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Is an education programme based on social innovation sustainable?
114-124Views:68Social sustainability is a key concept that can be identified as an important factor in the processes supporting the satisfaction of the current needs of humanity and the preservation of the environment and natural resources for future generations. Social innovation initiatives are solutions that support a sustainable future and can be suitable for mitigating differences at the regional level, increasing regional competitiveness, and helping to catch up. The reduction and elimination of educational inequalities requires long-term solutions that require innovative cooperation between the actors of society. Within the framework of the study, we examine the examples of social innovation efforts in education and the effects of these practices, during which we pay special attention to issues of social sustainability. Our goal is to present social innovation programs and good practices that can be identified as equalizing education solutions and can be adapted and sustained in order to increase well-being while taking into account local needs and demands as well as the characteristics of the given community. Within the framework of the study, the examined good practices are presented in a structured form, emphasizing the key elements that ensure social sustainability.
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The awareness and recognition of the tourism brand "Heart of the Hungarian Great Plain" and its attractions
67-74Views:74The objective of developing a geographical area is, first and foremost, the effective operation, the provision of an appropriate place to live and the well-being of its inhabitants, through the creation of appropriate economic, cultural, technological and ecological conditions. According to Ritchie-Crouch (2003), a tourism destination is competitive, if it has the capability for increasing tourism revenues, attracting tourists continuously, providing visitors with memorable experiences that meet their expectations, and furthermore, for profit generation. At the same time, however, the well-being of the local population must be maintained or increased by the preservation of resources for the future generations (i.e. keeping principles of sustainable development). The dynamic growth in tourism demand is also leading to increased competition between destinations. Intense competition also poses a challenge for the tourism marketing organization in the target area in terms of image building, product development and communication. However, the successful development of tourism can only be achieved through a well-functioning, well-cooperating system. Cooperation is needed both at regional and tourism product level. Although the slogan of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County as a tourism brand, the "Heart of the Great Plain" meets all the requirements for mottos, the recognition by travellers must be validated with market survey. A large sample (n = 1037) survey was conducted among domestic tourists visiting the destination in summer 2019. 71.6% of the respondents identify the county well by the brand “Heart of the Great Plain”, and the proportion of bad answers was trifling. In addition to the recognition of the tourism brand, the research also covered the assessment of the county's various tourism attractions. Twenty-nine tourism attractions were evaluated by the respondents as to whether they were visited or known. Based on the survey results, the well-known supply elements are Lake Tisza, Abádszalók, Jászberény Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cserkeszőlő, the spa resort, Tiszavirág Festival and RepTár, Interactive Aviation Museum in Szolnok. Although the awareness of county tourism attractions is considered favourable, twelve attractions had not been visited by 10% of non-county respondents until the date of surveying, and at least one quarter of respondents in each attraction were negative for a possible future visit. The conclusions of the research point out that by exploiting and developing the existing attractions in the destination, tourism innovation is needed to provide complex experience packages to reach a wide range of tourist segments. This can lead to a significant increase in the number of visitors.
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Sustainment of local public transport
133-142Views:111Nowadays with cities becoming more crowded the growing ratio of public transport users is a highly important measure in the protection of our environment and the reduction of air pollution. This generates the approach that the service should become more and more user friendly, which assumes the aim of providing easy and flexible access to public transport, as an alternative in comparison with other individual travel options.The transport service fees paid by the public transport passengers by itself does not enable the service to be sustainable, because prices cannot be raised above a certain level due to the price sensitivity factor of consumers and alternative transportation solutions. In Hungary, just as in other countries of the world, the sustainability of public transportation requires a variable ratio of financial support. In order to keep the service maintainable, the support of the local governments and national governments are both essential, although the ratio can significantly differ in the Hungarian cities.
