Marketing the Count's way: how Dracula's myth can revive Romanian tourism

• Author: Candrea A.N., Ispas A., Untaru E.N., Nechita F.
• Pages: 83-90

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 9 (58) No. 1 - 2016

Marketing the Count's way: how Dracula's myth can

revive Romanian tourism

Adina Nicoleta CANDREA1, Ana ISPAS2, Elena Nicoleta UNTARU3,

Florin NECHITA4

Abstract: Tourism destinations associated with the place myth phenomena often experience

increased visitation and marketing opportunities. Considering the popularity of the Dracula

myth worldwide, Romania has a great opportunity to improve its image as a unique

destination on the international tourism market. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the

exploitation of the Dracula myth in the Romanian tourism context, as well as the managerial

and marketing implications of such an approach. It begins with an overview of the imaginary

and historical links between Romania and the Dracula myth. Further on, it reviews the

national initiatives to develop Dracula tourism, from both private and governmental

perspectives. The paper concludes by highlighting the opportunities of developing Dracula

tourism in Romania and embracing the Dracula myth as a unique competitive advantage of

the country as a tourism destination.

Key-words: Dracula tourism, myth, Romania, Transylvania, tourism destination

1. Introduction

Popular culture and tourism are intertwining and the use of film and literature amongst

destination marketing organizations is a global trend (Mansson, 2015). Tourism is

largely based on the production, re-production and re-enforcement of images which

serve to project the attractiveness of the destination to the tourists (Ringer, 1998) and

this is reflected in Dracula tourism in Romania. Dracula tourism is very much a

construction, whether focused on fiction, tradition, history or all of them, depending on

the providers of the tourism (Hovi, 2014).

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, adina.candrea@unitbv.ro

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, ispasana@ unitbv.ro

3 Transilvania University of Braşov, elena.untaru@ unitbv.ro

4 Transilvania University of Braşov, florin.nechita@ unitbv.ro