Romanian hospitality sector sees revenue rise but profit fall, tip tax adds 600 million lei to state

The hospitality (HoReCa) industry in Romania recorded a 12% increase in turnover in 2025, reaching 58.44 billion lei. Despite the higher revenue, net profit fell to 3.54 billion lei, down from 4.17 billion lei in 2024, and the profit margin dropped to 6%, the lowest level since the pandemic. Employment in the sector grew to almost 195,000 workers, with restaurants and bars accounting for two‑thirds of jobs.

The tip‑tax introduced in 2023 began generating significant state revenue. In 2025, about 584 million lei were collected from the taxation of tips, contributing to a total of 12.2 billion lei in taxes, contributions and fees paid by the sector. The largest shares came from payroll taxes (≈5.68 billion lei), VAT (≈4.94 billion lei) and corporate profit tax (≈0.99 billion lei). The analysis was presented at the "Barometrul Ospitalității" conference organized by HORA – the Romanian Hotel and Restaurant Employers’ Association, with data compiled by economist Iancu Guda and the National Bank of Romania.