The County Council aims to build a professional network actively involved in promoting the county in preparation for 2027
The Harghita County Council, through the Harghita Community Development Association (Visit Harghita) and its partners, continues preparations for 2027, when Harghita County will hold the title of European Region of Gastronomy. In this context, a year ago, the county appointed its first honorary ambassador, tourism marketing expert Răzvan Pascu. At that time, Barna-Botond Bíró, President of the Harghita County Council, emphasized that the institution appoints tourism ambassadors to support efforts related to the 2027 Gastronomy Year, enhancing Harghita County’s visibility through their professional experience.
Continuing this initiative, during the IX International Horticultural Professional Days and Conference organized by Garden Proiect – held on Friday, February 27, in Miercurea Ciuc – Barna-Botond Bíró invited Marcsi Borbás to become Harghita County’s honorary tourism ambassador. The decision was motivated by her work and recognition in promoting gastronomy and culinary culture, making her a suitable and authentic representative of the county in this field.
The appointment continues the initiative launched last year, aiming to build a professional network actively engaged in promoting the region in preparation for 2027.
“In Harghita County, we build on partnerships, and the fact that we will be the European Region of Gastronomy in 2027 is not a privilege that came out of nowhere, but the result of nearly ten years of dedicated work. We want to show that we are not going to become a land of fairy tales; we already are. It is a matter of mindset— a value-creating community has no reason to be ashamed. In the coming period, our task will be to strengthen the professional partnerships built by the Association of Székely Farmers’ Organizations, hospitality operators, guesthouse owners, the academic community, and our tourism ambassadors. We will have two tourism ambassadors. Two, because we are a community that can count on the support of two governments. It is important not to focus on negatives. It is important that representatives of the Hungarian community are present in Bucharest, and government presence is especially important in difficult times. At the same time, it is important that Hungary has a national government that thinks in terms of the nation, not borders. A nation has no borders, and we can count on the support of both governments. We are a special community in Europe, and if we recognize this, one of the key tasks ahead is strengthening communal self-esteem. Where there is community self-esteem, there is economic power, a future, and young people do not only ask questions—they see opportunities. Last year, we invited Răzvan Pascu as our first tourism ambassador, and he accepted. When we issue invitations, we look for credible personalities who deeply know and represent gastronomic culture, who are followed on digital platforms, who know and love Harghita County and its local flavours, and for whom a tradition-based value system is fundamental. That is why we invited Marcsi Borbás as our second and final tourism ambassador, and I thank her for accepting. She is a defining figure of Hungarian gastronomic culture, who loves our community, conveys values, and shows how traditions can be presented to the world in a modern language.”
Borbás Marcsi is an editor and television producer who brings the simple values of everyday life closer to the audience with authenticity and warmth: the joy of gardening, the flavours of the kitchen, and the magic of home. Known from her TV shows and gastronomic projects, she offers her followers an inspiring perspective on daily life.
Marcsi Borbás said:
“It is a great honour for me to receive this invitation, and since I was invited to a horticultural conference, I would compare the preservation of gastronomic heritage to a tree. Half of my heart is in Transylvania. When I began seriously collecting Hungarian heritage thirty-three years ago and traveled through the villages, I saw that where this heritage still lives, not merely in preserved form, that is Transylvania. So here it really is a land of fairy tales. I completely agree. People need to know that there is no need to create a land of fairy tales here, just preserve it. Here the roots of the trees are still strong. In Hungary, it was harder, but I managed to reach the last generation who still held this knowledge and preserve what they knew. But here it still exists—not only among the older generation, but also among the youngest, even teenagers. This is an extraordinary sustaining force. If you look around Europe, this is the only place where you don’t need to search: you get in a car, and by the time you reach Csík, you see scenes that are now sadly exotic. Yesterday, for example, I saw a little girl running in the yard and herding geese. You don’t see this in Europe anymore. We just need to preserve what exists and be happy that it still lives here. And show it to the world. Come here! Here you can taste geese, vegetables, polenta, lamb that were not raised in industrial complexes but in nature. Here, you don’t need to search for what is natural. You just have to accept what nature provides because it still exists here. That is why representing all this is the simplest thing in the world; we only need to draw attention to the fact that it’s worth coming because there is still clean water, clean air, clean food, and clean spirit. We just need to realize and rejoice that all this still exists. I sincerely thank you for letting me represent all this in 2027.”
The title of European Region of Gastronomy promotes the community achievements and initiatives of a region, providing international visibility and development opportunities for local tourism and gastronomy stakeholders.
