The Rebirth of the Colibiţa Resort

Eduard SCHUSTER1, Nicolae BACIU2
1 Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Bistriţa Branch, ROMANIA
2 Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
E-mail: eschuster@geografie.ubbcluj.ro, nicolae.baciu@ubbcluj.ro
Pages: 127-130

Abstract. The Colibiţa Depression is suggested to become a recreational resort area due to the increase in the number of lodging facilities in recent years on both sides of the Colibiţa Lake, but also thanks to the presence of several protected areas. After the former Colibiţa resort was flooded by the lake, tourism in the area recorded a decades-long drawback, and only several private weekend cottages were erected around the lake. Eventually, after the fall of the communist regime, the area surrounding the lake was purchased by individuals or entrepreneurs who gradually built up one side of the lake and erected several cottages on the other. Thus, the access to the body of water is widely restricted to tourists, except the cases where lodging and dining facilities were established. The local economy depends on the region’s natural resources managed through forestry, livestock breeding,  milk processing, and traditional handicraft as the main activities. Therefore, a stronger tourist infrastructure (through a planned development of the future resort) is required to boost economy and to revitalise tourism in the region.

K e y w o r d s: recreational resort, lake, tourism, planned development