SO21 Cultural and natural heritage

Key Information

Summary

The trilateral region is characterised by the cultural identities of the three states named Austria, Hungary and Slovenia.

The particular characteristic of this border region is diversity-diversity of nature, landscapes, languages and cultures plus diversity of regional food and drink.

This common USP is rarely being used so far and is hardly meeting the rising demand of visitors for cross border offers.

There is also a lack of networking concerning nature and cultural specials with hotels and hosts both in the region and abroad.

There is also no possibility for sufficient customer advisory service because the tourism actors (in the Front Office Area e.g. information of tourism, hots, hotels, and gastronomy) nationwide knowledge for offers/sights across the borders is very low.

Therefore, it appears necessary to create not only a qualitative development of existing facilities but also to advance an appropriate target group preparation of new natural attractions.

It is advisable that there is a strong need of networking of all relevant actors across borders to make the common USP touchable for the guest.

Because of these innovative common efforts, the concrete networking and new offers across the year, the region will become attractive for the guest and the off season will be boasted.

These proposals would contribute to increase the number of overnight stays for a long lasting time.

All planned activities of this project cover the development of offers and product to three guiding themes (cistercians, cycling and hiking) concerning common impliments to increase advisory skills,public relations work and marketing as well as the creation of nature touristic infrastructure.

Key Information

Summary

Alpannonia is a cross-border alpin and panorama hiking trail which binds the Eastern-Alps with the Pannonian-plain. In the programming period 2007-2013 a successful ETC project was implemented related to this issue. Unified board- and sign-system, start-gates with overview map were established, besides that at some points of the trail ecotouristic infrastructure was expanded in order to enhance attractiveness. Touristic service providers along the trail were also involved in the project. As a result of these developments hikers and nature-lovers could “sense” this unique offer in Europe but its national and international publicity was really low. The main goal of the project alpannonia plus is optimizing and expanding the hiking trail based on common conception, creating a long-term actuation strategy to the whole hiking-destination, quality assurance of the trails and qualification of touristic service providers by common created criteria in favour of sustainable green tourism. Improvement of touristic products and services will be implemented by providers and experts with mutual know-how-transfer and intensive cooperation. Hiking guides will have specialized education. New communication platforms will be established in order to help with standing the competition on the international market of ecotourism. In some settlements infrastructural developments will be carried out to satisfy the basic needs of hikers and to make the trail more attractive. On the operative level of the project settlements, touristic service providers and nature parks will benefit. The number of locals, day-visitors and long-trail hikers who resort to new attractions and resting places will increase. Innovative products (hiking all year, hiking & health, winter hiking) their promotion and merchandizing will insure economic growth in the project area. Through all of these the number of visitors and overnights will sustainably increase so the regional providers will economically benefit.

Key Information

Summary

The main areas affected by the project are the region of South Burgenland and Vas county, which are among the richest regions in historical and archaeological values. This area, divided by a state border now since nearly a century, was previously one undivided area since the Stone Age. Many outstanding historical and archaeological treasures of this region are still waiting to be unraveled. These excavations were always undertakings on a national level, and as such there were no intentions to consider the entire former territory, and some archaeological sites have never been the target of a cross-border cooperation. In order to present the historically unified nature of this region that is now split in two by a border, to unveil for the public, and to develop a common touristic offer, a cross-border cooperation between museum and tourism partners is needed. This would allow to make common historical and archaeological values visible / perceptible from a touristic point of view. Combining the broad knowledge of the program area, the PPs and the involved SPs develop a "methodology / manual" and then initiate a total of 6 research projects, during which they explore the most significant excavation sites of the project area while also processing them scientifically. In 5 archaeological excavations so called info points will be established. A joint bilateral scientific workgroup is set up, which monitors and evaluates the professional work being done and draws up a long-term professional cooperation agreement.  Building on new knowledge / achievements and existing sites, like those exhibiting archaeological and historical treasures, a treasure map & travel guide and a guide application will be made, then multi-day, historical and archaeological common experience packages will be created based on them. The various targeted educational activities related to historical and archaeological values contribute to the efficiency of the project, as well.

