“The development of the tourism industry requires the establishment of an efficient, modern and well-functioning organisational system, in view of which the Hungarian Tourism Agency is to be set up to concentrate tourism-related resources” Minister of State for Government Communication Bence Tuzson announced at the Budapest Tourism 2020 conference.

Tourism is continuing to grow dynamically and the sector is expected to expand by a further 5-6 percent again this year, but this requires the more efficient application of resources and the elimination of their fragmentation, he explained, adding that centralisation will also help develop a unified national image and enable tourism’s contribution to the GDP to reach the 12-15 percent level achieved by some of our competitors.

The development of details concerning the Hungarian Tourism Agency are currently in process, and the establishment of the new body will mean that tourism management, tourism-related marketing and the country’s marketing would all be placed under one roof, the Minister of State said.

According to Mr. Tuzson, the significance of the capital and of the tourism industry is shown by the fact that in 2015 the number of guest nights spent in Budapest exceeded 8.7 million, an increase of 7 percent compared to the previous year. According to figures from the National Statistical Office, the 3.2 million tourists who visited Budapest last year spent a total of 7.7 million guest nights in the capital city; the remaining 1 million guest nights represent domestic tourists. The most tourists arrived from Great Britain, while the highest year-on-year increase of 25 percent was observed with relation to the number of Asian tourists visiting Budapest, the issued press release states.

Although many development projects have been realised over the past five years, further projects are expected in the upcoming years such as the renewal of the Danube shoreline, Buda Castle, the Dagály Swimming Centre and the Ferenc Puskas Stadium. The hosting of the 2017 FINA world championships is a huge opportunity for the country and could be the anteroom to hosting the Olympic Games; these sports events could give a significant boost to tourism, Mr. Tuzson said.

Given the present circumstances, one of the things that makes Hungary most attractive is security, and promoting the fact that Budapest is a safe city to visit remains an important criteria. Hungary is a safe place where visitors need not fear any atrocities, he added.

President of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kristóf Szatmáry said he agreed that the figures confirm the dynamic growth of Hungarian tourism, the preservation of which requires the maintaining of public safety in the country, regulations that protect honest businesses, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and the retention of highly-trained staff. Making Budapest an even more attractive travel destination requires the continuous creation of new attractions, Mr. Szatmáry said, citing as an example the Chamber’s Shopping Streets programme.

In addition, the Chamber President said that reviewing the institutional structure was crucial to the future development of tourism and declared his support for making the system more transparent, more efficient and simpler.

Fidesz Chair of Parliament’s Economic Committee Erik Bánki reported on Budapest-related development projects, highlighting the Dagály Swimming Centre being constructed for the 2017 FINA World Championships and the development of related infrastructure. 80-100 thousand competitors and accompanying visitors are expected to attend the World Championships and will be spending almost 3 weeks in Hungary, in addition to which a competition for previous champions will be held following the close of the World Championships, which should attract a further 50 thousand high spending propensity visitors, he stressed.

Mr. Bánki also highlighted the new Conference Centre, which will be finished in 2019, as extremely important with regard to tourism. The Centre is expected to boost Budapest to among the top three global travel destinations within a period of ten years based on the city’s facilities, value for money and reputation. Budapest is one of the centres of Hungarian tourism; over 40 percent of accommodation-related revenue stems from the capital, 66 percent of foreign tourists choose Budapest and 73 percent of guest night revenues are provided by the city, he said.

The goal is to develop quality tourism, not to undercut other countries with lower prices; there will always be demand for quality services and they can be marketed at a respectable price, the Committee Chair stressed.

The Budapest Tourism 2020 conference is one of a series of events organised within the framework of International Tourist Guide Day, during which tourist guides can showcase their knowledge to members of the tourism industry, travel agents and other tourism professionals in the interests of discovering new opportunities, as well as drawing the attention of city leaders, the media and the public to the level of professional competence of tourist guides and the value-creating and mediating work they perform. International Tourist Guide Day was first organised in 1990 with the participation of 15 countries.

(MTI)