Körös Valley Nature Park Public Benefit Association was founded in 2002 to develop ecotourism and to provide environmental and nature protection programmes in the Körös Valley. The Association of 23 members today is made up of municipalities and organisations committed to the sustainable development of the Körös Valley. Local governments of the region visioned the challenge that the Körös Valley needs harmonized development. The Körös Valley is a coherent bio-geographic unit, a sensible and vulnerable eco-system, so preserving its ecological stability, optimal systemizing the inhabitants, the environment and the economy are the main reasons and aims of the foundation prior with natural-environmental and built values – based on the principle of sustainability.
Forerunner of ecotourism and environmental education
One of the aims of the Association is to prepare, plan and realize such tourism developments that enhance programme packages, and coordinate the streams of visitors on both sides of the border. As significant civic organisation, the Association aimed at the socialization of sustainable development and the promotion of ecotourism. The objective of the ecotouristic investments and trainings of 2,5 billion Forint support from the government and the EU is to enrich local people and incoming tourists with nice memories to be pleased to return here in the future.
In the last years, thanks to the constitution of the Association and the colleagues’ green commitment, the Visitor Centre in Békéscsaba is formed as ecotourism information centre on one hand and as basis of environment-conscious education on the other. The Visitor Centre is excellent for sustainable-oriented trainings, handicrafts and outdoor activities and organising other conferences and events. Our programmes are dealing with health-care, the importance of nature and environment, sustainable development and the promoting of ecotourism.
In 2010 the institutional cooperation, named “Joining for the Active Tourism of the Körös Valley” came to existence. According to the Deed, one outstanding aim of the cooperation is the development of local peoples’ environment-consciousness and environment-culture, the connection of companies concerned in tourism, the definition of the principles of sustainable tourism development, the promotion of the Körös Valley as complex tourism destination.
We built up good relationship with green organisations of national influence (Zero Waste Association, HUMUSZ, SZIKE) and implemented several programmes with them. In county and local press, announcements of our programmes are published continuously; we are operating three web pages (korosokvolgyekozpont.hu; korosoknaturpark.hu; korosok.hu) to communicate towards the inhabitants.
Accessibility:
Körös Valley Nature Park Public Benefit Association
The project "Organising Thematic Tourism Programmes in the Körös Valley" was implemented under the Hungary-Romania Cross-Border Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 (www.huro-cbc.eu), and is part-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, Hungary and Romania. The programme aims to bring the
different actors – people, economic actors and communities – closer to each other, in order to better
exploit opportunities offered by the joint development of the border area.
