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project info
Start date: 1 July 2016
End date: 31 March 2019
funding
Fund: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Total budget: 1 454 340,25 €
EU contribution: 1 074 757,44 € (73,9%)
programme
Programming period: 2014-2021
Managing authority: Nemzetgazdasági Minisztérium, Regionális Fejlesztési Programok Irányító Hatósága

Development of a tourist visitor centre at the gate of Gerecse

Tatabánya aimed to improve the quality and quantity of recreational and tourist offer. This requires a comprehensive renewal of the natural, economic and social environment, which includes, inter alia, the development of services, the reduction of negative environmental impacts, awareness-raising of the local population, modernisation of the training system and the strengthening of service-type businesses. The main goal in the tourist area is to make the city more closely connected to the tourist circulation of the county and to provide quality recreation and ancillary services for tourists and the local population, taking into account the local offer. Tatabánya has all the tourist characteristics that, if combined with a complex tourism development, would bring much more visitors and tourists to the city, spend longer time in the destination with the services designed for the target group, and as a result, the money spent locally would also increase. At the junction of two mountains, the village lies between Vértes and Gerecse in the Tatai ditches, and the proximity of the river Danube also determines its importance. The Millennium Monument on Kő Hill, which is Europe’s largest bird statue, and the Selim Cave, rich in prehistoric artifacts, are all such a tourist attraction that, through the development of a package of tourist products at regional level, they lay the foundations for the diversification of tourism, the revitalisation of the local economy and the growth of employment. The main objectives and milestones of tourism development are: — The development of existing tourist attractions, a stronger representation and use of the opportunities provided by natural conditions in the tourist offer — Provision of basic services in each tourist area — Creation of opportunities for cultured recreation — More efficient marketing of existing offers and making it more attractive with new areas, Tatabánya’s aim is to create a strong, distinctive and unified image of the city in the area of external and internal communication alongside the settlements of the city network, thereby increasing its revenue for additional attractions. Among the priorities are the presentation of heritage and cultural tourism as a tourist attraction, through the development of thematic routes and visitor centres. As part of the integrated urban development strategy of the town of Tatabánya, a tourist project package is part of the construction of the “Gerecse Gate” Visitor Centre, which will function as the “gate” of the West Gerecse. The centre would serve as a tourist information point, a virtual museum, a souvenir shop and a restaurant. An interactive exhibition presenting the natural values, fauna and flora, caves and forests of Gerecse can be further enhanced. The local government considers the development of the local and regional economy and the promotion of its ability to generate income to be a decisive task; it is of utmost importance to promote the creation of new jobs while maintaining existing jobs. Tourism, as a driving sector, can help significantly in the future. Tourism and tourism are closely linked to the environment and nature protection, which are inseparable from each other. The Gerecse Gate Visitors’ Centre and the previously detailed natural assets are located in the Gerecse Landscape Protection Area, which is considered a protected natural area and is part of a Natura 2000 network, so more attention should be paid to environmental and nature protection regulations. In each project element, it is necessary to assess whether its implementation will have any impact on the environment and whether the species and habitat types affected by the site are damaged. Gerecse is currently not among the most popular destinations for nature-walkers and hikers, even though it has such natural assets as Mátra, Bükk or Mecsek. Yet these mountains are much more attractive for tourists. Few people know, but most caves in Hungary are located in the mountains, so far more than 400 wells have been explored. Caves have a unique ecosystem, but most of them cannot be visited. In order to increase the number of tourists, it is essential to develop the current underdeveloped infrastructure. By repairing the tourist routes, educational paths, nordic walking routes, making the environment of the Millennium Monument and the Szelim Cave safe, ensuring the traceability of tourist signs, setting up resting signs, displaying information boards and maintaining the resources, it is possible to ensure that Gerecse appears in the ranking of the most visited Hungarian mountains. Thanks to government measures (SZÉP card, Erzsébet program) the number of domestic excursions is increasing at an accelerated pace, which may have a positive impact on the current

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