The Association of Ecotourism in Romania (AER) is a partnership for nature conservation and tourism development in Romania. It brings together tourism associations, non-governmental organizations for local development and nature conservation, guesthouses and tourism agencies. The innovative concept promoted by AER is to rally the public and private sectors in a partnership for nature conservation and sustainable tourism development.
AER has 82 members country-wide, most of them small tourism businesses, such as guesthouses or tourism agencies specialized in outdoor programmes and rural culture. Another part of its membership is represented by organisations for nature conservation and sustainable development, and a smaller percentage is represented by individuals who wish to support the activity of the association and, through their profession, are interested in the development of ecotourism in Romania.
AER is an open organization, and we are always happy to welcome new members who want to join our efforts to develop ecotourism in Romania. There are two conditions that aspiring members must fulfil. On the one hand, they must comply with the ecotourism principles, which include not promoting motorized off-road activities, speed boats or hunting. On the other hand, we require that each membership request be accompanied by recommendations from two of our existing members.
With more than 15 years of experience, the Association of Ecotourism in Romania also provides consultancy in ecotourism and sustainable tourism. The AER specialists can cover multidisciplinary approaches, on a wide variety of subjects, from sustainable tourism and ecotourism, interpretation of natural and cultural heritage, design, photography, architecture and interior design, nature conservation and communication.
AER maintains collaboration relationships with international specialists in tourism and related fields from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France. They may become involved in the consultancy services for their input of knowledge and good practices from their countries.
AER is also in touch with the academic environment, by collaborating with Romanian and foreign professors, as well as with the private sector, through the AER members, especially the small companies present on the Western European market for more than 10 years.
This field remains mostly unknown in Romania, but it is extremely important regarding the quality of the experience offered to our visitors. Be it about any kind of printed materials, or a guide’s technique, it is all about interpretation. Basically, this is the manner in which the information about nature or local culture is processed and conveyed, so that it is easily accessible and it challenges the visitor to learn more. AER holds a vast experience in creating interpretation trails, visitor centres and specialised training courses in outdoor activities for guides.
Through the activities of our association, we have gained vast experience in elaborating promotional or technical materials. The ecotourism promotional publications are the result of hard work amongst the specialists in various fields, and they are useful in promoting the association’s members or partner destinations.
