The Foundation for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Bihor has a new director – Oradea live

Alexandru Chira, the director of the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Oradea and the Region (Visit Oradea), was appointed, as of April 1, to lead the Foundation for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Bihor County (Oradea Heritage). Oradea Heritage deals with the preservation and management of Oradea’s heritage monuments, including the tourist attractions of the City Hall Tower, Darvas-La Roche House, Sion Neolog Synagogue, Freemasonry Temple, Aachvas Rein Synagogue and Madách Imre Passage.

Alexandru Chira held the position of executive director of Visit Oradea in the period 2020-2022, and from 2022 that of general director. In this capacity, he was the initiator of many major projects, among which we mention obtaining the status of a spa area for Oradea, obtaining the status of NGO of public utility for Visit Oradea, designing and implementing the campaign of freebies for tourists “Oradea with Drag”, free guided tours , the launch of an integrated CRM tourist management program, the first augmented reality application for tourists, the promotion campaign with BBC journalist Charlie Ottley. Added to these are other cultural events, among which we mention the José Carreras concert, Sounds of Oradea Festival, where the famous soprano Angela Gheorghiu will perform for the first time in Oradea, Digital Crusade, the first digital sports competition in the city, the Old Dilema and Unchain Conferences Fintech Festival.

In the last two years, Visit Oradea has marked a series of increases in performance indicators, the most notable being the attraction of a record number of tourists, the increase of event budgets through partnerships with private companies and the further development of established events such as FestiFall, the Festival Medieval Oradea, TIFF Oradea, Oradea Summer Film, Oradea Christmas Fair and City of Good Deeds.

“I will manage Oradea Heritage on the same principles of transparency and efficiency as Visit Oradea, aiming to create added value both for Oradea residents and tourists. The joint management of the two organizations will create a natural synergy, with Visit Oradea having the role of attracting tourists and Oradea Heritage increasing the attractiveness of the destination. I will focus on creating effective campaigns and performing tourism products at the destination level for the objectives managed by the Foundation and improving the experience of visiting them. The program to rehabilitate the facades and prevent the degradation of historical monuments in Oradea and the county is an extremely important priority that I will coordinate closely with internal and external specialists.

Oradea Heritage will continue the programs that have been successful, but aiming to increase the number of visitors to certain objectives that are less popular today and to diversify the types of exhibitions”, said the new executive director of Oradea Heritage, Alexandru Chira.