With a small but growing tourism sector, Moldova is attracting the attention of international hotel operators. Accor has revealed it is shortly to open its first Ibis Styles hotel in Moldova, as the country opens up its international tourism offer. Sited close to Chisinau International Airport, the hotel will be an ideal stopping off point for both business and leisure travellers. The 100 room property represents a EUR12 million investment, and will join a small yet growing group of internationally branded hotels in the country. Developer Regata Imobiliare SRL will have the hotel ready for opening in autumn 2025. It will be a key part of the German Village project. Designed as a city within the city, it features modern housing, schools, a hospital, great sports facilities and a business centre. The Ibis Styles property has a tennis theme to its design, echoing a motif that runs throughout the development, where there is a major tennis centre. In addition to its overnight accommodation, the hotel features event space, a fitness centre, and restaurant and bar. According to some commentators, Moldova is the least visited country in Europe, receiving just under 6 million visitors in 2024. There are just 2.6 million permanent residents, though. During the first quarter of 2025, tourist numbers were up 7.5% year on year, while the number of overnight stays increased by 23.2%, indicating that the country is growing as a travel destination. Savvy travellers are increasingly discovering the pleasures of the landlocked country. It is the fourteenth largest wine producing country in the world, and so wine-related tourism is on the rise. So too is medical tourism, with over 70% of Moldovan dentistry patients arriving from overseas, led by Italians, French and Americans. The Medical Tourism Association of Moldova also notes the country’s strengths in plastic surgery, and fertility treatment. Airlift is a key for the growth in tourism. Moldovan low cost airline FlyOne is the leading carrier at Chisinau airport, and in summer 2025 added new routes to Alicante, Bremen, Copenhagen and Lyon. Low cost airline Wizz Air will add further services for winter 2025, launching six new routes that will add close to 400,000 more seats to services in and out of Moldova. New direct connections will be with Athens, Bari, Billund, Karlsruhe, Maastricht and Milan. The airline will also increase the frequency of its connections to Berlin and Paris. The additions will grow Wizz Air’s Chisinau connections to 27 destinations, in 15 countries. For Accor, the addition will join its existing presence in the region, which includes the Mercure Chisinau Centre Jazz Hotel, and Berds Chisinau MGallery Hotel, which lays claim to being the country’s first boutique hotel. Also coming to Chisinau is a Hilton hotel, the group’s first property in the country. Hilton will be refurbishing the historic Dacia Hotel in the city centre, with the 150 room property relaunching in autumn 2026 as Hilton Garden Inn Chisinau.

Ibis coming to Moldova

Accor is set to open its first Ibis Styles hotel in Moldova, located near Chisinau International Airport, as part of the German Village development. The 100-room property represents a EUR12 million investment and will open in autumn 2025. The hotel will feature event space, a fitness centre, and a restaurant and bar, with a tennis-themed design. This expansion follows a growing tourism trend in Moldova, with tourist numbers rising 7.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 and overnight stays up 23.2%. The country is also seeing growth in medical tourism, with over 70% of dentistry patients coming from abroad. Airlift is being supported by new routes from FlyOne and Wizz Air, which are expanding their services to increase connectivity. Hilton is also launching its first property in the country by refurbishing the historic Dacia Hotel into a Hilton Garden Inn Chisinau, opening in autumn 2026.