As part of DANUrB spatial studies work package, a workshop  was organised by Pest County DANUrB team and held in Ráckeve with participation of experts and local stakeholders. Based on previous research and in-depth interviews a heritage shortlist was presented. This shortlist purposefully avoided the connection to major destinations but concentrated on local attractions such as river navigation and on possible small-scale developments including the expansion of cycle track network, sports facilities development, upgrading of local events and festivals, advancement of local farming, further enhancement of services offered to holiday-makers and improvements in the field communication. The main interest was to discover existing development potentials, determine the obstacles and the possible methods of overcoming them. Beyond finding the opportunities, connections and take-off points together the aim of the workshop was to create common ground for future cooperation. The bottom-line was that only local initiatives can be successful and this success mainly depends on whether local potential and support for the project can be generated. Furthermore it must be admitted that except for Ráckeve, the region has not enough appeal and competence which can be a basis for quick and intensive integration into the national tourism network. A program aiming this strained integration cannot be forced on the region. But it is possible to build on the ethnical awareness, the love for their traditions, the vocation and the willingness of locals.

At the workshop participants chose 10 ideas from the pre-prepared shortlist which they thought relevant for their communities and capable of generating cooperation among the settlements of the area. The most popular ideas were the Danube Festival, the water playground, sailing and river navigating tours and the upgrading of the Open Gates Festival of Szigetújfalu to be a regional event. Experts and participants all agreed that the key element of success is to find the local owner of the ideas, people who are dedicated to the implementation of the project from the idea to the final product and able to generate support for it in their communities.

For more information about the DANUrB project, please visit dtp.interreg-danube.eu/danurb
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Project co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF and IPA)