TOURISM PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SALT LAKES OF OCNELE MARI AND OCNI A

Tourism Planning Opportunities for The Salt Lakes of Ocnele Mari and Ocni a. Ocnele Mari used to be a popular balneal tourism destination in the Southern region of Romania, Oltenia. Due to the hilly climate and the two balneal establishments of Ocnele Mari and Ocni a, tourists could find the necessary natural cure factors for rheumatic and cardiovascular diseases. However, the salt from Ocnele Mari was also used for industrial purposes, being extracted through solution mining, which proved to be detrimental to the environment. Salt underground dissolution caused land subsidence and landslide in the area, together with the formation of large salt lakes. Security became an issue, the number of tourists diminished and the balneal equipment became obsolete because of lack of modernization investment. Under these circumstances, on the basis of field work, we have reached the conclusion that a better planning of the resort and of the salt lakes would contribute to the economic development of the region.