Geographica Timisiensis, vol. 17, nr.1 - 2, 2008 (pp. 251 - 256) ● DIRECTIONS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE BIHOR COUNTY Florian BENŢE, Corneliu BENŢE Universitatea din Oradea, Romania Abstract. Short term tourism development in Bihor county should be based mostly upon internal tourism, with emphasis on creating new points of attraction besides the existing ones and new types of accommodation, free time programmes, new kinds of services. We consider that an important element in the development of tourism is filling up the tourists’ programme, depending on the season and the specifics of the tourists, with new possibilities of completing the touristic offer, like visits to museums, caves, participating in fairs, cultural and folkloric activities. Tourism in Bihor can be a component of local development, but it’s role in regard to the resources has to be much more important. The most important landscape, for the tourism, in Bihor county, is the Natural Park of Apuseni Mountains, but it’s valorification in the present phase is conditioned, among others, by the degree of accessibility to the numerous objectives found there. We consider that for the upcoming period the directions of tourism development in Bihor county are: mountain tourism, adventure and cave tourism, balneary and health tourism, business tourism, agro-tourism and cultural tourism. Rezumat. Direcţii ale dezvoltării turismului în judeţul Bihor. Dezvoltarea turistică pe termen scurt în judeţul Bihor ar trebui să se bazeze în mare parte pe turismul intern, cu accent pe crearea de puncte noi de atracţie, pe lângă cele existente, respectiv noi tipuri de locuri de cazare, programe pentru timpul liber, tipuri de noi servicii. Considerăm că un element important în dezvoltarea turismului îl reprezintă completarea programului turiştilor, în funcţie de sezon şi de specificul turiştilor, cu noi posibilităţi de completare a ofertei turistice precum vizitarea unor muzee, peşteri amenajate, participarea la anumite târguri şi alte manifestări folclorice, culturale. Cel mai important peisaj ca valoare din judeţul Bihor îl reprezintă Parcul Natural al Munţilor Apuseni, dar punerea lui în valoare în etapa actuală este condiţionată, printre altele, şi de gradul de accesibilitate către numeroasele obiective turistice pe care acesta le deţine. Considerăm că pentru perioada următoare, direcţiile de dezvoltare a turismului în judeţul Bihor sunt următoarele: turismul montan, turismul de aventură şi speoturismul, turismul balnear şi de sănătate, turismul de afaceri, agroturismul şi turismul cultural. Keywords: tourism development, natural park, touristic product, international tourism, agro-tourism, business tourism Cuvinte cheie: dezvoltare turismului, parc natural, produs turistic, turism internaţional, agroturism, turism de afaceri Tourism is one of the activities which can turn to good account the resources of local communities for the wealth and good functioning of both local communities and their citizen. In the same time, if it isn’t made responsible, tourism can become a very destructive element concerning local resources and even the community itself. An important indicator in this way is the fact that the development of tourism international level has intensified in the last decades because of the prosperity of Nordic countries. However the touristic activity goes on more and more in countries less “developed” where tourism has already 252 ● Directions of Tourism Development in the Bihor County become an important source of income and therefore an engine of progress. Contradiction stays in the fact that, although tourism helps from economical point of view, it also affects mostly negatively than positively both people and environment from area where tourism develops. In Bihor county, the intensification of touristic activity can be extremely good, but if we are taking in consideration the previous specifications and the fact that tourism is wanted to be an instrument of lasting development, not only economical instrument of this county, but also this fact supposes the changing of usual abordation of this field. Bihor county presents varied types of resources and touristy attractions which are situated in rural environment, the cultural and historical inheritance of county, the built patrimony and the specific infrastructure. The county of Bihor owns resorts of national interest (Băile Felix) and also local resorts (Băile 1 Mai, Băile Tinca and mountain resort Stâna de Vale). In Bihor county one can distinguish a few ethnofolkloric zones limited by the valley of some important rivers: Crişul Negru, Crişul Repede, Barcăul and Serul. The ethnographic areas which specialists have identified in Bihor are: Beius , Crişul Repede and Barcău Crasna. These areas