The significance and economic potential of cultural heritage tourism have been acknowledged worldwide, being at the forefront of the development strategies for many cities aiming at enhancing the tourists' experience. The paper presents a case study of recent heritage interpretation project in Craiova historical centre, one of the largest Romanian towns, followed by the results of an online survey, aimed to assess people's awareness, understanding and appreciation of the place and the past. The process of urban and cultural regeneration was initiated by the City Hall, in the early 2000, aiming at the creative capitalization of the cultural heritage to increase the attractiveness of the area and life quality for the local community, tourists and potential investors alike, by conveying a sense of place and appreciation of the town which is both historical and cultural.

Geographical studies and environment protection research

While aspiring to become internationally valued producers of high-quality wines, certain Romanian wineries recently turned towards wine tourism. Given the increasing role of smart devices and online-based information in holiday selection and planning, the main objective of the paper is to evaluate the online presence, informational content and effectiveness of Romanian wineries’ websites for the promotion of wine tourism. This evaluation comprised 53 features tested in previous research and organized into four categories: main website characteristics, wine tourism, marketing, and education. Based on content analysis conducted on 154 websites of wineries identified in all Romanian regions, scores were computed and, subsequently, wineries were classified, mapped, and evaluated. The findings show that certain basic features are overall available, while exclusive features that could positively influence tourist preferences and experiences are insufficient in terms of design, education, and marketing characteristics. Less than 50% of the analysed websites inform about wine tasting activities, less than 35% specify visiting hours, and less than 20% mention tourist amenities. The websites that indicate other local wineries, allied industries or tourist attractions represent exceptions. This study underlines the importance of leveraging digital tools within the marketing strategy of wineries and the need to enhance networking among regional stakeholders as prerequisite for sustainable development.

In recent decades, ever more museums have begun to put a new emphasis on the education of the public, playing an important role in creating national or regional identities. This paper aims to assess the strategy chosen by the History Section of the Oltenia Museum in Craiova (Romania) to use knowledge, objects and narratives to create a sense of belonging and negotiate identities. Site visits, participant observations and discussions with museum curators, the analysis of texts and discourses were used in order to see if there is a master narrative related to regional identity and to determine the elements used to shape this identity. The results of this study point to the fact that there is an underlying master narrative of the exhibition, stressing the dominant understanding of Oltenia’s identity stemming mainly from cultural markers such as religion and language, while acknowledging wider European influences on the national and regional identity.

The research presents the results of a survey carried on in Craiova, one of the largest Romanian cities, which contains numerous buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some of which were reconsolidated and brought back to use, while others are still decaying. The aim was to spatially investigate residents’ perceptions of the built heritage in the historical city center of Craiova based on questionnaires and mapping perceptions using the Emotional GIS (EGIS) methodology proposed by Wang (2021) and the extent to which this heritage could be a valuable asset for cultural tourism. The alteration of function as well as the context for part of the historical area of the city center testify to the musealization of the study area. The large number of buildings included on the heritage list outlines the characteristics of a living open-air museum, capitalizing on the heritage in situ.

Sustainable development has been a global concern worldwide for the last decades now, but only recently have the challenges faced by small towns, especially in regions experiencing population contraction been addressed. (1) Background: This article delves into the case of Romania, a country in Eastern Europe that has witnessed significant demographic, social and economic changes in recent decades. Population contraction in small towns can significantly impact their future development. (2) Methods: The research was conducted in three stages: first, we selected relevant demographic, economic, financial and social indices (16 in total), then we analysed their changes over time, and forecast their values based on statistical data to assess economic development sustainability for 215 small towns with less than 20,000 inhabitants. (3) Results: Following the aggregation of the quantitative indicators and the demographic changes, we identified four categories of small towns. (4) Conclusions: the study underlines the importance of adopting proper policies targeting small towns in Romania to ensure their long-term viability by implementing targeted policies and strategies such as incentives for local businesses, improving educational and healthcare facilities, and promoting entrepreneurship. The ultimate goal is to mitigate the adverse effects of population contraction and pave the way for more sustainable and resilient communities.