The interview of the week with Mircea Draghici – ANAT counselor

1.infotravelromania.ro: First I would like to ask you what is ANAT?
M.D.: ANAT is The National Association of Tourism Agencies, the national brand of tourism agencies. According to Government Decision 1195/2001, ANAT is a national association for public utility. This title confers to this association state fund from the budget.

Photo : From the right to the left: Mircea Draghici ( ANAT counselor), Gabriela Droc (ANAT secretary), Roxana Grigorean (ANAT Media collaborator), Traian Badulescu (chief redactor of ANAT Media) and Maria Salcianu ( ANAT executive director).

2.infotravelromania.ro: What is the scope of this association and how many members does it have?
M.D.: The ANAT scope is to represent and to defend the professional’s interest of the members, but also to contribute to increasing the quality level of the touristy activity from Romania. In the present ANAT have 650 members.

3.infotravelromania.ro: How can you become ANAT member and how much you have to pay ?
M.D.: ANAT has 2 categories of members: active members and associates. To become an active member there are necessary copies of the license and the tourism brevet and you have to pay the registration tax, the member due, as we established in our general meeting of ANAT. In the present the registration tax is 120 € (in lei to the BNR course of the day),120 € the annually due for the non-IATA agents and 200 € for the IATA agents.
The associates members are entities from the tourism area: tourism bureaus, air companies and another transport companies, rent a car firms, hotels networks and restaurants, publishing houses, ticketing reservations systems, foundations/tourism associations.
Both categories of members have to obey the deciding of the Association Status and of The Professional Ethics Code.

4.infotravelromania.ro: What are the advantages of being a ANAT member?
M.D.: The advantages are multiples: first the appurtenance to a professional association it represents a plus of credibility and insurance to our clients and business partners. Not in the least the association represents:
- it represents the ANAT members in the associations and forums of the European Union and other international and internal forums in the area;
- stand up that the activity in the tourism area to be done only by physical and juridical persons that have a tourism license released by the legal entities.
- Is working in the organisms and the commissions of the profile of the state for the releasing, the refuse, the retain or the suspend of the authorizations/licenses of the tourism agencies;
- Helps and facilitate the bonds between the ANAT members, also between the members and the public authorities’ representatives, for taking care of the problems in the accountability events, the taxes, the socials problems, the low appliance, the tourism promotion.
- It’s stands up in the law physical and juridical persons, with the only scope of defending the legal rights of the ANAT and the ANAT members;
- Helps and organize actions for increasing the professional level and for the ones who works in the tourism area by professional specialty courses (IATA and TAROM courses);
- Defends and promotes the professions: tourism agent, tourism guide, ticketing agent beside the national education organizations and institutes and the area international organizations.

5.infotravelromania.ro: ANAT is becoming another association, more dynamic since Ms. Lucia Morariu has become the new president. In this moment I think that is the most powerful association in the area. We have 11 special commissions, we have our official site www.anat.ro, the revue”ANAT Media” is in a better shape. How have you done all these things?

M.D.: It is true that the association increased very much in the last year and this it was possible because the new organizational structure. We have a few work commissions, so that every member could bring his ideas there where everybody considered it is capable of. Many bright people generated ideas and constructive activities, so that the general activity has got better.
Another aspect that we must not forget about is that we are getting closer of the U.E. integration. A first step it was done by dividing ANAT in 8 euro-regions, after the principle promoted by Minister of European Integration. Each euro-region has a president that coordinates the territory activity. A good organization in the territory it means a good activity in the center.
For the integration moment, ANAT it has to be stronger and to be a good dialog partner with the other profile structure.
I think that it was normal that the 4-th big professional association from Romania to have the right activity. I think is right to say that we are in a normality estate.

6.infotravelromania.ro: how often your web site will be updated?
M.D.: The web site www.anat.ro is updated once a week or when is necessary. There is big interest information for the members (the legal and fiscal aspects) that are permanently updated.

7.infotravelromania.ro: Which are the organization objectives for the year 2005?
M.D.: For the year 2005 we want a better promotion of ANAT activities and a good external activity for preparing ahead for the U.E. integration. There are a lot of legislatives aspects that we have to take care of for approaching the communitarian business medium.
Also, ANAT will propose another organization concept of the tourism meetings from Romania. About that we certainly will talk again.

8.infotravelromania.ro: Where could the potentials members to find out more details about ANAT?
M.D.: I think that the easiest way to obtain updated information is by accessing the web site www.anat.ro.The ANAT secretary can be founded to the next phone: 021-323.08.55 or by e-mail to the address office@anat.ro

Asociatia Nationala a Agentiilor de Turism - A.N.A.T.
Adress: Str.Foisorului nr.8,bl.F3 C,sc,2,et.1,ap.41,sector 3,Bucuresti
Telefon:+ 4 - 021 - 321.19.08 |+ 4 - 021 - 323.08.55 | www.anat.ro ( 23 october 2004)
Fax:+ 4 - 021 - 321.19.08 | e-mail : office@anat.ro
Honor President: Marcel Badescu [ NovaTouring - Bucharest ]