At a press conference held on the occasion of Hungarian Bath Culture Day on 11 October, the Ministry of National Economy’s Deputy State Secretary for Tourism, Ádám Ruszinkó, emphasised that some two million people visited Hungary last year for health tourism purposes, staying an average of 7.3 guest nights in the country’s various health spas and wellness hotels, which is significantly more than the 4.2 guest nights spent in Hungary by typical tourists.
Tourists who arrive for health reasons spend more time here, which is especially significant in view of the fact that according to trends in international tourism, average vacations times are decreasing, he added. The Deputy State Secretary also pointed out that according to the latest figures spa hotels represent 7.3 percent of Hungary’s total hotel capacity, but provide 10.6 percent of total guest nights.
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According to figures for January-August, tourism has performed well, with both the number of guests and the number of guest nights increasing and a rise in both domestic and foreign accommodation fee income.
Mr. Ruszinkó pointed out that the Széchényi Recreation Card plays a significant role in encouraging domestic tourism, including spa and wellness tourism; the card is currently accepted in 40,903 places, while the number of card-holders exceeds one million. The Deputy State Secretary also noted that EU funding would primarily be aimed at energy efficiency projects to enable the harnessing of thermal water available to baths and spas.
Funding may also be applied for to finance medical research on the positive effects of spring water, which is aimed at further promoting health tourism through agreements signed with foreign health insurance companies.
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The Deputy State Secretary told the press that on Hungarian Bath Culture Day the public can take part in a host of colourful and unique programmes including night-time bathing, and that significantly more baths will be offering free spa use than last year.
Chief Executive of the Hungarian Spa Association Gyula Czeglédi pointed out that the objective of the event was to increase awareness of the roots and values of bathing and spa culture, which goes back thousands of years. The nationwide events organised this year to mark Hungarian Bath Culture Day centre on increasing awareness of the concepts of medicinal water and thermal water.
(MTI)
