The subject of generations and their differences has been intensely analyzed and debated. Each generation has its own characteristics, regardless of the element that differentiates them. Gen Z’s relationship with tourism has been approached in recent years from various perspectives by many scholars. For the current research, representative characteristics were identified as important for Gen Z: off-the-beaten-path locations and experiences. Off-the-beaten-path locations refer to small-scale destinations, under-tourism, local businesses, sustainability, and local traditions. All of the aspects mentioned before are typical of rural tourism. Experiences are introduced by various elements of rural attractiveness: material cultural heritage (MCH) and immaterial (ICH), the living human treasures program (LHT), wine tourism, products with a protected designation of origin (PDO), products with a protected geographical indication (PGI), culinary diversity, and other rural leisure facilities. Two purposes have been established: to identify the relationship between Gen Z and rural tourism and its components defined by cultural heritage and traditional gastronomy, and to construct a predictive model regarding Gen Z’s behavior when traveling to rural destinations. For this, we performed a quantitative investigation among university students from Romania using an online survey. Using 280 Gen Z respondents from 323 valid responses, we performed a direct logistic regression. The results showed that they value local gastronomy and unique attractions, which we can include in MCH. The price represents an important element when choosing an accommodation unit. Due to the constantly increasing share of Gen Z in the tourism market, destinations and tourism operators will have time to prepare and adapt to new realities. Transversal research will benefit from the opportunity to compare Gen Z’s preferences and changes over time.

The focus on sustainability represents the key to the tourism industry today. Green marketing was constantly on the agenda of local authorities and started to be a subject of interest for Academia too, but it was very little approached in the Eastern European countries, especially in the tourism studies. This article describes the presence of green marketing in Romanian ecotourism and its impact on tourist’s perception. Due to its natural landscapes and tourist attractions, Romanian ecotourism can take advantage of green marketing practices and promote tourism products based on the new preference of the tourists for sustainable activities. However, there is a lack of legislative framework regarding green labeling that can effect in the long term the destination brand. The main objective of the present article is to give an overview image of the online presence of the Romanian ecotourist accommodation units that applied for the Eco-label provided by the ECO-Romania Association. The study describes how these establishments use green marketing practices and if their guests perceive the green image too. The methodology of the study consists of a qualitative analysis of the primary data obtained by the authors from the websites of ECO Romania Association, TripAdvisor platform and accommodation units. The results show a high interest of the accommodation units from the ecotourism field for green marketing practices which is also perceived by tourists. The tendency of tourism stakeholders to apply for an accreditation system provided by non-governmental organization instead of choosing a European accreditation shows the impact of such a national initiative and emphasizes the need to develop a legal framework for green ecotourism practices.

The present paper consists of a co-word analysis of the previous research in the medical spa field published in the Web Science Core Collection database. The study’s main purpose is to identify the past trends in the medical spa field from the tourist and medical perspectives and to anticipate the future research focuses in the field. In this regard, the article is based on four objectives that create a descriptive picture of the research in the medical spa area, such as (i) studying the current state of the art, (ii) analysing the most visible articles in the field, (iii) highlighting the leading research interests in medical spa research and (iv) anticipating new possible research trends that link cost-effective medical spa activity to COVID-19 post-recovery treatments. A total of 627 articles, published between 1997 and 2021 (March), were analysed, and the data were interpreted using the VOS Viewer software. The study results indicate that high interest in medical spas started to become observable in 2015, when the funding bodies became interested in this field and began supporting publishing and research regarding medical spas. The main subjects investigated in previous studies were related to the specific issues of the industry and tourism activity. They also considered the medical approach of the spa and the use of natural resources in treating different diseases. Except for these main interests, since 2020, it has started to become evident that another approach in the published studies may lead to a new trend in research. The study results show that researchers have begun to investigate the possibility of using medical spa resorts to aid post-COVID-19 recovery, which is considered a cost-efficient option for completing traditional treatment. This new focus in research proves that the medical spa field can rebrand itself as playing a supportive role in national healthcare systems in countries with a long tradition in balneotherapy, and gives a new developing trajectory to the medical spa industry.

In the last decades, wine tourism (WT) has been a topic of study, especially for researchers from large producer countries. The relationship between wine tourism and rural tourism (RT) has been approached from many angles in the past. Ranking sixth in Europe in having its surface cultivated with vines, Romania is one of the major players in the Old World of wine producers. In Romania, the scientific literature on wine tourism is scarce and has a limited coverage on the subject. The present paper, by its main purpose, raises the curtain of Romanian wine tourism drawing a consumer profile and analyzes the relationship between WT and RT. Through quantitative research with 850 valid wine tourist respondents and a margin of error of 3.36%, we discovered that people who know what wine tourism means are 1.85 times more confident that it will contribute to the development of rural tourism compared to those who know less about the subject. A high number of visits leads to a decrease in the confidence that rural tourism can be developed through wine tourism due to the poor diversification of leisure activities offered by wine cellars and a weak connection between economic activity and local space. In the end, we draw some practical implications for wine cellars. By developing local-based leisure activities, vineyards can contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. Due to the COVID-19 impact on tourism, there are some limitations to our study. Future studies are needed to cover the changes and evolution of this type of tourism.

Celebrity endorsement is nowadays a frequently used technique in marketing and advertising. On the one hand, celebrities have the ability to attract attention towards the advertising while on the other hand, their behavior is imitated by consumers, having a greater impact on buying decisions. One of the main challenges in advertising endorsed by celebrities is the overshadowing effect, by which consumers tend to watch the celebrity and not necessarily the advertised product. In three eye tracking experiments, we investigated the attention of consumers towards advertising with celebrities. The results showed that the celebrity was the eye-catcher of the advertising, being the first and longest object watched, but at the same time the product or the logo was also watched. The results also showed that the number of objects in advertising influenced the attention of the consumer. Across the three studies, we manipulated the number of objects and the results showed that in the case of information overload, the participants tended to watch the most familiar elements, which in our case were the celebrities. Therefore, the design and the number of objects in advertising endorsed by celebrities are also important in having a significant impact on the consumer.

The present article includes descriptive research about how water resources in Romanian medical spas could be better promoted to increase their visibility. Romania is one of the European countries with impressive potential in terms of balneology, having a wide diversity of natural factors that allow treating several medical conditions in the same resort. In addition, one-third of the mineral and thermal water springs in Europe are present on the Romanian territory, making Romania one of the most important European destinations in terms of natural spa resources. The present research aims to illustrate how the Romanian medical spas communicate with tourists about the therapeutic water available in five medical spas: Băile Felix-1 Mai, Techirghiol, Băile Tușnad, Sovata and Covasna, having as its main objective to raise the awareness among the spas representatives regarding the necessity of water management implementation. The research is based on primary data obtained from the official websites of the resorts included in the study and in the published scholarly articles that approached the Romanian medical spas.