On 12 June 2026, the University of Pannonia hosted the professional conference “Innovation Networks in Tourism.” The event served as the closing conference of an international project focusing on innovation networks, funded by the Visegrad Fund.
During the event, participants had the opportunity to learn about best practices from both international and domestic tourism-related networks. The conference was opened by Dr. Katalin Lőrincz, Habil., Vice Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pannonia, and Vesna Milovanovic (University of Kragujevac), consortium leader of the project entitled „Empowering Open Innovation Tourism Networks”. In her opening remarks, Dr. Katalin Lőrincz emphasized that, despite rapid technological development, personal meetings and professional events remain highly important. Referring to the research activities carried out at the Faculty of Business and Economics, she highlighted that the Balaton Tourism Research Centre organizes a professional conference every year, providing an excellent platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas and engage in collaborative thinking. In her welcome speech, Vesna Milovanovic presented the background of the project and the process of establishing international cooperation. The conference was also attended by Karolina Janik, representative of the Visegrad Fund, who provided information on available funding opportunities and application schemes.
During the first part of the event, which was attended by approximately fifty professionals, participants were able to listen to presentations from the destinations involved in the project. Representing Serbia, Vesna Milovanovic shared the best practices of Vrnjačka Banja, a destination renowned for its health tourism. This was followed by a presentation from Krzysztof Borodako and Michał Rudnicki (Krakow University of Economics), who introduced the Kraków Network, a collaborative network focusing on the MICE market. From the Czech project partner, the Technical University of Liberec, Lenka Cervová presented the tourism development practices of the Crystal Valley region, where local artisan glassmaking plays a central role in the destination’s tourism offer.
Representing the University of Pannonia, Judit Sulyok and Eszter Madarász presented the results of a survey conducted among members of the Balatoni Kör, a network of tourism and gastronomy stakeholders around Lake Balaton. In the second part of the conference, participants gained further insight into the operation of two Hungarian tourism networks. Szilvia Kovács, Head of Balaton Uplands Local Action Group, introduced the network and informed participants about current funding opportunities. Dóra Kanizsai-Nagy delivered an insightful presentation on the latest developments related to Veszprém–Balaton European Region of Sport 2026.
Later in the day, experts participated in a workshop and roundtable discussion focusing on the potential impacts of reduced working hours on tourism and leisure consumption. Thanks to the Balatoni Kör, participants also had the opportunity to taste BalatonBor, a regional wine brand representing the Lake Balaton wine region. Alongside the professional conference, project partners evaluated the project’s activities and discussed opportunities for future cooperation. As part of the social programme, the project partners joined the Night of Movement initiative and explored the tourism attractions and experiences offered by Veszprém and the Balaton region.
The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund, “Empowering Open Innovation Tourism Network” project (No. 22430273). The fund’s mission is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe. Webpage of the project: https://hit-vb.kg.ac.rs/eoitn/
The presentations delivered at the conference will be available on the website of the Balaton Tourism Research Institute (www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/batuki) under the News and Events section.
Further information: Dr. Sulyok Judit, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Pannonia (e-mail: sulyok.judit@gtk.uni-pannon.hu)