Romania led to an increase in
from 21 agritourism guesthouses in 2007 accommodation capacity in the
to 97 agritourism guesthouses in 2020, the agrotourism pensions.
same number being maintained in 2021.
Figure.4 Evolution of the capacity, function, and accommodation of agrotourist pensions
during the period 2007-2021

The accommodation capacity in operation
of agro-tourist guesthouses shows an
increase of 826.33% compared to 2007. In
2007, there were 38,012 accommodation
places made available to tourists by
agrotourism pensions, taking into account
the number of days they were open, and in
2021 we have 352,133 places, an increase
of 9.26 times. This increase is due to the
demand for vacations in the rural areas of
the county.

Figure.5 Evolution of the number of overnight stays in agrotourism pensions during the
period 2007-2021

Figure.6 Evolution of the index of use of agrotourism guesthouses in the period 2007-
2021
The index or coefficient of use of the of the exploitation of equipment and
tourist accommodation capacity is an accommodation spaces. It is considered
indicator that helps to assess the efficiency that this is the most expressive and at the
same time cumulative indicator for
evaluating the results of the activity carried
out in tourist accommodation spaces. The
indicator shows what percentage of the
existing accommodation capacity has
actually been used. In our study from the
data obtained in 2007 it was 28%, and in
2021 it was 16.5%, it recorded a decrease
of 11.5% compared to 2007, being
influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic,
but also by increasing the accommodation
capacity in operation.
3. CONCLUSIONS
The present work is an attempt to highlight
the evolution over time from a statistical
point of view of both the agrotourism
pensions and the other accommodation
units. Broadly the conclusions drawn
reveal the fact that tourism in the rural
environment and agrotourism pensions
have registered increases in the area under
study in the period 2007-2021, this
evolution can have a very important
contribution to rural development, not only
in financial terms but also by creating new
jobs, new work practices, injecting new
vitality into the rural economy. At the same
time, growth is based on investments made
in the countryside to start a family business
as a source of permanent income. Rural
tourism has an excellent development
environment in Romania, for a simple
reason: approximately half of the country's
population lives in villages. The forms of
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