Key Information

Summary

Austria’s and Hungary’s joint natural heritage in the West Pannonian area is characterized by a diversity that is unique in Europe, moreover it can be experienced throughout the year due to the special topography and climate of the region – a repository of opportunities the cross-border aspects of which have only been partly made use of so far.The main goals of the project are therefore: the coordinated use of natural and cultural heritage, through developing the network of West Pannonian nature and national parks established in 2008, that have been keeping close contact with the key actors of regional development, and the development and optimization of sustainable, cross-border, accessible (barrier-free) nature-tourism offers.

Further important aims of the project are the common quantitative and qualitative development of visitor programs in the nature and national parks; the mutual definition of nature tourism; the perfection of opportunities that establish nature experience, and serve environmental education, and awareness-raising purposes; developing the activities and infrastructure that allow nature experience to be accessible to people with special needs; furthermore increasing the involvement of tourism organizations in an effort to prolong the nature tourism seasons.

The project partners evaluate the specific demands for the development of nature tourism services on both sides of the border in an effort to determine a joint approach and joint marketing strategy for the future positioning and design of these services. Tourism strategies in both countries resp. areas underline the importance of intact nature for their marketing – the acceptance to communicate new nature experience programs is therefore quite high. This establishes a cooperation that is not only cross-border but cross-sectoral (nature protection - tourism - education) in its nature that all professional fields of the border region can benefit from similarly.

Key Information

Summary

Studies in tourism have identified 3 strongly trending holiday activities: visiting cultural monuments, authentic nature experience, and physical activity. It’s not by accident, that cycling tourism has the strongest growth of all the tourism segments. It connects the desire to pursue sport activities with the discovery of natural and cultural heritage in a unique way. Notable experts vouch that the border region between Austria and Hungary with its diverse landscape varying between mountains and plains with a range of natural and cultural riches, has ideal conditions to be a top cycling region. The aim of Veloregio is to utilise this cross-border potential, so that the natural and cultural heritage combined with cycling tourism may increase overnight stay. In step 1 the partners define the cross-border cycling routes‘ binding qualitative criteria and the guidelines for protecting the natural and cultural heritage along these routes. Based on this, masterplans will be made for the top cross-border routes, in order to implement the given standards step by step, providing the cyclists with a unified quality standard. Within the framework of work package 2 cyclist-friendly hotels and tourism service providers will be invited to help develop cross-border offers made for mountain bikers, touring cyclists and highway cyclists alike. These tours will connect the regional protected natural habitats and cultural sites, presenting them in a sophisticated manner for cycling tourists. The work package communication will ensure that the interested cycling tourists will be made aware of the new offers. Work package 3 will implement measures for the sustainable monitoring of the project results. Lasting, bilateral cooperational structures will ensure the high quality of cross-border cooperation after the end of the project.

Key Information

Summary

The border region Burgenland/West-Hungary has a versatile natural and cultural heritage, which attracts more and more international visitors.

A specific feature of the project region are the various "Kellerstöckl" (wine cellars), which are often idyllically located in the hilly landscape. In Austria in the communities of the "Weinidylle" and on Hungarian side in eg. Vasi Hegyhát there are more than 1 000 of these buildings, but hardly any of them are nowadays used for their actual profession. Many of these "Kellerstöckl" are quite interesting as far as architecture is concerned and are an important factor for the touristic USP of that region. Actually only very few of these historic wine cellars are used for tourism purposes and are rent as "Kellerstöckl-apartments" in these days. There`s an increasing demand of these special offers, but we can see that the missing professional guidance (a central online booking-platform, guest check-in, visitor-support, central offers) simply doesn't fit the needs of our modern age.

Furthermore, there's the necessity to connect the touristic offers of the project region in a more effective way, to fit the requirements of the visitors more efficiently and to take part in the development of a cross-border wine-adventure-region. So, more international visitors shall be attracted by joint preparation of the natural and cultural heritage and development of cross-border touristic offers for potential customers. That should lead to more overnight-stays in the project-region. Altogether, all relevant offers and activities (as far as tourism is concerned) of the region Burgenland/West-Hungary shall be concentrated and displayed to the public as a whole wine region expirience. So, the project contributes to the protection of the cultural value.