DERWENTSIDE tourism experts have just returned from central Europe after assessing their bid to attract more holidaymakers to the region.
Representatives from Ray Hopper Associates (RHA), in Consett, visited Szolnok County, in north-east Hungary, to look at their embryonic tourism industry.
The visit was part of an EU-funded appraisal and the development of democracy in the former Eastern Bloc country.
Durham County Council, which also sent a representative, has a wide range of economic, civic and educational links with Szolnok County.
Bruce Simpson, of RHA, said: "When we saw the potential and experienced the urgency of the businesses in the county, we came to realise why the British tourism industry needs to adapt and progress.
"Hungary means business. Central European countries will be a major force in tourism in the coming years and even more competition for the UK."
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