1. The document discusses the proposed Dracula Park project in Romania, which aimed to capitalize on the Dracula myth by creating an amusement park featuring adrenaline-inducing attractions related to the story. 2. There was debate around the ethics of developing such a violent and frightening project, and how it could negatively impact visitors' health, especially children's psychological development. 3. Opposition from local communities and concerns about the large investment needs led to the project initially being relocated and postponed. The document concludes that tourism development must consider ethical, social, and consumer needs to be sustainable.

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ETHICS AND TOURISM
– DRACULA PARK ROMANIA
– CASE STUDY
International Conference - "Educating for Tomorrow’s Tourism",
Ohrid, Macedonia, 10 -12 October, 2003, pp.206 –211

2. 2
Ada Mirela Tomescu Elena Botezat
Management & Marketing
Department
Faculty of Economic Studies

3. 3
INTRODUCTION
• Europe is hosting, on its territory, several
tens of amusement parks
• These parks annually attract millions of
tourists, and cover a variety of
entertainment facilities

4. 4
The managers dealing with touristic
activity recognized the need of ethics in
their businesses.
They also understood that law by itself
cannot protect a nation and its cultural
heritage.

5. 5
As time goes by, tourism becomes more and
more diverse, stretching from Enjoyment
(relaxation) to Entertainment and even to
the Evolution as development of human
personality, the last being the most
ambitious function of tourism according to
the “3E Theory”.

6. 6
“3E Theory”

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Because some of us find spending their
leisure time in a relaxing quiet, away
from the city jungle area boring,
something new, unusual, sometimes wild
or even dangerous was created.

8. 8
Following this tendency, the operators in
tourism, stimulated even more certain
types of tourism, demanding a high effort
from the tourist taking them, some being
considered dangerous.

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DRACULA’s MYTH
• Market’s demand certain
touristic products, in this respect
that is just the type of touristic
product based on the Dracula
myth, the famous vampire
originated in Transylvania
Romania.

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The ideea of
developing Dracula Park
• The high demand for “adrenalin rushes”
determined those in charge with
Romanian tourism to propose building a
theme park, based on the Dracula myth,
character created in 1898 by Bram
Stoker and based on historical realities,
enriched by Stoker’s imagination.

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DRACULA’s
MYTH
• DRACULA’s
myth is one of
the most well-
known modern
myths in the
world.

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• more than 250 movies
were already shot;
• about 1000 books
published;
• and no less than
10000 articles
written.
DRACULA’s
MYTH

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DRACULA’s MYTH
LOCATON

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DRACULA’s TOUR

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• The Dracula
Park Project was
created in order
to capitalize the
myth in Romania,
the origin
country of the
Count Dracula.
Tihuta Castel – Touristic Product: Dracula Tour

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The historical truth is far away and
every novelist, each scriptwriter, film
director, play writers, comics strips,
have added more and more elements
in order to catch the attention of
world-spread spectators.

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Dracula myth is based on a
famous historic figure,
Vlad Tepes, a Romanian
ruler.
PRINCE VLAD THE IMPALER, the grisly inspiration for the fictional vampire "Dracula".

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He is well known for
impaling his enemies, a
common practice at the
time otherwise a very
cruel practice!

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DRACULA PARK PROJECT –
AN ETHICAL APROACH
• We examine the effects resulted from
developing such a project!
• Is it ethical to develop any type of
tourism, any kind of product?
• Which are the tasks of tourism industry
in contemporary age?
• How can we balance to assuring its
survival and its development?

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The ideea of
developing Dracula Park
Most supporters of this project consider that the
young generation experiments dangerous
things starting from childhood
So, it is normal that the youth will choose the
unusual for their spare time, looking for things
making them fear or giving them the feeling
that they cannot control what’s happening,

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• In the past years, especially when young
people are concerned, violence has
increased in Romania too, due to violent
movies.

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• Having adrenalin rush attractions
adjacent to building and equipping this
“Land” means to invest a huge amount of
money, expenses that the Romanian state
cannot afford.

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• In spite of the fact that more than 30
foreign companies stated their interests to
invest here, each of them wishing to
acquire and to carry out parts of the
project.

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• The project was evaluated at 40 billions
euro. In this respect we are sceptic
regarding fulfilling these intentions.

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In fact for now the project faces a
dead end!
The reasons are various...

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• Is it ethical to
develop such violent
and bloody story,
aggressing fearing
scaring the people?
• Is it ethical to expose
the fragile brain of
the children and
teenagers?

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• In our opinion
these ethic reasons
are extremely
important, and
also a very
delicate problem!
Clock Tower Sighisoara - The Medieval Citadel

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The house where Vlad Tepes – DRACULA was born!
• For instance the
concentrate efforts
of civil society
(NGOs, especially
ecologists, Church,
mass-media etc.) had
mainly determined
the relocation and
postponing begin of
park building.

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• Mass media
reveals the
hostility of a
part of local
people to carry
out this project.
Bran Castle – One of Vlad Tepes Residence

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CONCLUSION
We consider that all attractions (strange
figure sprinkling the tourist with blood,
diabolic art galleries, Dracula costumes,
torture chambers etc.) in such a park
should be monitored and various
consequences upon the visitors’ health
should also be researched.

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CONCLUSION 1
Based on Maslow pyramid, the
classic well known needs
system that explain the
complex human behaviour
production of services and
goods can be forecasted;
In this approach each level is
actually dependent of the
below, but of the above level
at the same time!
In our opinion it is better to
understand as a matter of
overlapping all the five, as
following:

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CONCLUSION 1 A
A viable touristic product is
surpassing the difficulties of
the accurate reduction of
products life cycle, it must
guarantee satisfy the five
type of needs at least at a
minimum level!
A single unfitting cancel all
others!
SUCCESS OF TOURISM INDUSTRY = CONSUMERS NEEDS SATISFACTION !!!

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CONCLUSION 2
We strongly believe for the ethical
reasons above mentioned, and
not only, this type of tourism
cannot be practice as any other
form of tourism.

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CONCLUSION 3
The sanctions have risen at the very beginning
and show some of obstacles, as we already
observed –for instance having as
consequence the park relocation.
But if more sanctions will become visible later
the cost will be considerable higher for
investors and for tourism operators too.

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CONCLUSION 4
The rejection of a project by the
native population lead to a failure for
sure!
Tourist would feel as an intruder not
as a welcome guest!

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In our opinion
“tomorrow tourism industry” has future if:
1. It will take into consideration:
a) The needs on the whole;
b) Social responsibility.
2. It will develop rewarding products for:
a) Individual;
b) Firms;
c) Society.

37. Thank you for your attention!
• This paper can be download, see link:
https://uoradea.academia.edu/AdaTomescu
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