The Dráva Region is one of the poorest areas in Hungary, which, on the other hand, is also one of the richest as regards its natural endowments and boasts of heritage and ethnographic values as well. Also, the cooperation with the neighbouring Croatia can give new development impetus to the region (it is a possibility far underutilised and in some cases quite mishandled to date). Despite the huge amounts of financial support, it is only excursionists that have been attracted to the region in relatively considerable numbers, whereas the number of tourists and guest nights spent by them still remain very low. The potential of tourism in rural development has been recognised for long in Hungary as well, and it is seen especially important tool in regions handicapped from socio-economic aspects where the chances or other economic activities are few. Border regions, coming from their isolation, are often in handicapped situation, and this allowed them to preserve those natural and cultural values that may be the foundations of special sorts of non-mass tourism (ecotourism and other green tourism activities). The Dráva Region, including one of the most infamous and impoverished micro-regions of Hungary, the Ormánság, is a good example of such a region. The paper analyses the problems and gives recommendations for the improvement of tourism cooperations.
Prethodno priopćenje / Preliminary communicationGergely MARTON