Tourism is one of the most important and dynamic economic sectors in the world, it comprises more and more new destinations. Such dynamics made the tourism a key factor of socio-economic progress.
Tourism became one of the main sources of income for many developing countries, while spreading-out of tourism in industrialised and developed countries entailed economic benefits and increased labour resources employment in many related sectors of the national economy.
Since tourism is a service rendering sector, it contributes to economy development via capital accumulation within 12 kinds of branch-wise activities or so, thus attracting about 20 adjacent branches with 140 services or so relating to the sector of tourism, i.e. catering, transport, manufacturing and selling of goods, equipment and souvenirs, cultural activities, sports activities, entertainment activities, car rent, health services rendering, and so on.
The sector of tourism employs more females and young people than the majority of any other sectors. Employment of females makes 60% in the sector of tourism in the countries of the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development (OCED – 35 counties). This share is bigger than that one of females employed in the sector of services (47%) or in the economy as a whole (43%).
Almost (47%) of people working in the sector of tourism in the OCED countries in Europe are aged from 15 to 34, if compared to one third (32%) of workers in the economy as a whole.
Tourism is also a significant source of economic innovations diversities, thus contributing to modelling of socio-economic development in the countries of destination all over the world.
Tourism is declared one of priority sectors of the national economy, according to Article 4 of Act no.352/2006 on Organising and Conducting Tourist Activities in the Republic of Moldova.
The directions of 2014-2020 tourism development in the Republic of Moldova were set by the Tourism Development Strategy ‘Tourism 2020’, approved by Government Decree no.338 dated 19 May 2014. Its general objective is ‘giving an impulse to the tourist activities in the Republic of Moldova through development of domestic and hosting tourism’.
The state priorities for tourism development in the Republic of Moldova for the next five years are set by the draft of the Tourism Development Programme ‘Tourism 2025’, aiming to ‘development of the Republic of Moldova as a competitive and sustainable tourist destination, thus bringing economic, environmental and social benefits both to local communities and to future generations’.
