Business Inerview - Ion Biri[, Pre[edinte HORA

„Avem nevoie de o strategie coerent\ de promovare a turismului de incoming, implementat\ profesionist”

IonBiri[

”(...) avem nevoie de mult mai mult\ profesionalizare, de investi]ii în educarea personalului [i îmbun\t\]irea calit\]ii serviciilor!” „Ospitalitatea face parte din cultura noastr\!”

Sunte]i noul director al HORA. V\ încarc\ aceast\ responsabilitate? Care sunt provoc\rile mandatului dvs.?

Da, pozi]ia de pre[edinte al HORA, pe lâng\ faptul c\ m\ onoreaz\, reprezint\ o responsabilitate enorm\, în primul rând fa]\ de membri, iar apoi din perspectiv\ de reprezentare, atât în dialogul cu autorit\]ile, cât [i din perspectiv\ legal\. Timp de doi ani, semnezi acte, bugete [i proiecte, iar la final trebuie s\ la[i lucrurile în ordine [i coerente, pentru a fi preluate u[or de urm\torul mandatat. În plus, pentru o persoan\ care iese mai pu]in în spa]iul public, poate fi pu]in incomod s\ fie nevoit s\ ias\ din zona de confort [i s\ fie mai prezent în media. M\ bucur îns\ c\ avem o evolu]ie excelent\ [i fac o echip\ foarte bun\ cu membrii consiliului director. Este important s\ sim]i sprijin în aceast\ misiune.

Care sunt pietrele de hotar care opresc dezvoltarea sectorului HORECA în România?

A[ zice c\ pietrele sunt din dou\ sensuri. Adic\ e clar c\ [i legisla]ia din industria noastr\ are nevoie de mult\ flexibilitate [i dorin]\ de a schimba [i moderniza din partea autorit\]ilor, îns\ în anumite aspecte [i industria se autosaboteaz\.

Principalele pietre de hotar sunt lipsa unor m\suri de sprijin fiscal, care s\ încurajeze dezvoltarea sustenabil\, investi]iile [i atragerea for]ei de munc\ pe termen lung. De asemenea, avem nevoie de eliminarea birocra]iei cu privire la autorizarea unit\]ilor de alimenta]ie public\. Ast\zi, e un proces atât de greoi c\ mul]i renun]\ înainte de a începe sau limiteaz\ investi]iile de team\ c\ nu au autoriza]ia la zi.

Din perspectiva industriei, avem nevoie de mult mai mult\ profesionalizare, de investi]ii în educarea personalului [i îmbun\t\]irea calit\]ii serviciilor.

Ajutorul statului. Ce a]i cerut? Ce a]i primit?

Am cerut tot ce am considerat c\ ar putea impacta rapid business-ul, astfel încât s\ putem supravie]ui crizei f\r\ precedent cu care ne-am confruntat în ultimii doi ani. Pe lâng\ m\suri precum [omaj tehnic, recuperarea datoriilor de la stat (concedii medicale etc.), Kurzarbeit, granturile din m\surile 1 & 2, anularea impozitului specific, amânarea taxelor la stat, anularea taxelor de ocupare a spa]iilor din domeniul public – de departe, probabil cea mai relevant\ m\sur\ [i una care a salvat realmente mii de firme de la faliment a fost m\sura Horeca 20%.

Am primit o serie de ajutoare importante, dar majoritatea au venit foarte târziu [i pentru mul]i nu a mai contat, vorbim de minimum 15% din companii din Horeca care au disp\rut. Iar întârzierea implement\rii unor m\suri a generat alte efecte negative, mai exact a adâncit criza for]ei de munc\, cu care industria noastr\ deja se confrunta [i înainte de criz\. Deficitul sectorului aproape s-a dublat, nu g\se[ti oameni, nu po]i opera cum trebuie loca]iile, ceea ce pe termen mediu [i lung se traduce tot în blocarea business-ului.

Statistic, în ultimii 2 ani cât a avut de suferit sectorul? Unde ne situ\m acum?

Statistic, dar [i emotional, sectorul ospitalit\]ii a fost cel mai afectat. Sute de antreprenori [i-au v\zut restaurantele pe butuci, iar mul]i al]ii, de[i au supravie]uit, au ajuns la cap\tul r\bd\rii [i ar vinde tot pentru lini[te. În cifre, vorbim de peste 15% restaurante închise de tot. Pentru 2020, avem cifre oficiale legate de pierderi: - 44% venituri / - 79% profit / -17% valoarea contabil\ active fixe (deci nu au fost posibile investi]iile).

