Spa-development strategy of the South Great Plain and Vojvodina

1. Spa-development strategy of the South Great Plain and Vojvodina Schwertner János expert University of Szeged Cooling Cubes closing conference Szeged 2014. június 26.

2. Main goals of the strategy Goals: - coordinated development of spas in the South Great Plain and in Vojvodina - coordination in development strategy between wellness- and medical culture - bigger role of spas in employment and income generation - improvment of health condition of local population - all in all, improving the touristical offer of two regions. Good relationship between Hungarian and Serbian people

3. Condition of strategy making There is: political will for cooperation planning capacity supply in Hungary demand in Serbia There is not: experience in cooperation operation practice source action constraint We are not: investors decision makers Freedom degree's of project is remarkable

4. Study & collaboration

5. Recommendation - institutions Theoretical Methodological Centre - • Collecting new information, • methodological renewal, research Practical Methodology Centre – • education of specialists • quality-control of educational process Cooling Cubes committee- • owners • operators • users • establishingCooling Cubes brand

6. Recommendation

7. Recommendation - concepts • Conceptual clarification, unified methodology • Spa and wellness tourism are much more separated in Serbia than in Hungary concerned: government experts clusters

8. Recommendation - information • Most of the spas don't have information about their own operation (e.g. energy usage, environmental impact, visitors) • Lack of processing and evaluation • Partly proper datas • Suggestion: operatin of Theoretical Methodological Centre Concerned: Tartomány Fürdő Klaszter

9. Recommendation - Social insurance • At spas with certified thermal water hospitals were built, and the only visitors are ill people with medical referral. • Contact with other countries’ social insurance system. Concerned: Kormányzat Tartomány

10. Recommendation - ownership Ownership arrangement: • Unresolved ownership. • 90% of Hungarian spas are ownered by self governments. • Petroland Aquapark in Serbia is in private ownership, and other medical spas are in state ownership • Most of state-owned companies are lossy in Serbia (e.g. medical spas) Concerned: Kormányzat Önkormányzat

11. Recommendation – Development documents • Mirror effect • Integration of development documents on different levels (settlement,county, region, country, EU) concerned: EU Kormányzat Tartomány Önkormányzatok

12. Recommendation - sources It's only possible with outside resources (investors from regional, governmental, and EU levels) Financial and political risk! learning lobbying increasing project knowledge source and interest concentration Concerned groups: EU, government, regions, investors concerned : EU government regions investors

13. Ecology environmental impact thermal water noise rubbish traffic wellness footprint Economy energy costs wages incomes from entrance tickets supports Recommendation - Sustainability concerned : council bath investors

14. Recommendation - Space connections of developments I. Development scenarios according development policy • voluntarist - result • liberal - capital • network-based - supply • value-based - service Basically we consider project CC as a learning process so we would like a value-based development.

15. Recommendation - Space connections of developments II. • 4 types according tourism: local, sub regional, regional, macro-regional • No difference in quality between these 4 levels, so networking is necessary „On every levels, is almost everything” Ø Hungary: • expansion of medical services • health resort certification (Kiskunmajsa and Mórahalom) Serbian: • increasin the surface of water • komplex spa reconstruction • immediate reconstruction of hospitals • creation of new spas: (only in Vojvodina: along river Tisza, in Bezdán-Apatin-Zombor triangle)

16. Recommendation – Speed of developments • fast but without antecedent, green field (Bački Petrovac, Zalánkemén) • fast but deficient, wothout hotel (Makó) • fast and complete, but lack of human development! (Szeged Aquapolis) • step by step (Mórahalom) • hopefuls (Apatin, Óbecse) • dreamers (Ada) • the most narrow segment: HUMAN CAPACITY

17. Recommendation - natural waters • protection of water culture in river Tisza, Danube and other smaller rivers • at creation of touristical products, connect natural waters with wellness programmes • it could be the special brand of Cooling Cubes project

18. Recommendation – The guests target group? risk of specialisation – cooperation medical, wellness, sport aim: conscious bath users! 3.333.333 residents 3.333.333 visitors • transit 5.000.000 transit passenger tunel effect

19. E 75 highway

20. Recommendation - Networks • coopreation of spa-clusters in two regions • creation of TDM organisation • creation of user networks create a group of residents using the spa (facebook, teams, groups, clubs) • establish Cooling Cubes Committee

21. Recommendation – Collective knowledge • migration loss of South Great Plain and Vojvodina • keep contact with migrants to collect their knowledge • they have different approach, different views and attitude • they could be the guests and investors in the future • Re-Turn project Szegedi Tudományegyetem • Voice of the Village project – Kistérségek Fejlesztéséért Tudományos Egyesület

22. Recommendation – Research and Development • creation and operation a Theoretical Methodological Center • researches in balneology and tourism • methodological recommendations based on University of Novi Sad and University of Szeged

23. Recommendation – Civil relationships • civil groups who evolve the cult of the spa • who make suggestions for type of operation • who make cultural and touristical suggestions • who participate in work of CC committe Village + team

24. Recommendation – Common idea • establishing of CC brand • more conscious spa-users • measurable health-indicators • residents of CC region can understand the importance of local waters

25. Recommendation - Marketing-brand lack of time • creation of (partly existing) feeling, no problem if one or two elements are not world-class • giving a cool and optimistic feeling, where the emerging problem can solved with smile • the most effective marketing is a film series – Surda

26. Recommendation - Education • Practical Methodology Centre • education of specialists and quality-control of educational process e.g. Mórahalom

27. Recommendation - European Union • It’s important to know the working and development-logic of EU, very well • source map • cooperation = lobby

28. Recommendation - Time fashion is present in development policy, in investor’s mind, and also in behaviour of people Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis

29. Final Word Together with project members I would like to say thank you for all participants, who helped us in the common development of Vojvodina and South Grat Plain in Cooling Cubes Project. With ideas, information, organization, project management, questionnaire analysis, presentation, reports, translation, interpreting, and with good words. Have a good splash to everyone!

30. Thank you for the kind attention!Have a good discussion!schw.j@t-online.hu