Good Practice - Project
S Big Fish Lake – Equipment for developing leisure services
Rural fishing project proves popular visitor attraction.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Summary
The S Big Fish Lake in the Southeast of Hungary has developed into a family-friendly leisure and adventure centre. It features fishing lakes, accommodation, and an events hall. It is managed by jr. Géza János Misinkó, a young entrepreneur who purchased the site in 2019 with a vision to create something enjoyable and useful for everyone. LEADER funding supported the purchase of equipment and furnishings for visitor accommodation and the events hall. The funding was instrumental in facilitating the expansion of a range of services and the organisation of on-site community events.
The local community is involved in organising and shaping activities at the centre focusing particularly on young people and families.
Results
The investment helped to improve the quality and accessibility of the centre and its development into a multi-generational leisure location. It now attracts fishing enthusiasts, tourists and citizens across all ages benefiting their health and social wellbeing. Additional project results include:
- One new job has been created and thanks to the cooperation with local businesses, additional indirect work and income has also been generated.
- The income has increased by approximately 30% (compared to the 2021 data).
- An increase of 50% has been achieved in the number of guest nights and events.
Promoter
Jr. Géza János Misinkó self entrepreneur
Funding
Total budget 30 618.21 (EUR)
EAFRD 8 946.33 (EUR)
National/Regional 2 236.58(EUR)
Private 19 435.30 (EUR)
Topics
Resources
S Big Fish Lake – Equipment for developing leisure services
(PDF – 754.23 KB)
Context
Jr. Géza János Misinkó lives in the city of Gyula, a popular tourist settlement in the Southern Great Plain in Hungary. He opened the ‘S Big Fish Lake’ facility in the summer of 2020 providing access to four lakes with a water surface of nearly eight hectares. Within a short time, the lakes became a popular tourist destination with visitors from across Hungary. It became clear that the estate had great potential for further development, ie. the construction of accommodation and equipment storage.
Attending an information forum, Géza learned about the local LEADER LAG. Following the event, he contacted the LAG with his project idea of developing the ‘S Big Fish Lake Leisure and Adventure Centre’, to extent the stay of tourists, to enable people to fish at night and in all seasons, and to organise national competitions with a large number of participants.
Objectives
The project specific objectives were to:
- Increase the number of guest nights spent, thereby generating new jobs and additional income for the rural area.
- Expand the range of leisure services in the existing fishing centre.
- Improve its overall quality and accessibility for all age-groups.
Activities
Following a procurement stage, the furniture and tools necessary for the renovation of the project’s guest houses (e.g.: sofa, bed, chair, table, wardrobe, television, etc) were purchased. In addition, all equipment for the service rooms of the event hall were ascertained as well (kitchen, cold room: e.g. dishwasher, stove, hood, refrigerator, microwave, etc).
During the entire implementation period, the staff of the LAG supported Géza. This included support in identifying cooperation opportunities with local stakeholders after the completion of the renovation works.
Main results
The main results of the project are:
- 11 buildings have been fully furnished and equipped with relevant appliances. This includes nine fishing houses accommodating four people each, one fishing house for ten people and one large event hall, as well as service rooms (such as kitchen and cold room).
- One new job has been created (receptionist, event organiser). Thanks to the cooperation with local businesses, additional indirect work and income has also been generated.
- The income has increased by approximately 30% (compared to the 2021 data).
- An increase of 50% has been achieved in the number of guest nights and events.
Key lessons
Recreational fishing facilities can be popular with tourists and represent opportunities for rural economic diversification.
LEADER is able to provide capacity building guidance as well as funding for a range of rural development activities.