HoReCa este un sector strategic important pentru România, contribuind într-un an cu activitate normal\ cu 5,07% în formarea PIB, antrenând efecte puternice [i în alte sectoare conexe (turism, produse din carne, b\uturi, tutun).

Pandemia [i restric]iile generate de aceasta au contribuit la sc\derea cifrei de afaceri cu aproximativ 80% în 2020 fa]\ de anul 2019, iar circa 40% dintre operatori au fost nevoi]i s\ î[i suspende activitatea.

Profitul consolidat la nivelul întregului sector HoReCa a înregistrat o contrac]ie cu 77% pe parcursul anului 2020 comparativ cu anul anterior. Suplimentar, 45% dintre companiile active în sectorul HoReCa au raportat

”(...) we need as much professionalization as possible, investments in the training of personnel, and improvement in the quality of service!” “Hospitality is part of our culture!”

You are the new CEO of HORA. Do you feel the burden of this responsibility? What are the challenges you are facing in your term?

Indeed, to hold the CEO position, aside from the fact that it is an honor for me, represents an enormous responsibility, first of all to the members, and then from a representational perspective, in terms of the dialogue with the authorities and the legal perspective. For two years, you sign papers, approve budgets and projects, and, in the end, you have to leave things organized and coherent, in order for them to be easily taken over for the next term. On top of this, for a person who keeps more of a low profile, it can be a bit daunting to have to step out of the comfort zone and be more present in the media. I am glad that we are seeing excellent progress and that me and the board members make a good team together. It is important to feel that you have support in this mission.

What are the obstacles that stand in the way of the development of HORECA in Romania?

I would say there are two kinds of obstacles. I mean, it is clear that the legislation in our industry also needs a lot of flexibility and will to change and modernize (from the authorities), but in some respects the industry self-sabotages as well. The main obstacles are represented by the lack of fiscal support measures to support sustainable development, investments, and the attraction of workforce in the long term. We should also have less red tape to go through in order to get authorization for public catering units. This is a hard process today, with lots of people quitting before even starting, or limiting their investments, from fear that their authorizations are not up to date. In terms of the industry, we need as much professionalization as possible, investments in the training of personnel, and improvement in the quality of service.

State aid measures. What did you ask for? What did you get?

I asked for all that I thought would have a rapid impact on our business, so that we could survive the unprecedented crisis that we have been dealing with for the past two

“We need a coherent and professionally implemented strategy to promote incoming tourism”

pierderi pe parcursul anului 2020, comparativ cu doar 8% in anul 2019. Considerånd [i companiile cu un grad foarte ridicat de îndatorare (> 90% din active), aproximativ 7 din 10 companii active in sectorul HoReCa prezentau un risc major de insolven]\ la finalul anului 2020, comparativ cu doar 30% în anul 2019.

În viitor, în raport [i cu situa]ia geopolitic\ actual\, cum vede]i evolu]ia sectorului?

Ospitalitatea face parte din cultura noastr\, oamenilor le era dor, se simte dorin]a de a ie[i, de a c\l\tori, de a merge la restaurant [i de a petrece. E [i o form\ esen]ial\ de a te deconecta [i de a men]ine echilibrul între via]a profesional\ [i personal\, mai ales în contextul actual de haos, team\ [i nesiguran]\. Evolu]ia cred c\ va fi una pozitiv\, dar situa]ia geopolitic\ va încetini doar pu]in ritmul. Turismul se restarteaz\ foarte bine [i suntem optimi[ti în ceea ce prive[te evolu]ia de aici înainte.

Ce ar trebui îmbun\t\]it? De ce nu avem înc\ servicii „ca afara”? Ce avem de înv\]at?

În primul rând, ar trebui îmbun\t\]it sistemul educa]ional în acest domeniu, [colile profesionale aproape au disp\rut sau au programe învechite [i lips\ de tehnologie. Pe de alt\ parte, operatorii trebuie s\ investeasc\ constant în programe de training pentru angaja]i [i în profesionalizarea lor. Totodat\, ]ine [i de implicarea [i motivarea proprietarilor. Dac\ abordeaz\ business-ul ca pe un nice to have, având alte afaceri de baz\, iar implicarea nu este 100%, e greu s\ years. Apart from measures such as technical unemployment, debt recovery from the state (medical leave etc.), Kurzarbeit, grants (from the 1st and 2nd measures), activity-specific tax waivers, delayed taxes, cancellation of the tax for occupying public spaces – the most relevant measure by far, which literally saved thousands of businesses from bankruptcy was the HORECA 20% measure.

