This interview requires a short preface. As part of the media coverage for the Startup City Cahul project, I will be writing one interview per month with a member of the diaspora - someone from Cahul or southern Moldova.

Just as I was starting to gather information about the heroes, I got a link to an interview in Forbes Romania, 30 under 30, on promising young entrepreneurs. The interview was with Nicu Știrbeț. Nicu left Moldova a long time ago, and, at the time of the interview, was working as a banking supervision analyst at the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt - supervising the largest banks in the EU. He also invested the funds he had at his disposal in setting up a unique tourist attraction in his home village - Eco-Village Văleni (Nicu was born in Văleni).

How could I not find Nicu for an interview? It was a must. 

Hello, Nicu. As I understand, you left Moldova a long time ago? Did you leave for your studies?

Precisely. For the last ten years, I've lived in six or seven European countries and did my studies in Scotland and Austria, being a graduate of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the University of Economics in Vienna.

Are you still working in Frankfurt?

Not anymore. Now I've moved closer to home, namely, to Bucharest, where I work for the Central Bank of Romania as an expert of the European Bank. I supervise digitalization and professional training.

However, working in European countries hasn't stopped you from starting a tourism business in Moldova?

After graduation, I continued doing internships, attending various courses, and, at some point, I realized the touristic potential of the unique region of Moldova where I was born. Văleni Village is an amazing place, due to its beautiful nature, authentic local cuisine, Moldovan wines, and the spirit of Moldovan villages, folk craftsmen, the folklore, the Prut Valley, and the Beleu Lake.

How did you decide to do business in Moldova remotely?

First of all, it is a family business, as my whole family is involved in this project. I set up Eco-Village Văleni back in 2014, on my scholarship money and then on my salary. Ecotourism development was the subject of my bachelor thesis. The concept was based on the idea of a traditional museum, ecological apartments, a restaurant, and a small winery. All of these were to be combined with fairs of local craftsmen. The business model involved working with large groups of foreign tourists for whom a special cultural program was created.

And did it work out?

Absolutely. Eco-Village Văleni has become an attractive destination for tourists from Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands (visited by over a thousand tourists a year). A special program for large groups of tourists was created to engage all visitors in a short time.

I can only imagine what a shock the pandemic was when the flow of tourists stopped completely...

Indeed, it was quite an ordeal. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. Sooner or later, the pandemic will end and the flow of foreign tourists will resume. In these two years, we have tested the second business model – trying to make Eco-Village Văleni attractive for local tourism.

Though, I guess there are no 100 people groups for domestic tourism in Moldova, are there?

You are right. There are either very small groups or couples coming. Therefore, the tour package had to be adjusted as well, extending the visit from a few hours to a few days. We have built and opened four ecological houses, created in traditional style, made of reeds, clay, and straw. They can accommodate up to 24 people. We are also focusing more on winemaking. Corbu Winery has already become a well-known winery in the region, which is itself attractive to local tourists. I was really happy that over the years Eco-Village Văleni has been also discovered by tourists from Cahul which we didn't have much of before. It's great to be able to open up our home region to our compatriots in a totally new way. In addition, the number of tourists from Romania is increasing. After all, we are very close to Romania, only 250 km from Bucharest and 35 km from Galati.

Do you think that Eco-Village Văleni could be an example for the development of similar businesses in other regions of Moldova?

I am always happy to share my experience. However, I would like to point out that the establishment of a tourism business should be preceded by a thorough analysis of the particularities of each region. It is necessary to consider what crafts exist in the region, what traditions, what festivals are organized. A good tourist destination is not a hotel or a restaurant, but a well-thought-out ecosystem that can transpose the visitor into another world. Luckily, Moldova's regions have enough potential for this.

Nicu, let’s also discuss some topics that are not related to tourism. You mentioned digitalization as one of your main activities. How important do you think it is for Moldova and the southern region to develop digitization processes and the IT industry?

I see three strategic development directions for Moldova - winemaking, tourism, and IT. It is necessary to create conditions for international IT companies to come to Moldova, as their work culture will give a serious boost to the quality of human resources in Moldova. We do not have to go too far to observe an example - Romania, our neighbor, has now become a European leader in cyber security. The European Cyber Security Centre has been opened in Romania, in Bucharest. Thus, Moldova needs to integrate more into the European market, and develop closer human ties with Europe. By the way, regional tourism only stimulates these processes.

EU4Moldova team: Startup City Cahul will organize the December Tech Coffee on December 15 at 10:30.

Tech Coffee is an event that strengthens the tech community in the region through networking events, exchange of views, and experiences to initiate local cooperation between people interested in this field.

The event aims to discuss topics of public interest, opportunities and identify potential members of the tech community.

During the 6 editions of the event, which took place in Cahul, the participants discussed the opportunities offered by the technology community, the potential for tourism development and digitalization in the southern region of the country, what is a start-up and how to develop it, the Paynet online portfolio, how to use it and what are the benefits of using payment tools.

In the last edition on November 24, we discussed digital skills needed in the labor market, STEM and IT subjects taught to students and learners, as well as problems faced by teachers teaching IT subjects and the need for educational programs for the Cahul region.

To receive information about other events organized by the EU4Moldova team: Startup City Cahul and to become a member of the Cahul tech community, you can register by filling out the following form.

Pavel Zingan