Tourism, Nationalism and Post-Communist Romania: The Life and Death of Dracula Park

The following analysis examines how Romania is responding to Dracula as a tourist attraction and focuses on the debate surrounding the proposed development of Dracula Park. The theme park employed a mythology developed from Bram Stoker's popularised Count Dracula, a character loosely based on medieval Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes. The proposal triggered a string of heated debates that eventually thwarted the project. Although Dracula Park was met with opposition in Romania and from abroad, tourism (mainly from the western European Union and north American countries) to ‘Dracula sites’ continues and local tourism industries are thriving. This paper will contextualise this situation in longstanding debates on national identity and attempts to redefine Romania after Communism.