CAPDR expands the VIA MOLDAVIA Northern Route: TransRarău and the ski resort become part of a regional tourism development project

The Centre for Regional Development Analysis and Planning (CAPDR) continued, in Vama, the process of building tourism micro-destinations within the VIA MOLDAVIA programme, through a meeting dedicated to the TransRarău area and the ski resort

The initiative aims to transform the territory’s natural, cultural and economic resources into integrated tourism products, connected to a regional Romania–Republic of Moldova network and prepared for promotion and commercialisation.

The VIA MOLDAVIA – Northern Route programme arrived in Vama, Suceava County, on 25 September 2026, for a new territorial meeting dedicated to the TransRarău Micro-Destination and the ski resort. Organised by CAPDR, the meeting brought together representatives of local public administration, the tourism sector, the hospitality industry, the forestry sector and the local community.

From a regional development perspective, the meeting represents another stage in the effort to move from the individual promotion of tourism attractions towards building products, routes and circuits capable of generating economic value for a wider territory.

TransRarău analysed as a regional micro-destination

The territory concerned is not approached exclusively from the perspective of the TransRarău mountain road or individual tourism attractions. Within VIA MOLDAVIA, the TransRarău Micro-Destination is structured around a network of localities, natural resources, accommodation facilities, services, experiences and activities that can be connected into a coherent tourism offer.

Vama, Sadova, Frumosu, Stulpicani and Câmpulung Moldovenesc are included in this structure, together with the access points towards TransRarău, Pojorâta and Chiril.

Each locality contributes its own resources. Vama can capitalise on its rural heritage, traditional households, customs and gastronomy; Sadova contributes its mountain landscape and Lake Iezer; Frumosu complements the rural component and the authenticity of its local communities; Stulpicani offers opportunities for nature tourism and connections towards the Bistrița Valley, while Câmpulung Moldovenesc represents an important centre for services, accommodation, gastronomy and access to the Rarău Massif.

This approach makes it possible for each community’s resources not to be promoted separately, but rather to contribute to the economic and tourism value of the entire territory.

Local administration and the private sector involved in the same development process

The meeting in Vama began at 10:00, in a setting dedicated to cooperation between public administrations, economic operators and the local community. Participants included Ion ȘTEFANOVICI, President of CAPDR, Tiberiu LUCUȚAR, Mayor of Vama Commune, representatives of the Vama, Frumosu and Sadova local administrations, the educational community, the forestry sector and the hospitality industry.

The private sector was represented, among others, by operators such as Eden Garden Hotel & Spa, Casa Lucreția, Pensiunea Ioana and Sadova Village, together with other managers and representatives of local tourism facilities.

The involvement of economic operators is particularly relevant for the programme’s next stage: developing tourism packages combining accommodation, mountain activities, gastronomy, cultural heritage, leisure and local experiences.

In this context, the tourism infrastructure already available in the territory becomes part of a regional offer that can be addressed to tourists from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and other markets.

TransRarău can generate multi-day tourism circuits

One of the advantages of the TransRarău Micro-Destination is the possibility of connecting several types of experiences within a single itinerary.

Câmpulung Moldovenesc – Pojorâta – TransRarău – Pietrele Doamnei – Chiril – Bistrița Valley represents one of the proposed mountain routes, designed to connect the main landmarks of the Rarău Massif with the neighbouring territories.

A second route could connect Vama – Frumosu and the surrounding rural communities, with an emphasis on heritage, gastronomy, traditional products and rural hospitality.

A third route focuses on Câmpulung Moldovenesc – Sadova – Lake Iezer, with the possibility of combining accommodation and relaxation services with landscape photography and the discovery of natural heritage.

By connecting these experiences, a visit initially focused on a single attraction can be transformed into a multi-day circuit, creating additional opportunities for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, local producers, guides, activity providers and other tourism services.

TransRarău and the Bistrița Valley: two territories that can function together

One of the directions pursued by VIA MOLDAVIA is to connect TransRarău with the Bistrița Valley Micro-Destination.

The descent towards Chiril allows the development of circuits that can continue towards Dorna Arini, Broșteni, Borca, Fărcașa and the Bicaz Lake area.

Such a connection can have a direct impact on the length of stay. Instead of a journey lasting only a few hours, tourists can have access to an itinerary that includes accommodation, gastronomy, natural and cultural attractions, and leisure activities in several localities.

At the same time, through Câmpulung Moldovenesc and Vama, TransRarău can be connected with Ariniș – Gura Humorului, Suceava Fortress and the Monasteries Region, allowing mountain tourism to be combined with the cultural and religious heritage of Bucovina.

Lake Iezer and the local offer: from a tourist attraction to an experience

During the field visit, the team visited Lake Iezer, located in Sadova Commune, in the Obcina Feredeului Mountains.

In addition to its natural landscape, the lake can become a landmark for circuits combining hiking, landscape photography, relaxation and local stories. The legend of the treasure hidden at the bottom of the lake adds a cultural and narrative component to the tourism experience.

The field visits also highlighted the complementarity between the different types of hospitality available within the micro-destination.

At Eden Garden Hotel & Spa, the offer includes accommodation facilities, an indoor swimming pool and SPA facilities, allowing mountain experiences to be combined with modern relaxation and leisure services.

At Casa Lucreția, the experience is built around the atmosphere of a Bucovinian home, hospitality and local products. Jams, syrups, preserves, fruit and vegetable products, aromatic plants and homemade cuisine can, in turn, become components of the tourism product.

For the local economy, this diversity is precisely one of the micro-destination’s important resources: tourists do not consume only a single attraction, but can simultaneously make use of accommodation, food services, leisure, transport, local experiences and regional products.

