Izvoru Cri ului - a Handicraft Based Tourist Village

In a period of time when in Romania the concept of rural tourism was related to negative stereotypes, which failed to bring the image capital required for a harmonious development, the village Izvoru Cri ului proved itself as a model of special strategy. The village is one of the richest in Cluj County and has a continuous potential of economic development. Moreover, being a village of ethnic diversity, it received a stable starting point by default. Tourism has occurred here instantaneously as a result of economic activity, especially handicraft. As a matter of fact the key to this village’s success lies in the proper exploitation of its cultural resources (handicrafts, architectural heritage, folklore), exploitation of the advantages provided by the natural environment (location at the boundary between the Huedin Depression and the P niceni Plateau; in the proximity of the Apuseni Mountains), as well as the transport network (the village is crossed by DN1 - E60). Taking some of the existent classifications into account Izvoru Cri ului meets at least two of the proposed tourism forms. Consequently, the best shaped types are geotourism and alternative tourism forms, like transit, business and academic tourism, of course under the roof of rural tourism. Precisely, due to the complementary character between art and tourism-based economy, the village managed to build an effective economic model, which perfectly complies with the requirements of globalization.