From Trianon to Schengen: Tourism and Cross-Border Territorial Integration in the Baranja Triangle

Abstract

For decades, post-socialist border regions in Central and Eastern Europe have been shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, discontinuous infrastructure networks, and economic peripheralization. The Baranja Triangle, located at the intersection of Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia, constitutes a particularly relevant case study due to its history of geopolitical fragmentation and the recent removal of border-related barriers. Croatia’s accession to the Schengen Area in 2023 and the completion of the M6–A5 motorway connection in 2025 have significantly improved the region’s accessibility. This research examines whether these changes have created the conditions for tourism-based cross-border reintegration. The mixed-methods approach combined geopolitical and spatial analysis, GIS-based accessibility modeling, a questionnaire survey (n = 60), twelve semi-structured interviews, and TOWS analysis. The results indicate that physical and administrative barriers have largely been removed; however, the development of an integrated cross-border tourism destination depends primarily on institutional coordination and strategic development frameworks. The survey revealed moderately positive local attitudes toward tourism, cross-border cooperation, and infrastructure development, while the correlations suggest that residents perceive these factors as interconnected components of regional development. Heritage, ecotourism, cycling, wine, and gastronomic tourism may offer viable opportunities for transforming the Baranja Triangle from a peripheral border region into a competitive tourism destination within the Danube region.