Romanian Tourism Destinations – A Diagnostic Analysis Mihaela Adina Mateescu Elena Manuela Istoc Daniela Nicoleta Baleanu Centre for Industry and Services Economics, Romanian Academy, Romania mateescuadina000@gmail.com elenamanuela.istoc@gmail.com daniela.baleanu38@yahoo.com Abstract A growing number of destinations around the world have opened up to tourists, and invested in tourism, making it a key factor in socio-economic development. With a good geostrategic position and a developing economy, supported by EU membership, with valuable natural and cultural resources, Romania can be a competitive regional and international tourism destination. This research offers a comprehensive analysis and an overview of the key challenges faced by Romanian tourism destinations. The paper presents an in-depth SWOT analysis based on direct research (interviews and surveys) and indirect research (desk research of secondary source.) Key words: tourism, destinations, SWOT analysis J.E.L. classification: Z32 1. Introduction Tourism is considered an engine of economic growth and one of the most important service industries in many countries. Moreover, globalization, its tendencies associated with the integration of services and the concentration of capital, has put pressure on tourist destinations to better position their tourist offerings in an extremely competitive market. With a population of 19 million inhabitants, a good geostrategic position, and a developing market economy, supported by the EU membership status, Romanian tourism can transform the country into a strong regional destination in the medium term and a truly international destination in the long term. Of course, all this will be possible only if Romania creates efficient coordination and management of the industry if it builds its capacity of responsible tourism management at local/regional primary levels and removes the other barriers from the general tourism business environment of the country. Tourism is a people-based industry, with human capital at its centre, bringing authenticity, values, quality, innovation and competitiveness. In general, tourism businesses need support, the host population needs to ensure that visitors will not adversely affect their quality of life and visitors expect a quality experience. All national, regional and local government institutions need to be aware of all these challenges and create public-private partnerships to develop the most effective strategies. And responsible and sustainable destination management should involve a process that effectively and harmoniously addresses the interactions between visitors, the industry that serves them, the community that hosts them and the environment in a broad sense (natural and cultural resources). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of Romanian tourist destinations and the identification of emerging opportunities, but also current and future challenges. “Ovidius” University Annals, Economic Sciences Series Volume XXI, Issue 1 /2021 345