Newsletter

The cross-border project entitled “Adventure, leisure, fun” – Promoting the tourism offer of Hajdú-Bihar and Bihor counties” is jointly implemented by the Hajdú-Bihar County Council, Megyegazda Nonprofit Kft., Oradea City Hall, and Bihor County Council.

How was the project ideea born?
Hajdú-Bihar and Bihor counties have rich and attractive tourism sites and offers; however, the preparation and promotion of a guide and database with tourist attractions can be very expensive. Considering this, our project idea seemd to be just the right solution for the joint, large-scale promotion of the two counties and the Bihar-Bihor Euroregion and of their peculiar and specific values or endowments.

We have long debated with experts both the common development opportunities of the two counties in terms of tourism, as well as the professional content of the project. We discussed the number of common tourist packages, their timing and joint promotion, and last but not least, about the location of the Tourinform offices aiming to present the local attractions. These debates proved to be very useful, especially because a similar initiative aiming to unfold and explore the tourism development potential of the two counties had never been undertaken before.

Which are the objectives and main activities of the project?
The objective of the project was to boost tourism in Hajdú-Bihar and Bihor counties both on regional and international level. To reach this bold objective we have inventoried, systematized then presented through a number of tourism packages the potential and attractions of this region. In parallel, we launched an intensive marketing campaign based on seven tourism packages developed within the project, in topicsranginf rom cultural heritage and monuments, folklore art, national parks, gastronomy, rural and business tourism, to therapeutic and wellness tourism and presented in various multi-lungual booklets.. These packages aim at increasing the number of tourists and revenues from tourism.

For advertising purposes, a joint marketing campaign was launched in the spring of 2011 (out-door, print, TV, radio and Internet), which reached far beyond the border area, since attracting visitors from other regions is also very important for ensuring sustainability and a bigger impact. As part of the campaign, the 20-second radio spot was aired 722 times, while the TV commercial was inserted 180 times. Within the same campaign, 57 announcements appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines. Internet-promotion was done through a variety of news portals, such as www.monitorulcj.ro (Cluj); www.agenda.ro (Timişoara); ww.szatmar.ro (Satu Mare); www.transindex.ro (Ardeal), www.haon, www.szon.hu, www.beol.hu, www.delmagyar.hu (Hajdú-Bihar websites), www.index.hu (national site from Hungary).

Besides the activities mentioned before, the project was presented at several fairs and exhibitions through a common stand,  and several one-day study tours/professional meetings were organized for journalists and tour operators as well. Participants had the opportunity to immerse themselves into the local culture, and visiting  places ideal for a pleasant holiday or for sampling specific gastronomy products.

The project website (www.bihar-bihor.eu), is available in seven languages (Romanian, Hungarian, English, German, French, Slovak, Polish and Russian), and offers visitors an insight into history and present life of the two counties, a frequently updated calendar of events and available tourism opportunities.

What about the capitalisation of results on long-term?
Hajdú-Bihar County registered significant investment, from European funds and own resources, for tourism development or improvement of accommodation facilities, especially in Debrecen – Hajdúszoboszló – Hortobágy area. In Bihor County, focus is on promoting tourist areas in Bihor Mountains, Flowers Meadow’s promotion being a priority. Another key project, supported from European funds, is the development of Oradea Fortress, which will soon become a European Tourist Centre.

The present project brings a significant added value to the development and operation of the previous and current tourism-related investments, because it contributes to joint promotion of the areas tourism offer  through the elaboration of a joint tourism product.

Additional information on the project>>