Traditional Architecture, a Triggering Factor for Rural Tourism Development in Romania

Rural tourism has been identified as one of the most attractive types of tourism among Romania's international visitors. Furthermore, the entire context generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the orientation of Romanian tourists towards remote destinations and small lodgings, located especially in rural destinations. Thus, new opportunities have been identified and capitalized upon by entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector. This paper is a research note that aims to highlight the development of a new niche on the Romanian rural tourism market. Namely, employing desk research methods, this paper focuses on identifying the destinations where new lodgings were developed making use of traditional houses, which were moved and rebuilt there. The main research question can be formulated as follows: Does rural authentic architecture contribute to the development of a qualitative offer of lodging services in rural areas, in line with the expectations of baby boomers and millennials?