We received a series of significant support packages, but most of them came very late, too late for a lot of people – 15% of HORECA businesses have vanished. And the delay in implementing support measures generated other negative effects, more specifically – it aggravated the workforce crisis that the industry was already facing before the pandemic. The deficit has almost doubled, you can’t find people, you can’t operate

properly, which in the medium and long term translates to stalled businesses as well.

Statistically, how much has the sector suffered in the past two years? Where are you now?

Statistically – but also emotionally – the hospitality sector has been the most affected. Hundreds of entrepreneurs have seen their restaurants on the rocks, and many others, although they’ve survived, have run out of patience and would sell everything in exchange for peace of mind. As far as the numbers go, this amounts to more than 15% of restaurants that have closed for good. For 2020, we have official numbers in respect to the losses: -44% income, -79% profit, –17% book value of the assets (so investments were not possible).

HORECA is a strategic sector for Romania, contributing 5,07% to the GDP in a year with normal activity, generating powerful effects also in other adjacent sectors (tourism industry, meat industry, beverage industry, tobacco industry).

The pandemic and the restrictions it generated have caused an 80% decrease in turnover in 2020 as compared to the year 2019, and 40% of these operators have been forced to suspend their activity.

Consolidated profit in the HORECA sector as a whole has recorded a -77% contraction during 2020 in comparison with the previous year. Moreover, 45% of the companies active in the HORECA sector have reported losses over the year 2020, in comparison with only 8% in 2019. Also taking into consideration the companies with a high degree of indebtedness (more than 90% of the assets), about 7 out of 10 companies active in the HORECA sector showed a high risk of bankruptcy at the end of 2020, in comparison with only 30% in the year 2019.

In the future, and taking into consideration the present geopolitical situation, how do you see the evolution of the sector?

Hospitality is part of our culture, people were longing for it, you can sense the desire to go out, travel, go to a restaurant, and party. It’s an essential way to unwind and to maintain the balance between professional and personal life, especially in the present context of chaos, fear and uncertainty. I think our situation will evolve positively, but the current geopolitical situation will just slow us down a bit. Tourism is recovering very well and we are optimistic about what is about to follow from now on.

What should be improved? Why do our hospitality services not yet measure with the international offer? What do we have to learn?

First of all, we should improve the educational system in this field – vocational schools are almost gone or they have outdated programs and no technology. On the other hand, operators should be constantly investing in training programs for the professionalization of their employees. At the same time, it also has to do with the implication and determination of the owners. If they think of a business just as something nice to have, while their main business is a different one, and their involvement is not 100%, it’s hard to do work that is up to standards. We need new breeding grounds wherefrom we’d be able to recruit employees with a solid background. The workforce crisis has aggravated enormously in this field – we’re talking about a deficit of more than 70 000 persons – so business owners, out of need or out of despair, take whatever is on offer on the job market, with or without a background in the field. And then these discrepancies and somewhat negative aura in relation to our hospitality services appear.

What is the regional dynamic like in this sector? Where do Romanians go most often? Which area is the best thriving?

The dynamic of the sector fluctuates. Currently, we can sense an improvement at national level. In the pandemic, resorts did a lot better than the big cities. People still looked to travel through the country, to get a breath of fresh air. The mountainous regions did very well, thanks to the relief, the climate, the accommodations infrastructure, which has got more and more developed. Of course, we still have a long way to go until everything will be implemented, until the road infrastructure will be up to standard. But I am a believer in the future and I can sense a desire to evolve from both the private sector and the authorities.

What is your favorite hotel/ restaurant in Romania?

I would like to be able to give examples here, but I admit that time constraints have limited my outings to restaurants or trips to the mountains, other than those places that are part of my business. In order to develop a healthy business in HORECA and in tourism, generally speaking, you need total involvement. Therefore, I am happy to nominate a few favorite places of mine, which are also part of the business – because I couldn’t be totally involved unless I also liked them a lot. My nominations are restaurants such as Loft and Trattoria Il Villagio, and as far as hotels

ias\ la standarde. Avem nevoie de noi pepiniere de unde s\ putem recruta personal cu o baz\ bun\. Criza de personal s-a adâncit fantastic în acest domeniu, vorbim de un deficit de peste 70000 de persoane, astfel c\ împin[i de nevoie sau din disperare, proprietarii iau de pe pia]\ orice resurse g\sesc, cu sau f\r\ preg\tire. {i atunci apar aceste discrepan]e [i aceast\ aur\ cumva negativ\ în privin]a serviciilor.

