Water tourism is getting a boost on the Slovak-Hungarian border region

Project Summary

The WATREG pilot project aims to make water tourism regulations more transparent and safer in the Szigetköz (HU) and Csallóköz/Žitný ostrov (SK) regions. While the Danube and its tributaries offer exceptional potential for water-based tourism, differing national regulations and a lack of accessible information currently hinder cross-border development.

The project will create a shared, multilingual information platform that presents regulations related to water transport, permits, nature protection and safety requirements in one place—supporting tourists, service providers, and authorities on both sides of the border.

Why is the project important?

According to the 2023 expert analysis:

• Hungarian and Slovak regulations differ significantly (equipment, safety devices, licences, tour-guide requirements, nature protection rules),
• regular cooperation between authorities is missing,
• no up-to-date, bilingual or bilateral information platform exists,
• this leads to accidents, fines, and uncertainty for both visitors and service providers.

WATREG aims to address these challenges and promote a safe and sustainable cross-border water tourism environment.

Main Activities

• collection and systematisation of Hungarian and Slovak water tourism and nature protection regulations,
• stakeholder consultations with service providers, authorities, and professional organisations,
• preparation of an inter-authority cooperation mechanism,
• development of a multilingual online platform (HU–SK–EN),
• preparation of communication and information materials to support safe water tourism.

Expected Results

• a fast, accessible and up-to-date regulatory information platform for water tourists and service providers,
• reduced risk of regulatory violations and accidents,
• easier organisation of joint water tours and new cross-border tourism products,
• strengthened institutional cooperation between Hungary and Slovakia.

Project Implementation

The project is implemented by Arrabona EGTC, in cooperation with Hungarian and Slovak partners. Legal, technical, IT and translation experts support the delivery of the main project activities.

The project is implemented under the b-solutions programme, financed by the European Union and coordinated by the AEBR – Association of European Border Regions.