Hospitality in the Karcag small region

Hekliné Herbály, Katalin

To summarise, it can be stated that the Karcag small region can continue to enrich Hungary’s range of tourist attractions in the future, primarily due to its natural attributes (rivers and backwaters, kun burial barrows, plains, ancient plant and animal life) and its spa-based hospitality industry. All this is effectively complemented by the assets to be found in the built environment (museums, churches and other buildings), as well as the extant traditions, cultural events and programmes. In connection with this, in the course of our research we examined the current activities of local hosts and their ideas for the future. A questionnaire and interview-based survey conducted in 2002 among the aforementioned group found conclusively that it is not village tourism as per the criteria set out in the specialist literature, which characterises the small region, but rather the regional tourism that takes place in village and small town environments – closer to the paying guest model. The accommodation available to guests is of an adequate standard and the hosts are attached to their homes, the majority expressed a desire to develop their current activities in the event of the indicated support (advertising opportunities, foreign language learning, event organisation), being available. In the context of a coordinated small region tourism development programme these efforts can secure the achievement of a hospitality sector – primarily built on spa- and eco-tourism – that offers the opportunity of increasing income for those living in the small region and, as a result, greater population retention in the region under examination.

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