Innovative tourism development in a Hungarian regional centre in the 1930s

ABSTRACT Before the First World War, Pécs, one of the most dynamically developing Hungarian cities, was the largest in the region of Transdanubia. The losses of the world war and the subsequent three-year Serbian occupation caused considerable damage to the city’s economic and social fabric. Besides presenting the economic background of Pécs, the current study also discusses the local boom in tourism, which was developing at a rapid clip in the 1930s. Recognizing the economic role of tourism, local leaders started to develop the sector, establishing the Tourism Committee and Tourism Office in 1933. An enticing promotion campaign was launched, accompanied by conscious product development, focusing primarily on cultural and ecotourism. The tourism product featured local heritage and the natural beauties of the Mecsek mountain range. A high standard characterised the design of venues, including accommodation and restaurants. New transit hubs were established: direct airline connections were inaugurated to Budapest and Kaposvár and a rail connection to Vienna opened. In making urban development decisions, factors taken into account included the needs of tourism, embracing such still fashionable activities as the integration of local products into the tourism supply. The developments of the 1930s have an impact even on the contemporary tourism of the city.