Editing Moldova (section)

=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in Moldova}}
Moldova is one of the least visited countries in Europe, and tourism consequently plays a relatively minor role in the country's overall economy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petterson |first=Leif |date=2 July 2013 |title=Moldova: embracing its status as Europe's least-visited country |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/moldova-embracing-its-status-as-europes-least-visited-country |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[Lonely Planet]] |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815203959/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/moldova-embracing-its-status-as-europes-least-visited-country |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the impact of [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine]], Moldova saw more foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2022 than pre-[[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]], going from 31,000 non-resident tourists in 2019 to 36,100 in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buckley |first=Julia |date=6 August 2022 |title=How the Ukraine invasion flattened Eastern European tourism |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ukraine-invasion-tourism-eastern-europe/index.html |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112942/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/ukraine-invasion-tourism-eastern-europe/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This still makes it one of the least-visited countries in Europe, however in recent years a number of Western media outlets have begun to highlight Moldova and its capital city [[Chișinău]] as an attractive tourism destination due to its picturesque natural landscapes, 300 days of sunshine per year, low prices, ancient wine culture, and mix of regional cultural influences.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Erizanu |first=Paula |date=1 June 2023 |title=I've come to love Chișinău: my home city in Moldova deserves the spotlight |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/jun/01/ive-come-to-love-chisinau-my-home-city-moldova-deserves-the-spotlight |access-date=2 August 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018234919/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/jun/01/ive-come-to-love-chisinau-my-home-city-moldova-deserves-the-spotlight |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Tim |date=30 September 2021 |title=Chisinau city guide: Where to eat, drink and stay in Moldova's capital |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/moldova/chisinau-travel-guide-best-hotels-city-restaurants-things-to-do-b1926513.html |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[The Independent]] |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705202221/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/moldova/chisinau-travel-guide-best-hotels-city-restaurants-things-to-do-b1926513.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Jen Rose |date=8 May 2019 |title=Why you should go to the world's least-visited countries |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-countries-travel/index.html |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[CNN]] |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112942/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-countries-travel/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=27 August 2016 |title=25 quirky facts about Europe's least touristy country |language=en-GB |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/articles/amazing-facts-about-moldova/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112942/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/articles/amazing-facts-about-moldova/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Suri |first=Charu |date=12 February 2018 |title=This Enchanting Country May Be Eastern Europe's Best-Kept Secret |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/moldova-design-travel-guide |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[Architectural Digest]] |language=en-US |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112943/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/moldova-design-travel-guide |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Chris |date=28 February 2019 |title=Moldova: exploring Europe's poorest and least visited nation |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2187876/exploring-moldova-europes-poorest-country-and-its |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112943/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2187876/exploring-moldova-europes-poorest-country-and-its |url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism in Moldova has focused on the country's natural landscapes, historical sites, and historic wine tradition. The government promotes international tourism within the country through its Moldova Travel brand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moldova.travel – the official tourist portal of Moldova |url=https://moldova.travel/en/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=Moldova Travel |language=en-US |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112944/https://moldova.travel/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Moldova is internationally connected by plane via [[Chișinău International Airport]], with direct flights to and from many European destinations, including [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam Schiphol]], [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport|Berlin Brandenburg]], [[London Stansted Airport|London Stansted]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Tel Aviv]]'s [[Ben Gurion Airport]], [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport|Rome–Fiumicino Airport]], [[Istanbul Airport]], and [[Dubai International Airport]]. Rail links connect it via direct overnight trains to neighbouring [[Bucharest]], [[Kyiv]], [[Odesa]], and formerly Moscow.<ref name="www.seat61.com">{{Cite web |title=How to travel by train from London to Moldova |url=https://www.seat61.com/Moldova.htm |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=www.seat61.com |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112943/https://www.seat61.com/Moldova.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Moldovan citizens also enjoy visa-free travel across the [[Schengen Area]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Bleona |date=30 April 2022 |title=Moldova Marks 8 Years of Visa-Free Travel to EU |url=https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/moldova-marks-8-years-of-visa-free-travel-to-eu/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=SchengenVisaInfo.com |language=en |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501073005/https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/moldova-marks-8-years-of-visa-free-travel-to-eu/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Orhei_Moldova.jpg|thumb|[[Orhei National Park]]]]
As a major exporter of wine with more than 142 wineries and the largest wine cellar in the world, vineyard tours are offered to tourists across the country. Major sites include the [[Cricova (winery)|Cricova]] winery, whose wine cellar stretches more than {{convert|120|km|mi|abbr=off}}; [[Mimi Castle|Castel Mimi]], a 19th-century chateau with vineyards, a museum, art gallery, spa, hotel, and restaurant; and [[Mileștii Mici (winery)|Mileștii Mici]], which boasts the world's largest collection of wine.<ref name="Guinness World Records" /> As a country with a deep history of [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], the country also has more than 50 monasteries and 700 churches.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 October 2019 |title=The world's least visited countries – have you been to any of them? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/least-visited-countries-in-the-world/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=The Telegraph |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112944/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/least-visited-countries-in-the-world/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the most famous and well-visited are the [[Old Orhei]] [[List of cave monasteries|Cave Monastery]], carved into a cliff face in the 13th century and still in use today, and the 19th century [[Nativity Cathedral, Chișinău|Nativity Cathedral]] in the centre of Chișinău. [[UNESCO]] includes both the Old Orhei Archaeological Landscape, which features evidence of settlements dating back to at least the 12th century, and the typical [[Chernozem]] soil on the [[Bălți Steppe]] of Moldova (the most arable soil on the planet) on its Tentative List of [[World Heritage Site]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Orheiul Vechi Archaeological Landscape |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6220/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109033906/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6220/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=The Typical Chernozem Soils of the Balti Steppe |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5647/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107092451/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5647/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The capital city of [[Chișinău]] hosts most of the country's national museums, including the [[National Museum of Fine Arts, Chișinău|National Museum of Fine Arts]], [[Moldova State University]], Brancusi Gallery, the [[National Museum of History of Moldova]] with over 236,000 exhibits, as well as bustling markets in the north of the city, including the house where [[Alexander Pushkin]] once resided while in exile from the [[Tsar|Russian Tsar]], and which has since been turned into a museum. Every year on 3–4 October, the country celebrates National Wine Day, where wine producers open up their wineries to the general public and provide shuttle buses between locations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waller |first=John |date=9 October 2022 |title=Travel: Exploring Moldova – Europe's 'least known country' |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/23034228.travel-exploring-moldova---europes-least-known-country/ |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=[[Bradford Telegraph and Argus]] |language=en |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802112944/https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/23034228.travel-exploring-moldova---europes-least-known-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref>