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Integrated Ecotourism Development of the Dráva Basin Southern Integrated Ecotourism Development of the Dráva Basin Southern Transdanubia, Hungary SYNTHESIS The Integrated Ecotourism Development project of the Dráva Basin aims at mobilising the Dráva river area’s potential by investing in tourism and nature conservation, and by constructing new facilities for local communities and renovating run-down tourist attractions. The area along the Dráva River abounds in small villages with populations below 500 inhabitants. This region suffers from a poor communication infrastructure, weak economic activity and high unemployment. Investors are not attracted because of poor infrastructure and a small, rapidly aging, population. The project builds on the area’s indigenous potential which is the richness of its nature in order to develop the region around activities linked to ecotourism. The project consists of 44 sub-projects and brings together 31 partners. The project leader is the local authority of Baranya County. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant covers €3.1m of the total €4.2m project costs. Activities can be grouped under three headings: 1) construction of ecotourism-related community facilities along the Dráva river; 2) integrated nature conservation and 3) integrated promotion of the area. The direct beneficiaries are the local authorities, local small firms and the local community. The results of the project are both tangible (new facilities, new and renovated buildings, etc.) and intangible (improved environment; conserved natural habitats; new opportunities for cultural and nature exploration; raised awareness about natural attractions; intensified networking of the project participants, etc.). The expected overall impact is higher value-added and revenue generating activities; the creation of new infrastructures and services and improved tourist attraction potential. The project will thus contribute to the strengthening of a regional identity and to maintaining a young, educated workforce in the region by offering them additional employment possibilities. The main innovative element of the design phase was the concept of the project that emphasised both tourism development and sustainability aspects, that is, aspects that focus both on construction of small infrastructure and on conservation and preservation of the natural environment. Additionally, the planned involvement of the local communities into the operation of the facilities and a concept of linking tourism and education within the area of the national park were all new, innovative elements of this approach. Additionally, it was decided from the inception phase that the 44 constructions included in the project were to be designed in a way that their appearance suggested that they belong to the same project. Thereby architectural design reinforced the coherence of the project. The participation of so many partners in a single project can be considered new even at the national level, but it is extremely novel at the regional level where risk-taking behaviour of the local authorities is not common. Some of the partners have already cooperated in previous projects but there were also many newcomers, since the intention to be as all- inclusive as possible was an additional novel element. The good practice stemming from a well-designed governance structure is new in Hungary and in the region. Regular meetings of the project partners contributed to smooth and continuous information flow between all all relevant stakeholders and helped to solve emerging problems. The case provides three general and two project-specific lessons. The first general lesson is the necessity to centralise and accelerate decision-making. The number of co-operating organisations and supervising authorities should be reduced and bureaucracy streamlined. Furthermore, the monitoring and evaluation process should allow much more flexibility in the terms of adapting project activities as needed during implementation, rather than enforcing a word-by-word implementation of the original project plan. A second lesson is that the personal qualities of project managers are decisive for the project’s success and therefore, project managers should be selected very carefully. A third general lesson is that calculation of costs has to be made very cautiously and a sufficient contingency fund is necessary in order to overcome potential cost-increases and unexpected additional expenses in the course of the project. A significant project-specific lesson is that both participants and beneficiary community tend to concentrate on 'bricks and mortar', instead of taking into account partnership building and environmental benefits. Moreover, sustaining stakeholders’ commitment is crucial and therefore improved communication is an imperative. Another lesson is the necessity to involve more partners from the private sector. This would at the same time improve the sustainability of the project and contribute to a shift towards financial sustainability, independent of the availability of future public funds. Background information Country: Hungary Region: Southern Transdanubia (Dél-Dunántúl) Project title: Integrated Ecotourism Development of the Dráva Basin (IEDDB) Key words: tourism; culture; social issues: education and training, employment and labour market Duration of project: March 2006 - March 2008 Funding: Total budget €4.22m ERDF contribution €3.075m National budget €1.08m Regional budget €0.065m ERDF Objective: Objective 1 2 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The purpose of the Integrated Ecotourism Development project of the Dráva Basin ("the Dráva project”) is twofold. First, it aims at mobilising the Dráva river area’s economic potential and intensifying revenue generating and higher value-added activities in the region. Second, it aims to improve nature conservation. The project realises this double purpose by investing in ecotourism and nature conservation, as well as by constructing new facilities for local communities and reconstructing existing run-down tourist attractions. It is a complex project consisting of 44 different elements and bringing together 31 partners. It covers two regions along the river Dráva, which both have an already recognised tourism potential. The project leader, the local authority of Baranya County, and the local authority of the other participating region (Somogy) are mainly responsible for project marketing and public relations activities. The Board of the Duna-Dráva National Park and the Dráva Tourist and Nature Conservation Association also take part in the partnership. Activities can be grouped under three headings: 1) construction of ecotourism-related community facilities along the Dráva river; 2) integrated nature conservation and 3) a joint promotion of the area. In terms of construction activities, investments include a free beach area, a diving centre, observation towers, a bird park, multi-functional tourist centres and exhibition spaces, as well as an educational facility. Examples of integrated nature conservation activities include investments in tourist walking paths and facilities that enhance the attractiveness and the accessibility of the area's natural resources and, at the same time, attempt to minimise the ecological impact of intensifying tourism. Thirdly, activities aiming at improving the promotion of the area as well as integrating the previously isolated tourism marketing endeavours carried out by different organisations are among the key elements of the project. Direct beneficiaries are the participating local authorities, local small firms (that carry out the construction work or provide related services, e.g. accounting, consultancy, administrative services, etc.) as well as the local communities. The list of indirect beneficiaries is far longer, including practically all the inhabitants of the region as well as visitors. Citizens will benefit from new recreational possibilities and employment opportunities. Craftsmen and artists will be able to use new exhibition spaces and new methods of teaching and learning will be available to users of the educational centre. The expected overall impact of the project is the intensification of higher value-added activity within the whole region and the creation of new services. The tourist attraction potential of the region will be improved and new recreational possibilities created which will have a direct positive impact on regional income. The image of the Dráva Basin as a tourist attraction offering diversified recreational possibilities and services will be reinforced and disseminated. This will contribute to strengthening the regional identity and maintaining a young, educated workforce in the region by offering them additional employment possibilities. An additional expected impact is that the project will set an example for the future, i.e. the region will be better placed to mobilise its indigenous potential and improve further tourist attractions, employment opportunities and local services, etc. 3 Concerning immediate results, since the project is still in its implementation phase, the first obvious results are tangible ones. The project elements that had been completed by mid- 2007 were: two tourist centres, two exhibition rooms, an educational facility for student groups near the natural park and the renovation of a traditional farm-workers house that will be used for tourism purposes. Another important early result is the intensified networking of the project participants. ERDF funding was absolutely crucial for this project since both participating,
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