The role of tourism in the development of border regions in Hungary

Following the changes of regimes in Central Europe, research into border regions has been increasingly adverted. However, various suggestions of researchers came into light on the definition and role of borders. Prior to the changes of regimes, the development of cross-border tourism was counterworked by administrative tools resulting in settlements in border regions becoming peripheral. Negative effects emerged mostly at border sections demarcated between countries either not able to join (for some reason) or not willing to gain access to the European Union and certain member states (occurring at the Ukrainian, Serbian, Belarusian and, in some cases, the Croatian border). In the field of cross-border cooperation, within the tourism industry, a west-to-east and north-to-south gradient can be detected that, by the present logic, can be explained by the changes of economic circumstances and the succession of European Union accession.