DISCOVERING THE ROOTS – ANCESTRAL TOURISM IN ROMANIA. A PILOT STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.02Keywords:
ancestral tourism, genealogical research, genealogical experience, roots exploration.Abstract
Ancestral tourism is a less explored field in Romania, although it has a great development potential due to the large masses of Romanian immigrants established all around the world, over time. The aim of this paper is to explore ancestral tourism in Romania, to identify what are the main reasons that trigger an individual’s desire to start searching his ancestors and to analyze the experience he has during the visit in the country of origin. To reach our research goals, we conducted an interview with six persons of Romanian descent established in several non-European countries that have visited Romania in order to discover their roots, meet their alive relatives or to reconnect with their past. Based on the received answers, we were able to create the ancestral tourist’s profile and to identify whether the genealogical experience achieved our respondents’ expectations.
JEL Classification: L83, Z31
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