differ one another by folkloric details, testimonies such as: folk costume, furniture, ceramics, pieces of wood having a household destinations, etc. by the architecture of houses and a different decorative system of the inside. The traditional handicrafts, even though in the last areas are in obvious crisis, in the places where they still exist and function, they bring their own contribution in emphasizing the ethnographic areas. Long time ago, handicrafts contributed to the establishment of a complementary economy which brings extra income for many rural communities in Bihor. Bihor is well known also for its fairs which take place in the county, for festivals and its folklore. Bihor county is characterized by attractive landscapes. On a relatively restrained space one can distinguish three major geographical units: Western Plain (Câmpia de Vest), Western Mills (Dealurile de Vest) and Apuseni mountains, arranged in the shape of an amphitheatre. Starting from the altitude of about 150m in the west part reaching 1848 (Bihorului peak) in the south east part. We mention here some of the areas containing nature monuments or protected areas of major importance for Bihor which can be turned to good account through the agency of tourism: Western Plain (Câmpia de Vest) situated in the east part of Panonic Pusta, scattered with damp zones which are favourite places for rare species of birds: stork, eagle and falcon. In this area is situated the natural resort “Rădvani Forest” which is the home for important colonies of birds. The Natural Park Apuseni Mountains (PNAp) occupies an original and complex field of the Carpathians its surface of 75786ha established by Law nr. 5/2000, Bihor owns 24288ha. An important number of reservations, nature monuments and protected species lead to declaring the area as Natural Park. Florian BENŢE, Corneliu BENŢE ● 253 The main touristic attractions in this place are the forms of carstic relief. From the landscape point of view, the most important caves encountered in this Natural Park are: Valea Rea, Piatra Altarului, Micula, Vârtop and the Cold Cave. PNAp shelters over ten important underground icebergs. Famous are Scărişoara, Borţig, Bârsa, Zapodie, Vârtop, etc. An unique phenomenon in Romanian landscape is Groapa Ruginoasă (Rusty Hollow) with 450 m in diameter and depth of about 100m. The mountain area from the West of Bihor county is represented by Apuseni Mountains constituents (Bihor Mountains, Codru Moma, Pădurea Craiului and Plopişului: the Bihor Mountains are the highest, their altitudes of 1200 and 1848 m (peak Bihor) they are also the most representative. Padiş area (with many caves and nature monuments) the limestone tableland Fântâna Boţii, Ruguțul Hill, Sighișelului area the most remarkably. Codru Moma Mountains are made of two mountains (Codru and Momade) with altitudes between 930 m and 1095m. Pădurea Craiului Mountains with low altitudes, 600m. The main mountains touristic areas in Bihor county are: The Padiş area is part of the Natural Park Apuseni Mountains and it is situated in Bihor Mountains. It’s an important touristic region divided into other subunits: The Padiş, Glade Ponor (Poiana Ponor) The Lost World (Lumea Pierdută), The Ponor Fortnesses (Cetăţile Ponorului ), The Yellow Valley (Valea Galbenă),. We can find in this area the Transilvanean Syringa josichaea lilac. Sighiselului Area is part of the Natural Park Apuseni Mountains and it is situated in the west part of Bihor Mounains. It presents touristic interest especially because of the caves, some of them are nature monuments and valleys. The Boga-Aleu and Pietroasa – Chişcău areas attract tourist by: The Boghii Stones natural reservation, situated in Natural Park of Apuseni Mountains, with a surface of 290 ha; The Săritoarea Bohodeiului natural reservation, situated in Natural Park of Apuseni Mountains, with a surface of 300 ha stands out by the Săritoarea Bohodeiului waterfall (bigger than 80m); In Chişcău there are Bears Cave, Fagului Cave and Micula Cave, all of them of major touristic importance for the general tourism as much as for the specialized spelaeology tourism. The Vârtop area (the superior valley of the Aries)- the Bihor peak is a touristic attraction because of the relief massiveness and because of the presence of the glacial circles. In this place, people developed a health resort where you can practice winter sports ( Vârtop) endowed with a sky track on a medium level of difficulty. Stâna de Vale – Iadei Valley area – situated near Vlădeasa Mountains and Craiului Forest; the flowing of water is interrupted by very rapid sections, such as Săritoarea Ieduţului and Iadolina Waterfall. Accumulation lakes (Leşu) increase the region’s charm. Stâna de Vale depression is dominated by high mountains and it’s