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The first regional tourism conference, a two-day event dedicated to the counties of Harghita, Covasna and Mures, officially opened on Thursday to a 200-strong attendance, including authorities from the three counties and Budapest officials.
Present at the event, chairman of the Hungarian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Zsolt Nemeth spoke in his address about the investments made by the government in Budapest in the development of tourism, pointing out that tourism based on local resources can become the engine of the economy in Szeklerland and in Romania.
He added that Hungarian tourists coming to this area are attracted by the "Transylvanian experience", the "Szekler brand" and the local natural beauties, but it is important for them to also be provided with modern amenities such as internet, fast traffic and easy access, financial services or phone service for all these facilities.
President of the Harghita County Council Borboly Csaba emphasized in his speech the need for tourism collaboration among the three counties, arguing that this requires financing and higher tourism allocations. Also, Borboly said that the biggest opportunity for today's tourism is the use of digitization possibilities.
At the same time, he thanked the Hungarian government for supporting investments in tourism in the area and for financing training in this field.
In their turn, Mures County Council president Péter Ferenc, and vice-president of the Covasna County Council Jakab István-Barna pleaded for a good cooperation in promoting the local values, pointing out that the three counties must be partners, not competitors.
President of the Brasov County Council Adrian Ioan Vestea also took part in the event, presenting the stage of works on the Ghimbav airport and emphasized the fact that the counties in the region must pursue an integrated concept, so as to attract as many tourists as possible.
Vice-president of the Harghita County Council, Biro Barna Botond, who is also president of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, the initiator of the conference, said that the purpose of this event is to find a common answer to the challenges related to tourism and render the three-county region visible on Romania's tourist map. AGERPRES
