In an increasingly dynamic market, with complex consumer behavior and product attributes, the fundamental task for destination management is understanding what are the new tourism developments and trends, the new techniques and approaches required to handle them effectively, the new business models that generate major impacts for tourism and its competitive positioning strategies, as well as how tourism destination competitiveness can be sustained and enhanced. Tourism has become a fiercely competitive business for destinations the world over. Competitive advantage is no longer natural, but increasingly man-made, driven by information technology and innovation. As such, it is not simply the stock of natural resources of Romania that will determine its share in the tourism market, but rather how these resources are managed and integrated with other competences to create a competitive advantage. The objective of this paper is to identify the elements of a new paradigm, specific to Romania, which would help it become and remain competitive within the international tourism industry. In the paper we argue that one of the best ways to do this is to identify and integrate the critical success factors that could boost competitive advantage and achieve sustainable growth over the longer term.