This study aims to advance knowledge in the concept of therapeutic milieus by connecting nature, spirituality, and health to develop sustainable destinations. It combines the advantages of a conceptual paper and a multi-case study, offering a range of solutions demonstrated with three types of settlements: a county capital, a middle-sized town, and a small town. The GIS analysis identified several areas where the co-existence of thermal water, sacred sites, and verdant landscapes is in abundance, and five potential study areas were selected. Additional selection criteria included the GDP of the counties, visitation data, and synergy potential. Field work using field notes and photographs reconfirmed the results of the mapping and found unique value propositions that could enhance the value of health tourism. The theoretical research suggested three areas with synergy potential: culture, gastronomy, and sports. Based on the findings, a framework for therapeutic milieus showing three different scenarios was prepared. As for the economic and social implications, the research highlighted that adopting a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating insights from geography, cultural studies, and psychology, could make destinations more resilient, thus benefiting both tourists and locals. This study represents a substantial contribution to the milieu theories by incorporating natural, cultural, and spiritual elements into a flexible framework for therapeutic milieus. Future research may explore therapeutic milieus outside the Christian context or investigate the demand side.

This research explores how a multifunctional and multi-experience music institution can thrive in the 21st century. It takes the case of the House of Music Hungary that has evolved into a cultural hub over the recent years, equally appealing to locals, professionals, employees, and tourists. To lay the foundation of tying architecture and music together, this highly exploratory study used a holistic approach by discussing issues related to tangible and intangible heritage, heritage tourism, and music tradition. Data collection included official state statistics, on-site experiences, and interviews. Interviews with the architect of the project, a music historian, a musician, a cultural manager, and a tourism professional were analysed, applying interpretive phenomenological analysis. The result are presented in a kaleidoscopic framework comprising the core elements identified in the analysis. This paper contributes to the knowledge of developing heritage tourism through the interplay of architecture and music. It shows how they reinforce one another to generate complex experiences, while highlighting the importance of respecting local cultural, social and environmental circumstances. Its exploratory nature did not necessitate the inclusion of visitor interviews at this stage; however, investigating visitor satisfaction may be one of the new directions that scholars can embark on.

The study aims to explore an avenue that former European Capitals of Culture can choose to develop long-term sustainable tourism. The topicality lies in the fact that Veszprém-Balaton obtained the title for the year of 2023, as well as in the fact that the coronavirus and the war have shown the vulnerability of tourism. Furthermore, after the year-long festivities many former European Capitals of Culture cannot keep up the momentum and new facilities suffer from overcapacity. This study builds on three pillars. The first pillar is to explore the theoretical background of the topic in a multidisciplinary way, the second introduces the European Union project involving six former European Capitals of Culture that try to find a long-term successful tourism model using the principles of transformative tourism. The third pillar is an exploratory case study of Kosice. The research uses document analysis, media analysis and interview data sampling methods.

This research shifts the focus to suburban tourism within the context of urban tourism thus making metropolitan areas less congested and showcasing urban authenticity for tourists. It proposes a micro cluster model for suburban tourism and illustrates its applicability in a suburb of Budapest called Wekerle Estate. The suburb was developed at the beginning of the 20th century by adopting the garden city concept and still boasts a lively community. However, it needs a framework to embrace tourism in a sustainable way. The qualitative research uses the ethnographic method to explore what Wekerle Estate offers for tourists and where its weaknesses are in terms of hospitality. Based on the findings a micro cluster model is prepared in this study and it gives recommendations for Wekerle Estate to evolve as an authentic tourist destination. This paper contributes to the research of suburbs from the urban tourism angle that has so far been neglected in the field of tourism.

This paper analyses a project called Virtual Adoption, initiated by the Department of Tourism at the Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Hungary with the aim of offering students to work closely with local SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marketing students follow a practice-ori­ented curriculum, however, in that case, they could test their knowledge in real-life situations. The hypothesis was that gathering real-life profession­al experience during critical times could have a multitude of benefits rang­ing from course commitment to obtaining better grades. This research com­bined class observation with a short student survey. It was found that partic­ipating students were more committed to the course, gained better marks and the dropout rate decreased to zero. The results of the survey pointed out that the benefit of gaining first-hand experience came on top when asked about motivation and experience related to the project. The findings are in line with the arguments of educational scholars calling for more coopera­tion between education and industry.