Hirek

supported by the Visegrad Fund Strategic Grant - Internal Cohesion of the Visegrad Group (no. 31210067)

Overview

The project aims to analyze and develop tourism in the historic cities of the V4 countries, additionally to create a group of researchers. Best practices will be exchanged at the conferences workshops and study-trips. The publications and the online questioning will provide basis for the brand of tourism in the historic cities targeting European and non-European tourists. Proposed thematic routes and online database will strengthen the internal cohesion and networking of stakeholders.

Grant holder:

Department of Social Geography and Regional Development Planning, University of Debrecen

Partners:

• University of Presov in Presov, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Department of Geography
• Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management
• University of Wrocław, Institute of Geography and Regional
• Development
• Palacký University in Olomouc
• Károly Róbert College,

Detailed project description

The project aims to support the development of tourism in the historic cities of the Visegrad countries.

In the first part of the project an overview will be done about the role of tourism in the regional development of the V4 countries. The historical towns of the V4 countries will be delimited by different definitions of the connecting special literature. The contribution of historical heritage to the economic reconstruction and to the spatial-social cohesion will be discovered.

In the second part of the project the development paths of historic cities will be investigated by casestudies. The factors of social-economic transition, the different roles of stakeholders in the touristic development process and the potential financial resources of developments will be analysed. In third phase best practices will be selected and presented regarding tourism developments in historic cities. An online questioning will be fulfilled in each V4 country in order to discover the common historical heritage, values and ideas.

In the fourth part of the project, concluding elements of a common brand for V4 historical tourism developments will be stated. Possible thematic routes will be proposed to give common and complex touristic experiences for non-European tourists as well.

An online database for historical cities will be created as part of the project. The exchange of best practices and experiences of touristic experts, researchers and stakeholders will be based on the planned workshops and study trips. These objectives will prepare the basis for a modularly extendable network of historical cities in the Visegrad countries. The realization of these objectives might strengthen the development of tourism and social-economic cohesion within the given segment.

Events

Opening Workshop

1st Conference

2nd Workshop

Closing Conference

Expected outputs

• 2 conferences and 2 work-shops in 4 countries – 2 days + 1 day field trip/study tour
• Three publications, each of them with 200 pages, 300 copies to be printed:
  • First is about the overview of the role of tourism in the spatial-economic cohesion and competitiveness of the V4 countries;
  • Second is about the development paths and social economic factors of historic cities; stakeholders and financial resources of tourism;
  • Third is about the best practices of tourism developments in historic cities.
• Album (coloured marketing material) with 300 pieces and 70 pages; with maps and the proposed
• thematic routes;
• Online information database as part of the webpage;
• Brand of the common heritage of historical towns in V4 countries (targeting non-European tourists) by the online questioner.

Summer School 2013