Abstract: Tourism has undertaken a vital role in the development of destinations in the entire world. In most cases, the culture is a major advantage for the development of tourism, as well as one of the main beneficiaries of this evolution. The culture is a major factor in the attractiveness of most of the destinations, not only from the tourism point of view, but also in the attraction of residents and of investments. In this article, the relation between tourism and culture is analyzed, as well as the manner in which they have become major drivers of regional attractiveness and competitiveness.
Culture and tourism have a reciprocal beneficial relationship, which can consolidate the impact of attractiveness and competitiveness of the regions and the countries in their development. Culture is a more and more important element of the tourist product, which, also, creates distinctively on an agglomerated market, at a world level, new metamorphoses of the local, regional and national tourist product. At the same time, tourism offers a very important means of consolidation of culture and the creation of incomes which can support and consolidate the cultural heritage, the cultural production and creativeness. The creation of a strong relationship between tourism and culture can help new destinations become themselves more attractive and more competitive as places to live, to visit and to work or to invest in their sustainable development.
During most of the 21th century, tourism and culture were viewed as largely separate aspects of destinations. Cultural resources were seen as part of the cultural heritage of destinations, largely related to the education of the local population and the underpinning of local or national cultural identities. Tourism, on the other hand, was largely viewed as a leisure-related activity separate from everyday life and the culture of the local population. This gradually changed towards the end of the century, as the role of cultural assets in attracting tourists and distinguishing detestations from one another become more obvious. In particular, from the 1980s onwards "cultural tourism" became viewed as a major source of economic development for many destinations.
The cultural tourism may offer alternative sources of income for the rural localities, cities, areas where the traditional industries have declined and whose economies or local communities have suffered. A flourishing cultural economy may improve the social and economical status of a city and may positively contribute to the life of the local communities.
Beyond the traces of the past, the landscapes and the cultural treasures of Romania, what the traveler or the cultural tourist discovers is the spirit of the place he/she visits, the vital energy of the people he/she meets.
Though strongly attached to their cultural norms and traditional values, these are special tourist flow gradually embraced contemporary history, the rapid processes of modernization of today's world, globalization and standardization in progress.


Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Mirela Elena Mazilu is professor of the University of Craiova, University Centre of Drobeta Turnu Severin, Drobeta Turnu Severin town, Romania. She has many national and international researches naming 11 books which were published as a single author; 4 university manuals especially in tourism; over 167 articles which were published in the volumes of the national and international Congresses, symposiums, conferences and seminars and also in prestigious magazines with CNCSIS range and over 194 participations to scientific events. Also, she published over 44 articles in international magazines in different fields such as: Sustainable tourism,European integration, ecology, environment protection, tourism and 46 articles in national journals CNCSIS,etc. She has 18 articles published in International Journals of specialty with ISI range and 2 in Naun Journal.
Her papers are cited in International Data Bases (42).With multiple preoccupations in the field of tourism, organizer of 2 Euro-regional fairs of tourism(with participation Mondial Travel Organization) and 3 International Conferences(2004,2006,2009) and in the 4th Conference organized the Special Session "Sustainable Tourism" in collaboration with WSEAS, Plenary Lecturer in Conference :Economy, Management and Transformation 2010 (EMT' 2010) organized by WSEAS, Chairman in many national and international conferences, reviewer in 4 Journals of Tourism, coordinator of over 20 research grants, member of doctoral commissions, winner of many diplomas of excellence on tourism and prizes for the researches made in tourism, member of many national(16) and international(22) tourism organizations (AIEST,CIRET,TIES,SUSTAINABLE TOURISM,TTRA,REZOTOUR, SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE MOUNTAIN RESEARCH NETWORK, CEDIMES ,etc.). Also member of Editorial boards of national and international journals on tourism, President of 2 NGO, in Tourism.