Alongside the available touristic EU-tenders, strengthening domestic tourism also provides a source of motivation for these developments, in the framework of which numerous hotels, resorts, bath-complexes and other, visitor-attracting investments will be conducted. A good example of this is the appearance of both domestic and foreign companies near Lake Balaton, which was previously abandoned by large investors. In Hévíz, for example, not only the centre is being renewed this year, but in the next two years - in accordance with the decision of the local government - the construction of an adventure bath and a new, fi ve-star hotel is given green light on three acres of land. Váci-Föveny Investment Kft., the company that bought the land, aims to attract the younger audiences.
The urban rehabilitation - which includes the renovation of central buildings, as well as the development of promenades and parks - is funded by the local government's own source of 700 million forint, supplemented with another 540 million forint of EU-funds from development tenders. In the neighbouring Alsópáhok, the construction of a new, fi ve-star hotel and bath-complex is being launched in a few days by the investing Páhok Termálhotel Kft. The planned cost of the resort - which will hold up to 600 persons - and the 5700 sqm adventure bath is 15-16 billion forint; the complex is expected to reach completion by the end of 2009.
The local government of Zamárdi, arm-in-arm with Port Said Kft. is planning the development of a yacht-port with berths to 300-350 ships by 2009. In Balatonfüred, the four-star Hotel Silver Wellness and Conference Resort, with a construction budget of 2 billion, has been welcoming visitors since last December, while the Anna Grand Hotel Wein & Vital will open its gates in April this year. The former, the private docks of which will be completed by April 2008, contains 58 rooms, 1 apartment and 8 suites, as well as a wellness-compound, while the latter that will also host the Anna-ball, 56 vintage-design and 44 modern-design rooms await the visitors. In the Anna Grand Hotel Wien & Vital both gastronomy and wellness-treatments are focused on wine. Another three-star hotel with 50 rooms is awaiting the start of construction this autumn in Füred, in the area next to the Annagora Aquapark, and is planned to be handed over in 2009.
The environs of Lake Velence are also sites of numerous touristic developments. One of them, namely "The Gate of Lake Velence" so far exists only on paper, but will manifest in the forms of a covered walk to the baths, a park, and a building compound offering services for tourists. The local government of Velence expects EU-funds for the completion of the project. The construction of another development in the city, the 6 billion forint investment of the four-star Velence Termálpart Resort & Spa has been under way since 2005, the first part is scheduled to fi nish by this summer (including 60 rooms, a bath, restaurants and a conference centre), while the second part is scheduled for the end of the year (with an additional 137 rooms); the development is planned to reach completion (with 80 more apartments) by the summer of 2009. The construction of the four-star Vital Hotel Nautis Superior, located in Agárd is also in progress; the hotel will receive its new design through the reconstruction and extension of the TESZ Hotel. The 6400 square metres compound will be fi nished by the spring of 2009, and will hold 81 rooms with balconies and air conditioning, 4 luxury apartments and a conference and event hall with a capacity for 700 guests.
The first four-star hotel of Lake Tisza, the Tisza Balneum Thermal Hotel was handed over in November last year in Tiszafüred, and the construction of another four-star resort in Abádszalók, with 220 rooms is expected to start this autumn. There are 44 rooms and 7 suites in the hotel in Tiszafüred, and also another 18 suites in a separate building. The investment was realized with the 1,86 billion contribution of the city council, beside a 214 million forint EU-fund, and a 71 million forint governmental fund. The book-cost of the resort in Abádszalók is approximately 5 billion forint; the local government and the investor's project fi rm, the Abádszalóki Fejlesztési Zrt. plan to raise the sources from banks and EUtenders.
The smaller, nevertheless largely popular Lake Bánki is also ahead of the developmental trend: here, the threestar Tó Hotel was expanded and renovated. The investment also included the expansion of the wellness-services.
