In an encouraging achievement for the settlement enterprise, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan has signed an agreement with the Hungarian city of Heviz which includes cooperation in the areas of finance, industry, and tourism.
Heviz is a prominent tourist destination, the second most-visited location in Hungary, being that it is situated in close proximity to natural hot springs and also to Lake Heviz, the largest geothermal lake (hot lake) in the world. Prior to the coronavirus epidemic, hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked there every year, and Hungary is now seeking to restore its previous status.
Samaria, for its part, is considered an industrial powerhouse, with huge demand for its products, and it is a rising star in Israel’s tourist industry.
Heviz signed a twinning agreement with the Samaria Regional Council back in 2017, and this new agreement takes the relationship a significant step further. A delegation from Heviz will shortly be visiting Samaria, comprised of representatives of various industries and officials in the area of tourism who wish to learn from Samaria’s experience and expertise. In addition, a taskforce will be created, enabling Hungarians to learn from Israelis and vice versa.
Heviz’s deputy mayor, Jozef Janos Kepli, stated: “We are very pleased with this relationship with you, Yossi Dagan, and with the Samaria Regional Council – and I see this cooperation as being extremely significant for enhancing industry, business, and tourism both in Heviz and in Samaria. People have been doing excellent work and there is plenty of scope for further cooperation.”
In response, Dagan thanked Kepli, saying, “Samaria is getting stronger and stronger, and on the international stage too – attempts to boycott us such as BDS will not succeed. We have friends all over the world. I hope very much that our cooperation will flourish and bear fruit and bring about tangible benefits for our residents.”
With regard to the tourist industry, Dagan added, “In Samaria, there are a number of unique tourist sites that are part of our country’s heritage, and tourists came to visit from all over the world, prior to the coronavirus epidemic. We hope to restore this trend with the help of our enhanced cooperation with the city of Heviz.”