ACTION: D.2:

Development and running of eco-tourism services

The aim of the action is the introduction of the project in wide-range. Beside that, the long-term self-supporting operation of eco-centre from the income of services.

  
Photo: The boosting of eco-tourism in Hortobágy is very important from the point of view of the project (Photo: János Oláh).

In 2009: We put together a list of eco-tourism services that we would like to realize and planned the appearance of disseminations: website, brochure, adds and change of links.

In 2010: The company who prepared the brochure was selected and contracted. The Hungarian version of the brochure was ready in August while the English version is due to come out in January 2011. The program will start in spring 2011.

In 2011: The Hungarian and English version of the brochure was ready by January 2011 and we continuously distribute these in the Hortobágy region. The eco-tourist program will start in spring 2012. All the eco-tourist facilities have been uploaded to our website; please see at Ecotourism. The accommodation part is not operational yet until the visitor centre cannot officially accept visitors but hopefully by early 2012 it will be all available. Until 1st of November the estimated number of visitors to the project site was 340. So far mainly local people interested in nature conservation and foreign birdwatching tourists has visited the project site. With the opening of the visitor centre and through our eco-tourist offers a much wider range of people will have the opportunity to get familiar with the project and its results.

In 2012: The intended target of the action has been 95% achieved by the end of 2012 as the eco tourism programmes were elaborated and the advertising has started as well. In 2012 all HEA’s eco tourist facilities and programmes were finalized and now available on our website in details. We are expecting visitors from spring 2013.

2013: The accommodation rental was only launched as recently as the 14th of October 2013 but HEA already has several bookings for the room in spring 2014. We had many local people interested in the short guided tours but they were all guided free of charge with the partly project purchased binoculars and telescopes.