The Valuation of the Urban Ecotourism Potential of the Volcanic Geomorphohydrosite Băile Tuşnad in Harghita County, Romania

Abstract

Băile Tușnad, also known as “Little Switzerland”, “The Land of Mineral Waters”, “The Pearl of Transylvania” or “The Pearl of Spa Tourism in Romania”, was once the pride and effervescence of spa tourism in Romania. Officially, it is the smallest town in the country, and through the unique charm of its landscape and natural heritage it has earned its national and international reputation. A new opportunity for the development of the resort in 2023 is the promotion of the town by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MET) as a new ecotourism destination in the country. Thus, the area might become the 7th ecotourism destination in Romania, being one of the most representative volcanic geomorphohydrosites in the Harghita Mountains (Eastern Carpathians). The objective of the study was to evaluate the ecotourism potential of the settlement and the region using methods applied in academic literature for urban and rural geomorphosites, as well as to justify the importance of this ecotourism destination based on tourist circulation data. In the evaluation process of the ecotourism potential the resort receives 84% of the maximum score according to the methodology, and the tourist circulation data support the important contribution that the resort has in Harghita County, with increasing prospects after the recovery from the pandemic period.