The hotel business in Moldova has been booming for the third year. Due to the military actions in Ukraine, the entire industry – about 280 structures for receiving tourists with 8.3 thousand rooms (25 thousand beds) – has fallen into a phase of high demand. Logos Press asked hotel expert, owner of Thomas Albert Hotel chain Sergey Kalugin about how the situation has affected the market development and whether big money is possible in the industry.
Moldova’s stand at the international exhibition Osaka-2025 (Japan) caused a mixed reaction in the society. And it is not only about the 6 million lei spent (with a number of financial benefits), but also about WHAT exactly and HOW this money was spent.
Iurie Humeniuc is a man who turns abandoned wastelands into forests. He is the founder and coordinator of Impadurim Moldova, an initiative that restores forest cover on degraded land. In the last five years, his team has planted more than 300,000 trees across the country. In an interview for Logos Press, he talked about the problems of Moldovan forestry, budgets and prices, and why state programs are not effective.
Three years ago, Moldova banned the online sale of e-cigarettes in an effort to control the booming market. Authorities hoped that the measures, including increased excise taxes, reduced nicotine dosage and limited cartridge capacity, would help stop the proliferation of vape devices, especially among young people. But after a while, it became clear: the market went into the shadows, control over the turnover was lost, and the budget lost about 650 million lei.
The crisis at the Chisinau-based Topaz plant has escalated after acting administrator Inna Linnic challenged the legality of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders scheduled for June 6,” Logos Press reports.
The Moldovan tourism business increased its revenues by 16%, earning 421 million lei in the first quarter,” Logos Press reported.
A deal that could not be closed for more than a year will be finalized in Moldovan retail. The Competition Council authorized Moldretail Group to merge with Fourchette-M,” Logos Press reported.
Two Moldovan air carriers accounted for more than half of the passenger traffic,” Logos Press reported.
Franzeluta increased its Easter baked goods sales in 2025 to 170 tons, surpassing last year’s 160 tons, Logos Press reported.
Today, May 2, an emergency occurred at the Topaz factory in Chisinau. The general director Inna Linnik was not allowed to enter the factory on the orders of the new management, whose authority has not been confirmed by anyone,” Logos Press reported.
A year late, the government has approved the national system of tobacco product traceability (Track and Trace). The main thing that business was expecting from this document was the Technical Regulation, which sets standards for tracking tobacco products both imported and domestically produced,” according to Logos Press.
In Moldova, the requirements for the quality of meat semi-finished products and products are changing. The innovations concern updating standards, increasing control over retail, and strengthening consumer protection,” Logos Press reports.
Cash withdrawals in stores with POS terminals will be limited to 1,000 lei per transaction and no more than 100,000 lei per month. At the request of the Economy Ministry, the cabinet approved the initiative to support the digital economy and e-services, Logos Press reported.
Exactly three years ago, in April 2022, Moldova imposed a ban on online trade in e-cigarettes. At that time, their official imports reached 20 million lei, or one third of the real turnover. Logos Press decided to find out how the situation on the vape market has changed since then, and how effectively their sales channels are regulated.
The European Commission has fined American corporations Apple and Meta 500 million euros and 200 million euros respectively for violations of the law on digital markets, – reports Logos Press with reference to DW.
Pharmaceutical market turnover rose 2% in the first quarter to €67.7 million, according to Logos Press.
This week the next round of the national EcoVoucher program was launched, with a total cost of 150 million lei. The project is high-profile, but it is no less problematic. Both businessmen and officials agreed with this, discussing the failures of the program, which is financed by EU funds.
The government made a corresponding decision by amending its Decree on retail prices for socially important goods, – reports Logos Press.
At the meeting of the Economic Press Club, dedicated to the EcoVoucher program, the big networkers (Bomba, Maximum, Hi-Tech) highlighted all the pros and cons of the project, worth 150 million lei, – Logos Press reports.
In March, as part of a delegation of major foreign investors, Michal Mierzejewski, Vice President of Philip Morris International in North-Eastern Europe, visited Moldova. In an interview with Logos Press, he spoke about the importance of this region for the big business, its real investment potential, and where the tobacco and nicotine market is heading.
