Zsuzsa Deli-Gray (ed.)

Cases in Tourism Marketing III

But what kind of tourism should be developed in Szikszó?

In the first year of our term, the task of preparing a new urban development strategy offered us an opportunity to rethink our approach and marked a turning point – one that helped make tourism development an integral part of community, civic and entrepreneurial thinking. Our plans and proposals, which sought public support, were built on extensive information gathering, primary research, analysis and public forums known as “Urban Development Afternoons.” The city’s development strategy – available on the municipality’s website – set out a clear mission and strategic objectives framed around key guiding principles: “small-town well-being”; “a growing and cohesive population”; “a prosperous town”; “a functional and liveable town”; “a strong-identity, cooperative town”. Tourism development was identified as a crucial condition and opportunity for achieving all these goals, appearing as a key component in each action area. In shaping the concept and offer of “Destination Szikszó,” several directions were considered. Two relatively new and distinctive fields of development were prioritised, both capable of providing a unique positioning for the town:

Creative Tourism: Building on cultural tourism, this tourism-product type focuses on delivering authentic and unique experiences through co-creation between visitors and hosts, making use of the destination’s distinctive creative capital. Creative tourism allows visitors to enhance their own creativity by engaging actively in learning experiences that reflect the local culture of the destination. It harnesses local skills, expertise and traditions across multiple domains, such as arts and crafts, design, gastronomy, health and healing, language and spirituality, nature, sport and even e-sports.
Healthy Lifestyle Tourism: The holistic concept of health – embracing physical, mental and social well-being – can be translated into tourism development that promotes harmony between people, nature and community. Its aim is to restore balance, inner peace and promote preventive healthcare. The wellness and beauty industries both align naturally with this philosophy. Activities that strengthen physical and mental immunity and support optimal body function – alongside rapid recovery from imbalance – form the basis of this approach. All recreational opportunities that the town can offer – sports, movement, wellness treatments, nature walks, mental relaxation, gastronomy, ecological and active tourism, horse riding, cycling, new-age experiences and events – should be made visible and accessible, enhancing visitors’ overall well-being.

Since 2021, the strategic commitment to tourism development has been accompanied by numerous conscious initiatives, projects and attractions aimed at laying the groundwork and credibility for long-term transformation. Key developments include:

Downtown Revitalisation and Cultural-Event Development Programme: renovation of the County Hall building to host a Healthy Lifestyle Centre with recreational services, a health-conscious restaurant, a small event house, a guesthouse, a Museum of Humour, a Reformation Museum, a church tower lookout, a Harvest Festival, a Living Advent Calendar series, Historical Afternoons, an “Edible Flowers Island”, and the establishment of an e-sport club.
Eastern District – Creative Urban Health, Sports and Recreation Park: construction of outdoor pools adjacent to the sports hall and swimming complex, a skating rink, a health-conscious hotel, sports fields, a town promenade, the lake and a recreation park, an event hall, a digital amusement park, an open-air stage and event square.
Wine Cellar Village – “Szikszó Wine Reception” Grand Event: renovation of buildings to include cellar and guesthouse functions, creation of a viticulture and healthy gastronomy training centre, a House of Wines and Wine Museum.
“Mechanics’ Gathering of Szikszó”: organised annually by the Foundation for the Community of Szikszó and now in its fourth year, this national-scale exhibition of agricultural, industrial and construction machinery has become a major family event. The SZIA – Szikszó Urban and Community Building Movement, now an established association, plays a vital role in creating and sustaining tourism values, alongside the municipality’s cultural institutions, library, concerts, theatre performances and festivals.
The SZIA – Szikszó Programme: an umbrella initiative promoting cooperation and interaction across the town through projects such as Historical Afternoons, the “Edible City” concept and site design, creative urban wall paintings, the Town Explorer mobile app, Summer Film Terrace open-air screenings, community quiz championships, chess tournaments and other game events. The Tour de Hongrie welcome installation and show featuring creatively recycled bicycles was particularly successful. The town’s brand and identity-building efforts are strongly supported by local media: SIXO TV, the bimonthly Szik-Szó magazine and an active municipal website with interactive social media platforms. The newly developed SZIA – Szikszó mobile app, offering community-based gamified experiences, has also gained great success.

