THE IMPACT OF TOURISM ON THE FUNCTIONAL CHANGES OF A SMALL TOWN – THE CASE OF MÓRAHALOM

Abstract

For strengthening or transforming the previous role of the settlement more and more town put emphasis on tourism developments due to the increasing role of tourism in the national and global economy. The evolving tourism infrastructures change the internal structure of the towns: the frequented parts are developed, renewed for tourists. In addition, the indirect effects of tourism – the increasing employment, the attraction of the population and the expansion of the urban functions – also make some changes in the towns. 

The paper presents the case of Mórahalom, which is a small town in Southern Hungary, close to Szeged. Mórahalom initially was an agricultural settlement, however in the last decades it has changed significantly, mainly due to the investments into spa industry. Not only its roles but also its urban functions were expanded. This paper aims to present a successful urban development case – through the example of Mórahalom –, where the strengthening of the tourism functional expansion was created. The earlier pattern of land use and the built environment has been changed, more and more brownfield lands or old buildings are transformed for tourism, hence transforming the town’s functions at the same time.

During the research my main questions were: How did the developments in the past decade influence the development of the town? How did new functions appear in the settlement and what are these functions? In order to answer my questions I made content analysis on the local media and analysed the statistical data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and from the Local Government. The study is also based on field observation and interviews with local residents and experts.

The statistical data proves that in Mórahalom tourism has contributed to urban renewal and economic prosperity as well. In the past decade tourism transformed the spatial structure of the town: the number of buildings related to tourism is increasing, the vast majority of these buildings are concentrated in the city centre – close to the spa –, and the buildings with other functions more likely to appear in the edge of the town. More and more people started businesses, opened private accommodations or got a job related to tourism. In contrast to the other suburban settlements of Szeged, the population of Mórahalom is dynamically increasing, in the recent years a whole new residential area emerged. The townscape is renewed; the image of the town became uniform. According to the interviews the local residents are satisfied with the town, up to now did not appear any larger-scale conflicts, they are basically proud of their settlement and their identity strengthened over the years.