Tourist orchards: an opportunity for sustainable development tourism in Romanian traditional fruit growing areas

The Romanian traditional fruit growing areas are spaces that, given the transition from a centralized economy to a market economy, have accumulated multiple dysfunctions, whose solving requires the identification of viable solutions, matching local potential and preserving traditional specificity at the same time. The article analyzes how the tourist orchard model, developed successfully in China could be implemented in Romanian traditional fruit growing areas. Also the evolution of the Chinese tourist orchard is presented, highlighting the stages of its development and paying special attention to the current stage that witnesses the solid consolidation of the extant niche of tourist orchards, as part of the Chinese tourism. This consolidation has led to several large metropolitan areas (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) in China standing out on the international market.