The region is on the move! – The Veszprém-Balaton region's Tourism Season Opening event has debuted

This year, for the first time, with the aim of creating a tradition, the Veszprém-Balaton Regional Tourism Season Opening Event was held in Veszprém on February 3, with the aim of creating a new tradition. The event was organized by Veszprém-Balaton 2023, VisitBalaton365, the Balaton Circle, and the University of Pannonia.

The main goal of the event was to bring together key players and strategic partners in the region's tourism industry and strategic partners of the region's tourism industry, and to provide a comprehensive and structured picture of the key directions and programs of the 2026 tourism year. During the program, guests were able to take a closer look at the digital heritage created as part of the European Capital of Culture programand recently revamped HelloVEB Portal System experience platform, and the recently launched Veszprém-Balaton Pass regional card system, which offers services and connection options.nbsp;

The season opener, the European Sports Region season, the event highlighted the goals of active tourism and the expected visitor and market trends, as well as providing a platform for in-depth professional dialogue and the strengthening of institutional and market cooperation.

The professional meeting brought together regional tourism service providers and partners to develop coordinated, well-founded operational and development plans and provided an opportunity to learn about developments, digital solutions, and service tools.

During the event, a welcome speech was given by Péter Ovádi, the Member of Parliament responsible for the implementation of the Veszprém-Balaton European Region of Sport 2026 project, who emphasized the importance of regional cooperation, which is another guarantee of the tourist season opening. "Everything is easier as a team," he reminded us, pointing out that Veszprém and the region have always been proud of the cooperation that led to the implementation of the European Capital of Culture program in 2023, which is also one of the driving forces behind the European Region of Sport program for 2026. 

In his presentation, Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, highlighted, among other things, the key importance of the regional regional development strategy, emphasizing the topics of sustainable development and measured development. "Real results always come from common goals and cooperation," he said, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that Lake Balaton remains a livable place not only for visitors but also for locals. In his presentation, he examined at length the differences between the more dynamically developing eastern basin and the western basin, which is more difficult to develop, as well as the Balaton ring road, infrastructure developments and the ecological restoration and protection of Lake Balaton.

Katalin Firtl Egresits, CEO of Hungarian Tourism Agency, presented the results of 2025, current trends, and this year's goals, and summarized the tourism successes of recent years. In addition, it outlined HTA's 12+1 priority development directions and the opportunities offered by regional cooperation, stating that "tourism can only function properly if we are not separate , but as part of an ecosystem, and we create value together."

Péter Princzinger, managing director of VisitBalaton365, also gave a presentation at the event, discussing, among other things, the directions of tourism development in the Balaton region , the importance of networking, and digital developments, in which, in addition to the use of digital tools, he also examined the definition of experience. As the tourism expert put it in his speech, "good tourism is when both locals and visitors feel good, so it is crucial that Lake Balaton becomes a year-round destination where people can not only relax, but also live and thrive."

Alíz Markovits, CEO of Veszprém-Balaton 2023 JSC., reported on the European Capital of Culture program, its long-term effects, whose main objectives included placing the city of Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton regionon the cultural map of Europe. As she said, "the regional cooperation that characterizes both the ECoC program and the Region of Sport is outstanding even on a national level, which proves that Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region are capable of defining themselves as a single entity." During her presentation, she introduced the institutions established as ECoC heritage sites: CODE and the Dungeon Visitor Center, as well as the HelloVEB experience platform and the Veszprém-Balaton Pass card system, known as digital heritage sites.

Dr. Katalin Lőrincz, Vice-Rector of the University of Pannonia, spoke about the educational areas of the University of Lake Balaton, its mission, and future plans, while Gábor Pach, president of Balaton Circle, spoke about the Balaton community, which was founded ten years ago and the active members of the association. Pali Róbert, president of Balaton Association, spoke about the importance of protecting the ecology of Lake Balaton, emphasizing the role of social responsibility and changing attitudes.

At the event– which was hosted by CODE Center of Digital Experiences – members of Balaton Circle awaited participants with local flavors, and the accompanying programs also included the "Ask a Balaton Researcher" corner, where interested parties could talk to Dr. Gábor Michalkó, university professor, and Dr. Judit Sulyok, head of BATUKI, about current trends in tourism.

We are confident that the season-opening event will mark another milestone in a long-term, successful cooperation, which will be given further impetus by the European Capital of Culture program and the European Region of Sport title.