Analysis of network actors in tourism areas

Abstract

Since 2020, the planning level of Hungarian tourism management has officially been the tourism area (Government Decree 429/2020 (IX.14.)), the guidelines for its operation being set out in the National Tourism Development Strategy 2030—Tourism 2.0 (NTS, 2021), revised in 2021. The organization of tourism into regions is a recurrent idea in Hungarian practice. The current marketing areas have replaced the priority tourism development areas designated in 2016 for investment purposes (Government Decree 429/2016 (XII. 15.)). Still, since the late 1970s, the then-priority tourism and holiday areas have enjoyed a similar position of honor (Decree 1013/1979, 1979). To manage the current areas, the NTS (2021) would establish Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), whose work would be supported by regional actors organized by the Tourism Board. The study is a reflection on the role of regional actors as defined in the strategy (NTS, 2021). We will highlight the networking efforts of the currently active staff and, in this context, assess their networking characteristics and roles in the region.