Spending by foreign tourists in Romania exceeded €5 billion in 2025, according to Eurostat data cited by Colliers. This level is almost 2.8 times higher than in 2016, representing an average annual growth rate of approximately 12% over the past decade – the fastest pace among all European Union member states. Although 2025 saw a slight decline of nearly 4% compared with the previous year, the long-term trend shows that Romania is gradually becoming a more visible destination for foreign tourists. The positive trend also continued at the beginning of 2026, when spending by foreign visitors increased by more than 8% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.

Tourists from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy made the largest contribution to foreign visitor spending in Romania. Together, they spent almost 2 billion euro, accounting for around 40% of the total. For the first time in 2025, American tourists were the biggest spenders, at 554 million euro, slightly ahead of German tourists, who spent 546 million euro, and British tourists, at 518 million euro. Italian tourists came close to the same level, with spending of 463 million euro.

”International leisure tourism has long been a secondary segment for hotel operators and investors in Romania, with the market supported mainly by domestic tourists and, in the case of Bucharest, by business travel. This reality, however, is beginning to change rapidly. Romania is increasingly perceived as an affordable, less crowded destination, distinct from Europe’s established tourist routes. At the same time, the data also reflects a rebound in business tourism, but the main driver of growth in recent years has come from the leisure segment”, explains Raluca Buciuc, Director, Partner of Valuation and Advisory Services at Colliers.

Compared with other markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania has grown much faster over the past decade, but remains a smaller market. Between 2016 and 2025, spending by foreign tourists increased in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary and Poland at average annual rates of around 3%-5%, below the growth recorded by Romania. However, Romania only slightly exceeds Bulgaria in absolute terms, while Hungary and Czechia attract around 8-9 billion euro annually from international tourism, and Poland reaches almost 14 billion euro.

”Romania has recorded much faster growth than comparable markets in the region in terms of spending by foreign tourists, but it started from a lower base, and the gap with neighbouring countries remains significant. The fact that we are still behind markets such as Hungary, Czechia or Poland shows that there is still considerable room for growth. This potential can be captured if Romania strengthens its international positioning and manages to turn the growing interest in affordable and less crowded destinations into steady tourist flows. Investments in tourism infrastructure – not only in hotel infrastructure – are therefore becoming increasingly important”, adds Raluca Buciuc.

The breakdown of spending by nationality shows that the profile of foreign tourists visiting Romania is beginning to change, according to Colliers consultants. The growing contribution of American tourists is significant not only in terms of spending value, but also because it shows that Romania is becoming more attractive beyond traditional European source markets. At the same time, Japanese tourists recorded one of the strongest performances of the past decade, with their spending 13 times higher than in 2016, even though they started from a lower base than the main source markets.

This growth in international tourism comes at a time when the local hotel market is entering a new stage of development. According to Colliers, Romania could add more than 5,000 hotel rooms by the end of the decade, provided that the announced projects are delivered as planned. This expansion would represent an increase of around 5% in the existing total stock, with a more visible impact in the upper segment of the market, particularly in the 4- and 5-star categories, where many of the new hotel projects are concentrated.

Romania currently has approximately 42,000 rooms in 4- and 5-star hotels, and the announced projects point to growing interest in the upscale segment and in tourists with higher spending power. A significant share of the new developments will bring to the local market brands or hotel chains entering Romania for the first time, such as The Hoxton, Hyatt, Kempinski, Hotel Indigo, AC Hotels by Marriott, The Crest Collection and The Julius.

”Interest from international hotel chains in Romania is becoming increasingly visible, and many of the announced projects are positioned in the upper segment of the market. This shows that Romania is beginning to be viewed differently: not only as an emerging market with lower rates, but as a destination capable of attracting tourists with higher budgets, interested in leisure experiences, city breaks or themed travel. At the same time, the development of the market depends on the ability of investors and operators to deliver the announced projects, as well as on more coherent promotion of Romania in international markets”, says Raluca Buciuc, Director, Partner of Valuation and Advisory Services at Colliers.

In the medium and long term, Colliers consultants estimate that international tourism could become an increasingly important growth driver for Romania’s hotel industry, especially in a context where domestic demand may be affected by economic pressures, inflation and consumer caution. The increase in spending by foreign tourists over the past decade shows that Romania has gained visibility, but the gaps compared with regional markets indicate that its potential is still far from being fully realised.

In a Europe where tourists are looking for more affordable, more authentic and less crowded destinations, Romania has an opportunity to strengthen its position in Central and Eastern Europe. For this opportunity to translate into sustainable growth, investment is needed in hotel infrastructure, the development of the premium segment, the expansion of international brands and clearer promotion of Romania in high-potential foreign markets.