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A country road winding through hills planted with rows of vines, a small white village church in the distance on a summer afternoon. A symbolic image of rural tourism.
NATIONAL

The government promises 5,000 jobs from a 618-million-lei tourism programme. In Ungheni, where lodging has shrunk to a third, the money comes with no address

The government has approved «Turism 2029», a 618.2-million-lei programme that promises to turn tourism into an «engine of economic growth» and create about 5,000 jobs. It is the third such document in two decades — the first two were never seen through. The money comes mostly from the European Union, not the national budget, and the programme allocates no sum to any single district by name. For Ungheni, where accommodation capacity has fallen to a third of its 2008 level, the practical question is through which doors any of this money could actually reach here.

Ion Calmis·26 June 2026· ExplainerWHAT'S AT STAKE
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Two participants in a working meeting inside the Ungheni Tourist Information Centre, next to a stand with tourist leaflets, shelves of books and diplomas.
LOCAL

Ungheni has a tourist centre worth 3 million lei, but accommodation capacity has dropped to a third of its 2008 level

The Tourist Information Centre in Ungheni — built with almost 3 million lei under the European «Mayors for Economic Growth» programme — hosted expert Alberto Cottica on Thursday in a meeting described as an «exchange of ideas», with no concrete purpose announced. Beyond the visit, the figures show the real stakes: the centre promotes tourism, but the district's accommodation capacity has fallen to a third of its 2008 level, while the programme that funded it has meanwhile entered its third phase.

Ion Calmis·18 June 2026· Explainer