Tourism and Szolnok Zs贸fia Sz茅ll BBN-ANB-266.03 2012.12.02.
Sz茅ll Zs贸fia 1 Tourism and Szolnok
Table of contents
Location
2
History
2
Major tourist attractions
2
The impact of tourism on the area
3
Infrastructure and facilities
4
Tourists in the area
5
Personal connection
5
References
6
Széll Zsófia 2 Tourism and Szolnok Location
Szolnok is the centre of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, as well as being an important transit city and having a huge and modern train station. Due to its busy history and recent innovations, it has many things to offer to tourists. History
Szolnok is an ancient settlement founded in the age of King István I. It played a great part in Rákóczy’s Revolution and in the Revolution of 1848-1849 as well. Kossuth recited his recruitment speech in front of the City hall. The second railway line of Hungary was opened in 1847 from Pest to Szolnok. Major Tourist Attractions
Health- and wellness attractions are the main focus of the region. Currently, the city offers two facilities: Tisza Szálló Spa, Tiszaliget Thermal Spa, both of which have been recently renovated. Sport and recreational tourism is a side-line for the city. Despite housing an international-level quality canoe course, this is only a supplementary attraction at best. Cultural attractions are notable. The city has two well-known festivals: Szolnok festival of goulash – a traditional Hungarian folklore-oriented cultural festival generating approximately seventy thousand guests, has been organized for the twelfth time in a row in 2012. The city also adopted the title “Szolnok – the capitol of goulash”.
Goulash Festival 2011 Official Poster
Tiszavirág Fesztivál is the other major cultural festival. Thematically, it is connected to the annual hatching and flight of the mayfly (Hungarian “Tiszavirág”). However, the festival is an excellent example on how to build and expand upon an existing attraction, as it offers a great range of accompanying events: music concerts, beer festival, cultural talks, and the fair on the Tiszavirág Bridge (which, incidentally, is a recently built modern-style bridge forming an abstract mayflower). These festivals are excellent additions to widen the range of attractions the city offers. Cultural festivals are usually not Tiszavirág Festival Offical Poster
Széll Zsófia 3 Tourism and Szolnok
inhibited by seasonality (the mayfly hatching obviously being an exception), thus founding and supporting new festivals should be the route to take to turn Szolnok into a year-around tourist magnet. Szolnok also houses some built historical attractions worth seeing. Some of these centre around Kossuth tér, the main square. On one side of the square, one can see the City Hall, built in classicist style, which houses the Jász Museum. Opposite, the building of the institute „Magyar Királyi Szálló” houses the Damjanich Museum and the Verseghy Library. On the banks of the Tisza river, tourists are greeted by a romantic walkway and a newly built park and rose garden. The eighteenth century church nearby is possibly the most important historic building in the city. The Tiszaliget Theatre and the Művésztelep (Art Quarter) should also be mentioned.
The impact of tourism on the area
The city obviously pays attention to enlivening tourism. Due to the continuous increase in demand, the city has invested a substantial sum into tourism. This resulted in a great number of investments, the most important being the building of the Tiszavirág Bridge, the renovation of the City Centre, the Rose Garden and the Walkway by the Tisza. The sector also has the beneficial effect of providing jobs to the local population. This is an exceptionally important factor, as the Tiszavirág Bridge county has been at the lower end of Hungary’s employment statistics for decades – tourism could turn this trend around. It should also be noted that tertiary education in the city (Szolnoki Főiskola) is specialised in Tourism. This is a crucial factor, as qualified professionals are needed to further develop the region. However, the communication strategy of the local government needs to be changed. A great percentage of local population finds it hard to cope with the increased noise pollution caused by the renovation and the increase in noise and litter caused by seasonal tourist influx at the times of the major festivals. It is essential that these advantageous touristic investments are Rose Garden
Széll Zsófia 4 Tourism and Szolnok
understood and supported by the local population. Infrastructure and facilities
Despite recent developments, there are still many things left to be desired. The road system of the city reflects average Hungarian conditions and should be renovated soon. The accommodation sector is asymmetrically developed. In 2006, 40% of available accommodation was, in fact, in campings, with only 25% being hotels. In 2007, there were 20 different accommodation facilities in Szolnok with 346 available rooms and 1468 beds. This leads to the conclusion that the number of available beds is more than adequate; however, the distribution is faulty. The city needs to redefine its accommodation sector to fit current trends. Garden hotel ****, largest Wellness Hotel in Szolnok
Investments show an intended increase in wellness, conference, and perhaps cultural tourism; and this trend should be closely followed by the decrease in the number of camping beds with an increase in quality hotels. This is, however, not the case as there are currently no five-star and very few four-star hotels. The tourism strategy of the region includes a substantial fund of 13000 million forints, half of which is from external sources (European Union).
Division of funds in "Szolnok - capitol of the Tisza" project 2006-2013, million Fts Related infrastructural development
700 1100 3900 1500
4-star hotel building Building and renovating spas and thermal bathes Tiszavirág Bridge
2800
Flood defenses 3000
Szapáry út renovation
Széll Zsófia 5 Tourism and Szolnok
Most of this sum is intended to be spent on creating new and enhancing existing spas, baths, and health centres. A substantial amount is delegated to infrastructural development, which is necessity. The simplest example to mention is the road network, which is suffering the consequences of increased traffic. The division of funds shows that the city realized the need to adjust the accommodation sector as well.
Tourists in the area
Domestic tourism is the dominant factor in Szolnok. The typical tourist is Hungarian, however; there are some variations according to motivation. Tourists coming for health and wellness attractions form a more homogenous group. They are generally from Budapest or other, better developed cities. They usually come for a “wellness weekend”, meaning that the average time spent at the location is short to medium, usually one or two night, occasionally more. They target three or four-star hotels. Their spending is moderate to high. Average age is above 35. As their stay is usually short, Szolnok’s other attractions suffer – even if they do leave the hotel and the spa complex, that is usually to access supplementary services like visiting a restaurant or to take a walk near the Tisza. Historical sights are largely ignored. Tourists coming for seasonal attractions (mainly festivals) are a mixed group. They attract many excursionists and generate few guest nights. Spending is low to moderate. There are more tourists from the surrounding territory or from within Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county itself. This group is generally faced with greater resistance or even resentment from the local population.
Personal connection
I relate to Szolnok through my family. It represents a liveable, friendly city that has suffered a slow decline or stagnation since the end of the communist era. It has many latent qualities that could be used to galvanize a new flowering. With careful planning and realistic assessment of the possibilities, the city could be turned into an exemplary tourist destination.
Széll Zsófia 6 Tourism and Szolnok
References Gucziné Huszti, Gy. (2003). Idegenforgalmi földrajz. (Vol. 1). Budapest: Szókratész Külgazdasági Akadémia. Jász-nagykun-szolnok megyei turizmusfejlesztési stratégiai program 2007-2013. Retrieved from website: http://www.jnszm.hu/feltolt/File/tfi/turisztikaistrategia2007_2013.pdf Szolnoki gulyásfesztivál. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.magyargulyas.hu/ Szolnok - wikipédia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szolnok Tiszavirág fesztivál. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tiszaviragfesztival.hu/