Description (EN): The Project’s main objective is the sustainable development of the target region by organizing a single, coherent cross-border touristic area, based on natural, historic, and cultural heritage resulted in the increased number of visitors.Most border regions share similar challenges. These regions due to their geographic positions are economically disadvantaged, but their key position is a good opportunity for establishing cross-border / international cooperation. The project areas main challenge addressed by the project is that the touristic initiatives and attractions are mainly isolated from each other, their operators are rarely cooperating, and the attractions are covering smaller areas or less members of the target groupsProject is directly contributing to the programme priority specific objective for SO6/c, namely: ‘Sustainable use of natural, historic, and cultural heritage within the eligible area’. A synergic mix of natural, historic, and cultural heritage covered by the ‘umbrella’ of joint marketing and IT solutions, and operated by professional institutions, that are able to sustain the outputs and results of development, can lead to increasing the number of visitors and overnight stays in the eligible cross-border target area.Regarding tourism attractions, the Project’s main target group will be the general public, meaning our intention to make these cultural, historic and natural values available for people living in the eligible area and tourists visiting the area from outside. Development initiatives of the project will not focus solely on any special age groups, rather on reaching out for all tourists and inhabitants in the region, by sophisticated tourism supply, marketing, and IT tools.This project’s goal and originality is to offer more than just the cultural and historic heritage and the natural values, but to bring special experiences to the tourists of the region by setting up and promoting thematical routes and tourist attractions linked to a mobile phone application and covered by the ‘umbrella’ of joint marketing and IT solutions. This special application triggers transfer of the knowledge about the attractions included in this project.The Hungarian and Romanian parts of the target area are separated by borders, but socially, economically inseparable due to historical development and common features. This attribute can be used as potential for development. Considering the similarities in natural resources, landscape and cultural heritages, border regions could be competitors on the market, but the participants of this project choose not to compete, but to cooperate and take advantage of the situation by widening the spectrum of supplies. The cross-border cooperation will be more efficient in growing competitiveness (with other regions). This ethnic diversity, but cultural and natural homogeneity is a good found for establishing cross border activities, especially cultural and eco-tourism. This cross-border cooperation aims to show the common cultural and natural values of the region in different presentations. (Museums, churches, thematical routes, ‘eco-centre’, cycling trip routes, etc.)The main outputs of the project are as follows: Investment elements: Established interactive exhibitions, and renewed museum, convenient for the 21st century demand; Development of ‘eco-centre’ with the innovative element of ‘covered educational path’, operating through the whole year for decreasing seasonality in the area; Refurbishment of churches, as part of promoting cultural and historic heritages, that will be linked to the already existing thematic routes; Establishment of the second phase of a historic boardwalk with exhibition, that can be a link / interface between religious and cultural tourism; Establishment of small media/marketing centres to promote the cultural events and heritage based attractions of different parts of the cross-border target area.Soft elements: Development of mobile phone application, IT background (integrated access point), and ‘umbrella’-type marketing initiatives for tourism attractions of the affected cross-border target area; Development of interactive content of exhibitions, museum; Primer-research with study and communication plan; Planning, design, translation, site-supervision, etc.Regarding the action plan, partners will involve internal and external experts (service providers, constructors, suppliers) in the implementation of the project with 28 months duration (and in the additional previous 6 months, for development of FA). All partners will actively participate in the implementation, and PPs will have their own tasks and responsibilities, that will be carried out in close cooperation with other members of the partnership.Through the whole investment project, a mobile phone application will be developed, for which PP3 is responsible with the involvement of all the PPs. This application will make part of the information transfer 'gamified', to promote tourism supply. An intensive tourism marketing activity covering all the attractions of the cross-border target area (PP2’s task with the involvement of all partners and relevant stakeholders), with the necessary IT background (establishing unified ‘access points’ to the whole target region by coordination of PP3), will form an ‘umbrella’ to promote efficiently the tourism products of the area. New investments / renewals will complement tourism supply by refurbishment of churches (task of LP), renewal of museum (PP4 with the expertise of PP5) and establishment of new attractions based on natural, cultural and historic heritage (LP, PP2, PP3, PP4, PP5). A primer research and study will be carried out during the development phase of FA (task of PP2), laying down the grounds to the detailed action plan and communication plan.Regarding the durability / sustainability of investment elements of the project to be implemented after the approval of FA: although the investment activity will affect more than 25 locations, sustainability will be ensured by a special system, in which the same members of the partnership, that are responsible for the implementation of infrastructure development, will be responsible for maintenance and operation of the established / renewed attractions on the basis of a long term contract on the right of use of real estates.Initiatives of the project are fully endorsed by the relevant authorities of the cross-border target area, and are in line with the strategies and concepts of the region. Consequently, development content of the project is in line with the needs of the targeted cross-border region, the counties covered by the initiatives, thus the countries’ objectives as well.Estimated total budget for the Full Application in million Euros per partner: LP: 6,1; PP2: 2,67; PP3: 2,35; PP4: 1,63; PP5: 0,74.
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