How Harghita County Council Managed to Reach and Engage Visitors

Located in Romania, Harghita County attracts over 200.000 tourists yearly. Castles, fortified churches, breathtaking sceneries, resorts and gastronomy are words that define this destination. All these make it one of the best Transylvanian experiences.

Problem: Scarce or Unavailable Travelling Information

Finding a place where to eat or sleep in Harghita has been a time-consuming activity for tourists.

There was no centralized hub available to host all tourism-related information.

The information available on websites listing top attraction, local restaurants and hotels was incomplete. Furthermore, there was a lack in promotion of upcoming events and points of interest.

Solution: A Comprehensive Digital Platform

Aiming at increasing the number of tourists, Visit Harghita opted for a web and mobile solution. The platform is available in 3 languages, Romanian, English and Hungarian.

Visit Harghita lists all tourism related information in the county. It includes top attractions, accommodation, restaurants, audio guides, info points, weather, and more.

Concept and Structure

Visit Harghita opted for a modular app and web structure with useful information such as “Where to sleep”, “Where to eat”, “What to do” “Events” and “Useful Information”, etc.

Each category includes a “Top 25” activities and services in the area. These are made by top ratings based on booking.com reviews, local blogger suggestions, or regular poll campaigns.

Unique Approach – Bringing Legends to Life

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Transylvania? Mystical places? Legends? Breathtaking scenery? Medieval citadels? Well, Harghita’s got all that and more.

The County Council worked with the civic initiative „Székelyföldi Legendárium”, to help promote Harghita. They encouraged tourists to plan their itinerary using storytelling. There are over 50 authentic legends of lost treasures, valiant kings, knights and maidens.

To create their route, visitors can pick their favourite legend, get directions and visit the local attraction.

Collaborative Approach – Constant Stream of Relevant Information

Harghita County Council brought together tourism experts, service providers, local entrepreneurs, photographers and city hall reps.

Over 80 collaborators provided content and that tourists can use to plan their trip. They were given access in the platform and started creating content and promoting their services and offers.

The City Council saved time and effort in the process of collecting information. This made it easier for tourists to keep up to date with the latest events and activities in the area.

Proactive Approach – Fresh and Engaging Content for Adventure-seeking Travellers

The digital platform (eg. zigzagprinromania.ro) and National Geographic creating awareness and driving traffic to the platform.

The platform was promoted via social media channels, travel blogs (eg. zigzagprinromania.ro) and National Geographic, creating awareness and driving traffic to the platform.

To ensure the platform is kept up to date, collaborators continue to add fresh information. Events, tours, POIs, articles and news are regularly updated.

The content of the platform was translated in English and Hungarian thus reaching more travellers.

Outcome: Key Features for a Personalized Experience

Visit Harghita allows tourists to discover top attractions with the help of storytelling and audio guides.

Travellers are looking for a seamless digital experience when planning a trip, finding a restaurant, searching for a museum or buying tickets for an event.

The platform highlights the top dining experiences, hidden gems and upcoming events in the region. As a result, users can save events and activities to their profile and share them with friends. They can also access the live cams to check weather and activities in real time.

Visit Harghita is a complete travel platform

Visit Harghita provides tourists with relevant and engaging information. It helps them plan their holiday and enjoy an unforgettable experience in Harghita County.