Cum este dinamica sectorului pe zone? Unde merg romånii cel mai mult? Ce zona o duce cel mai bine?

Dinamica sectorului flucteaz\. În prezent, se simte o îmbun\t\]ire la nivel na]ional. În pandemie, sta]iunile au mers mult mai bine decât marile ora[e. Oamenii au c\utat totu[i s\ c\l\toreasc\ prin ]ar\, s\ ias\ la aer curat. Zonele montane au dus-o cel mai bine, ajut\ relieful, clima, infrastructura de caz\ri, care a început s\ fie tot mai dezvoltat\. Desigur, mai e mult pân\ departe, pân\ vom avea OMD-urile implementate, pân\ se va dezvolta infrastructura din perspectiva drumurilor. Dar eu sunt încrez\tor în viitor [i se simte o dorin]\ de evolu]ie atât din sfera privat\, cât [i dinspre autorit\]i.

Care este restaurantul/ hotelul preferat din România?

Mi-ar pl\cea s\ pot da exemple în acest sens, îns\ recunosc c\ timpul mi-a limitat ie[irile la restaurante sau plec\rile la munte, altele decât cele în care am [i business-ul. S\ dezvol]i o afacere s\n\toas\ în HoReCa [i în turism, în general, presupune implicare total\. Astfel, nominalizez cu drag câteva locuri preferate, care sunt [i parte din business, c\ci nu a[ putea fi implicat total dac\ nu mi-ar [i pl\cea mult. Nominalizez aici ca restaurante Loft [i TrattoriaIl Villagio, iar ca hoteluri Epoque Hotel, din Bucure[ti, precum [i hotelul Nyota, din Mamaia. Cum am putea atrage str\inii? Ce tip de turism ar trebui s\ abord\m?

În primul rând cu o strategie de promovare a turismului de incoming coerent\ [i implementat\ profesionist. Dac\ ne uit\m la prezen]a noastr\ la târgurile interna]ionale, ne d\m seama cât de departe suntem. Str\inii nu în]eleg ce avem noi aici, ce locuri, ce tradi]ii, ce experien]e. La noi, se preteaz\ extraordinar turismul montan, balnear, viticol, culinar. Dar sunt multe zone unde sunt necesare investi]ii masive în facilit\]i [i infrastructur\.

Cum a]i promova dvs. România?

Onest, nu sunt specialist în promovare. Dar intui]ia îmi spune c\ [i un simplu mesaj c\ g\sesc aici locuri minune, unicat, precum Delta Dun\rii, Canionul României, Transalpina, Cazanele Dun\rii [i atâtea altele [i crearea unor pachete pentru diferite categorii de public, [i tot ar ajuta. Eu azi nu a[ putea s\ îi prezint unui str\in un site oficial al ]\rii, care s\ ne reprezinte [i s\ poat\ fi un magnet pentru poten]ialii turi[ti. go, the Epoque Hotel in Bucharest, as well as the Nyota in Mamaia.

How could we attract foreigners? How should we approach tourism?

First of all, we need a coherent and professionally implemented strategy to promote incoming tourism. If we take a look at our “presence” at international tourism festivals, we can see how far we are. Foreigners don’t understand what we have here – such places, such traditions, such experiences… Our country lends itself extraordinarily well to mountain tourism, balneal tourism, viticultural tourism, culinary tourism… But there are lots of places that need massive investments in the infrastructure and facilities.

How would you promote Romania?

Honestly, I am no marketing specialist, but my intuition tells me that even a simple message conveying that here you can find wonderful, unique places such as the Danube Delta, Romania’s Grand Canyon, The Transalpina, The Danube’s Boilers, and so many others, coupled with the creation of touristic packages for the different categories of tourists – and even just that would help. Today, I cannot show to a foreigner an official website of our country, a website which does justice to our country and which would be a magnet for potential tourists.

Anita Huzum

ConsultantComunicare & Brand Personal Brandelligence PR