Within the process of building the town’s brand identity, Szikszó’s central message and slogan became “Szikszó Gives Strength.” This idea expresses our vision of a dynamic, creative and health-conscious town that develops with awareness and positive influence, earning recognition and a well-deserved place within the national settlement system. It aims to gain the appreciation of its citizens, entrepreneurs, investors, and visitors, as well as its professional and political partners, and domestic and international communities, for everything it can offer. The slogan has become widely used and integrated into the town’s collective mindset. It is well liked, readily adopted and meaningful across all target groups.

As Deputy Mayor, I was pleased to recognise that after two years of work, we had succeeded in redesigning the town’s development framework – placing tourism development at its centre, laying its foundations, implementing the first projects and events and initiating a culture of conscious cooperation.

At the same time, our tasks continued to multiply. We needed to compile the adaptable elements of the two identified tourism positioning and development packages – creative tourism and healthy-lifestyle tourism – for Szikszó.

Alongside the creation of our own local product brand, SIXO (derived from Szikszó’s historical name), we also considered joining and actively contributing to the formation of the Abaúj Tourism Destination. The historical Abaúj region possesses valuable tourism assets and, situated between two nationally prioritised destination areas (the Mátra – Bükk region and the Tokaj Wine Region – Nyírség), it is seeking to define its identity, enhance its appeal and strengthen its competencies. These efforts, as illustrated in the accompanying images, reflect a fusion of the region’s historical heritage and natural landscape values.

Extensive preparatory work led to the signing of a cooperation agreement and memorandum of understanding for the joint development of the Abaúj Destination in 2023. The partnership was established with the participation of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), the Active Hungary Centre, the County Government, the University of Miskolc, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and more than twenty municipalities and professional organisations. Behind this agreement stood a concrete strategic framework – developed by our team and coordinated through the ABA-TDM (Tourism Destination Management) programme –representing the first structured step towards a shared, regionally integrated tourism development plan.

Tartalomjegyzék

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2026

ISBN: 978 963 664 217 4

Marketing Turizmus

The publication of the third volume of Cases in Tourism Marketing is truly welcome news from both an educational and a professional perspective. Through real-world, timely, and thought-provoking cases, this collection helps readers – students and practitioners alike – gain a deeper understanding of the complex world of decision-making in tourism marketing. The case studies not only convey professional knowledge but also develop analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking. One of the volume’s key strengths is its focus on issues that define contemporary tourism, including the role of digitalization, artificial intelligence, destination branding, and stakeholder collaboration in tourism marketing. Long-awaited and highly relevant, this third volume is a worthy continuation of the previous collections and will undoubtedly serve as a valuable resource in higher education in tourism, while also being highly recommended to professionals who enjoy reflecting on challenges and opportunities beyond their own immediate field of expertise.

Tamara Ratz PhD

Director, Centre for International Relations, Kodolányi János University

Head of Tourism Department, Professor of Tourism

It is an honor for me to recommend this volume to everyone who wishes to understand tourism marketing not only in theory, but also through its real business and human dimensions. The worlds of tourism and hospitality have undergone fundamental changes in recent years, which makes case studies based on real market situations, decision-making dilemmas and current challenges especially valuable in supporting both learning and critical thinking. This book provides not only professional knowledge, but also encourages a complex mindset, creative problem-solving and the ability to think in connections — exactly the skills today’s tourism professionals need most. I wholeheartedly recommend this volume to students, educators and tourism professionals alike.

Judit Fodor (Liptai)

Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Danubius Hotels

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/deli-gray-cases-in-toursim-marketing-iii//

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