The ski resort can contribute to extending the tourism season

An important objective of the meeting was also to analyse the potential represented by the ski resort.

TransRarău has tourism potential in all seasons: spring and summer for hiking and outdoor activities, autumn for landscape tourism, and winter for activities specific to the cold season.

Integrating winter activities with accommodation, gastronomy and relaxation services can contribute to diversifying tourism demand and using infrastructure over a longer period of the year.

From this perspective, the ski resort is not viewed separately, but as part of a broader tourism product in which sports and mountain activities are complemented by hospitality services and local experiences.

From local resources to products that can be commercialised

An essential element of the VIA MOLDAVIA methodology is the transition from resource inventory to the development of concrete tourism products.

The process is structured according to the following principle:

SELECT → VALIDATE → BUILD → TEST → SELL.

Each product takes into consideration elements such as the route, included services, capacity, operating period, indicative price, target audience and distribution channel.

In the case of TransRarău and the ski resort, the methodology can enable existing activities, attractions and services to be combined into a clear offer that can be presented both to individual tourists and to travel agencies and tour operators.

The economic objective is to transform dispersed resources into routes, experiences, packages and circuits with an easily understandable commercial structure.

The digital component: from the map to the tourist experience

The process does not stop at identifying and promoting resources.

According to the VIA MOLDAVIA documentation, the information collected in the territory enters a workflow of proposal, profiling, validation, translation, publication and updating, and is subsequently prepared for integration into the back office and the application intended for tourists.

The objective is for tourists to be able to answer, within a single journey, practical questions such as: what they can do, where they can go, how they can get there, how much time they need, where they can eat, where they can stay and what they can visit next.

Thus, digitalisation becomes a tool for connecting supply and demand, while territorial information is transformed into a usable tourism experience.

What the working process is specifically designed to achieve

The meeting in Vama contributes to building an operational picture of the TransRarău Micro-Destination: what resources exist, where they are located, how they can be accessed, how they can be connected and what tourism products can be developed based on them.

Among the expected outcomes are:

• development of the micro-destination’s operational map;
• inventory and geolocation of resources;
• identification of regional connections;
• configuration of the first routes and circuits;
• development of the first tourism product fact sheets;
• preparation of information for integration into the VIA MOLDAVIA system;
• identification of the elements that need to be developed or completed so that the offer can be promoted and commercialised.

Therefore, the meeting in Vama represents a construction stage, rather than the final point of the process.

Romania – Republic of Moldova: TransRarău becomes part of a regional tourism network

VIA MOLDAVIA proposes a regional perspective on tourism, based on the complementarity of natural, cultural and economic resources in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

The programme is structured around three regional tourism corridors – North, Centre and South – connecting the Republic of Moldova with Romanian Moldova, Dobrogea and the other regions of Romania.

Within this structure, TransRarău becomes a component of the Northern Corridor, adding to the regional network a mountain tourism offer based on landscapes, heritage, traditions, gastronomy, accommodation and leisure activities.

For the business community, regional connectivity can open opportunities for travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, local producers and tourism service providers, who can benefit from tourist flows between multiple destinations and from the development of integrated products.

TransRarău presented in preparation for the VIA MOLDAVIA International Tourism Fair

A subsequent stage in the promotion of the micro-destinations is the VIA MOLDAVIA International Tourism Fair, scheduled for 26–28 October 2026, at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest.

According to the programme, 27 October will be dedicated to official proceedings, the presentation of the programme and business meetings between representatives of public administrations, the tourism industry and partners interested in developing Romania–Republic of Moldova circuits.

For TransRarău, this stage may provide a framework for presenting an offer built around the panoramic road, Pietrele Doamnei, Lake Iezer, Bucovinian localities, accommodation facilities and leisure amenities.

The participation of local operators can also facilitate contact with travel agencies and tour operators interested in developing and commercialising tourism products in the Moldova region.

The Northern Route continues to expand

The meeting in Vama is part of a broader series of territorial meetings organised by CAPDR within VIA MOLDAVIA.

In September, the process included meetings in Târgu Neamț, Bicaz, Valea Trotușului – Slănic Moldova, Ariniș – Gura Humorului, Suceava Fortress and Drumul Talienilor, while the TransRarău stage adds a new mountain component to the network.

The calendar announced by the programme further provides for the meeting dedicated to RN-05 – Monasteries Region, in Sucevița, on 28 September, followed by RN-04 – Dorna Basin, in Șaru Dornei, on 2 October, and the RN-14 – Chișinău, Republic of Moldova stage, scheduled for 6 October at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation in Chișinău.

The calendar also includes the RN-10 – Botoșani Cultural micro-destination, scheduled for 9 October, as well as the meetings dedicated to RN-11 – Iași and RN-15 – Red Lake, for which dates are yet to be confirmed.

A regional tourism infrastructure built through connectivity

CAPDR’s initiative for TransRarău essentially aims to connect resources that already exist in the territory: mountains, panoramic roads, lakes, heritage, villages, gastronomy, accommodation facilities, leisure services and local economic initiatives.

Through this methodology, the micro-destination builds the local offer, the Route connects it regionally, the network validates it, and the digital component makes it accessible to tourists, with the ultimate objective of transforming resources into marketable tourism products.

For TransRarău, the objective is therefore broader than promoting a mountain road or a tourist attraction. It concerns building a micro-destination capable of bringing administrations, economic operators and communities together around an integrated tourism offer, connected to Bucovina, the Bistrița Valley and the other micro-destinations of the Northern Route.

From the perspective of VIA MOLDAVIA, this approach can transform the area’s natural and cultural heritage into a coherent regional offer, providing access to new markets, new commercial partnerships and new opportunities for the local economy.