Sergiu Mania // Photo: ipn.md
This was stated by Sergiu Mania, Chairman of the Association of Employers of the Tourism Industry of Moldova, during the public debate “Cross-Border Cooperation of Eastern European Countries.
The Iasi-Chisinau-Odessa tourist hub is designed to turn the tourism potential of the three countries into an engine of economic growth. Thanks to it, visitors will have free access to the cultural, gastronomic and historical heritage of the three cities.
“At the level of the European Parliament, we lobbied for the initiative to extend the section of the highway “Unirii” from Iasi through Chisinau to Odessa. Now this project is taken over and implemented by the Moldovan government. Our next project was the launch of a unique tourist railroad section from Iasi through Chisinau to Odessa. Due to the war in Ukraine, we were not able to connect the Chisinau-Odessa section, but our project will be launched as soon as there is peace,” Sergiu Mania said.
He recalled that the idea of creating the route emerged before the outbreak of hostilities, following joint initiatives of specialized organizations from Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. “A few years ago, together with colleagues from other organizations, we conducted a number of study tours, including the dispatch of the first Iasi-Chisinau-Odessa train. The train was full, and that’s how the idea of creating a tourist hub was born. At the same time, we managed to amend the law on tourism and adopt the concept of destination management organization,” Sergiu Mania added.
Military actions on the territory of Ukraine since 2022 postponed the idea of the project realization. But it remains in the plans and will be realized after the conflict is over, Mania noted.
