Romania's three tourism spots by Charlie Ottley to air on BBC World News in November

Campaign launch

Romania's Ministry of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT) is running a promotional campaign on BBC World News built around three 60-second spots made with British journalist Charlie Ottley. According to the ministry's press release, the spots will be broadcast 20 times in total between 1 and 29 November 2026. Each clip presents the country through its nature, adventure, cultural heritage and local identity. The ministry presents the campaign as a way to show Romania as a destination that can be explored in every season.

Minister Daniel Zamfir explained the message behind the Dracula-themed spot in a statement:

“Important is that tourists discover that Romania means much more than this legend, that it has destinations and tourist experiences worth exploring in all seasons”

Three spots, three concepts

The first spot, Wild Romania, focuses on landscapes, nature, and opportunities for ecotourism and adventure. Sounds Like Romania presents the country through its natural soundscape. The third, Romania, So Much More Than Dracula!, takes a different angle on the Dracula myth and puts the natural and cultural attractions of Transylvania in front. Libertatea describes the Halloween-timed clip as a humorous take on the legend, in which two young backpackers are followed by Nosferatu but largely ignore him. The outlet lists Corvin Castle, Sighișoara, Făgăraș Fortress, Viscri and the Carpathian Mountains among the places shown, and says the film is framed as a letter a young tourist writes to his parents after a holiday in Transylvania. The clip ends with a twist in which Dracula achieves his goal in the final scenes, according to the same description.

Ottley's role and the extra airings

Ottley moved permanently to Romania and obtained Romanian citizenship at the end of 2025. In summer 2026 he announced that he would convert the original visitor centre in Șirnea, where he lives, into an English pub. His efforts secured two extra broadcast days for the final spot, on 30 and 31 October, including Halloween, ahead of the campaign's official start. Ottley also wrote on Facebook that a one-minute version of the film would air on BBC World News, alongside other new films that would run for a month.

Timing and the London trade fair

The broadcast window overlaps with Romania's participation in World Travel Market (WTM) in London, held from 3 to 5 November and organised by MEDAT. The national stand will host 35 co-exhibitors, and the Romanian delegation will be led by the economy minister. The sequence of extra airings, the campaign start and the trade fair is set out below.

Zamfir linked the campaign to a broader need for investment in the sector, saying:

“We must promote them better on international markets, but also support their development through investment.”

The campaign's final scheduled airing falls on 29 November, closing a month of broadcasts that the ministry frames as a way to draw an international audience to Romania's tourism offer.