National Fishing Tourism Strategy presentation conference in Budapest
As an ally of the fishing community, the government will continue to provide them with the operational framework and the resources necessary for the development of fishing tourism, said Máriusz Révész, the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for active Hungary, on Thursday in Budapest, at the Consensus Expert Conference presenting the draft of the National Fishing Tourism Strategy 1.0.
According to Máriusz Révész, several conditions must be met in order for Hungary to become one of the most livable countries in a short period of time, according to the government's plans. From this point of view, an important question is how the people living here can spend their free time, what options they can choose from in the country. Fishing is one of the most important leisure activities, as it is a meaningful and useful recreational activity that protects health, he said. Among the results achieved since 2010, the state secretary highlighted the fight against poaching, the ban on commercial fishing in natural waters, the digitization of fishing documentation and the handing over of public tasks affecting them to fishermen, for which the government also provided resources. On the other hand, in order for the fishing community to continue to operate successfully, goals must be set, as was also achieved in the cycling and water tourism strategy - said Máriusz Révész, who is confident that, knowing these, the subsidies can be used as best as possible, with the EU funds necessary for the developments amount will also be available, and the fishing tourism strategy will soon be presented to the government.
On behalf of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister Zsolt Nyitrai emphasized that the fishing community can achieve even greater results than before, and that their affairs must therefore be kept in the center of the public. Based on what has been done so far, the processes are moving in the right direction, and the participation of the Prime Minister's work organizations shows that the government treats this area as a priority, he added. Parliament member Dr. Lajos Szűcs, as president of the Hungarian National Fishermen's Association (MOHOSZ), welcomed the fact that fishermen could also be involved in the system of tourism strategies. The fishing strategy, created with persistent work, is the result of cooperation, more than 550 fishing organizations participated in its preparation, and almost 4,500 fishermen commented on it, he said. The MOHOSZ, which has a significant network of institutions and historical traditions, managed to be rebuilt "almost from scratch" after 2010, along with 37 public tasks, it received the management of fishing waters and the necessary resources, and it cooperates on a daily basis with the water management organizations and the relevant asset managers. The association's budget has now reached HUF 2-3 billion, and with around 800,000 members, it can function as Hungary's largest civil society organization, said Dr. Lajos Szűcs.
After the greetings, the professional program began after the introduction by Dr. István Dérer, Director-General of OHSZK MOHOSZ : First, "Let's fish first!" Dr. Zoltán Raffay, associate professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pécs, gave a lecture on the good practices of fishing tourism in other countries. He was followed by Ivancsóné Dr. Zsuzsanna Horváth, associate professor of Széchenyi István University, who is the executive president of the Gy-MS County Association of Sport Fishing Associations and a member of the women's fishing world champion team, her presentation "Where are we and where are we going?" with title. He provided information on the experiences and results of fishing organization and fisherman surveys conducted to establish the NHTS. In connection with the evaluation of the fishing questionnaire, it can be concluded that the majority of Hungarian anglers fall in love with this hobby as children, and other family members also indulge in this passion. On average, each angler spends 38 days a year at the water's edge, and several of them also take part in multi-day trips. The majority are willing to travel even more than a hundred kilometers in the hope of making a capital catch. A survey was also made of the most popular waters. The majority of respondents prefer natural lakes and rivers. Most people go to Lake Balaton to fish, but the Tisza, Lake Tisza, the Danube and the Ráckevei-Soroksári Danube branch (RSD) are also very popular. At the press conference presenting the survey, it was emphasized: it turned out that the price is not the most important thing for anglers, they are happy to spend more money, if the given lake and the related accommodation and tourist service provider have adequate services, infrastructure and, of course, good fishing.
The final presentation of the first half of the conference was the presentation by Csaba Poór of the Ministry of Agriculture's fish management and fish conservation specialist entitled "Fishing tourism, fish management supported by civil public services", which detailed the 37 public services provided by MOHOSZ and the state resources available for them. The renewal of the fishing organization system over the past nearly ten years and the results of the economic stability supporting fishing have already resulted in tangible positive changes in the fishing community in more and more parts of the country. Further development requires the renewal of the fishing and fishing tourism infrastructure in the next ten years.
In the second half of the conference, two of the most important fishing tourism locations were presented. The first was about Balaton and the possibilities and future possibilities of fishing tourism in Balaton, which was held by Gábor Nagy, the head of the fishing sector of the Balatoni Halgazdoklaszi Nonprofit Zrt . Next came Zsolt Udvari, the executive director of the Ráckevei Danube Branch Fishing Association , who gave information about the situation of Ráckevei Danube Branch and Ráckevei fishing and fishing tourism and the outstanding results achieved in recent decades, as well as the TOP tourism tender won in the recent past.
As the final presentation of the conference , Norbert Puskás, the vice-president of MOHOSZ, the executive president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, spoke about the past and present of financial resources for fishing tourism developments and their possible future within the framework of NHTS 2030. In his presentation, the fishing tourism developments implemented in the county of Vas in the last 20 years with EU and domestic funds and which are currently taking place were presented. After the professional presentations, the audience of nearly 150 people had the opportunity to express their comments and opinions.
At the end of the day , Director General Dr. István Dérer thanked the specialists who prepared version 1.0 of the NHTS Strategy and asked all members of parliament, local leaders and professionals present for their active support in the coming period so that the final strategy can be presented to the government as soon as possible and the domestic work can continue. dynamic development of fishing and fishing tourism.
Photos: László Laki, Norbert Puskás
Hungarian National Fishing Association - MOHOSZ
