Hungary’s tourism bounces back to pre-pandemic level; International visitors increased

Tourism in Hungary has bounced back to the pre-pandemic level, with 16.4 million guest nights registered this summer, the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTU) said.

This is the same level as the summer of 2019, Xinhua news agency quoted the MTU as saying.

MTU welcomed the fact that domestic tourism has maintained its momentum in recent years.

“About 10.5 million of the guest nights were spent by domestic visitors in accommodation facilities, which is 12 per cent more than the data for the summer of 2019,” it said.

Hungary was able to welcome 2.5 times more international visitors this summer than in the summer of 2021, MTU added.

Hungary: People wearing face masks are seen on the elevator of a subway station in Budapest

In 2021, the proportion of foreign visitors was 20 per cent in the three summer months (June, July and August).

Meanwhile, this year it rose to 36 per cent, accounting for nearly 6 million international guest nights.

The famous Lake Balaton retained its title as the number one destination, with more than 5.4 million guests staying there, accounting for 41 per cent of total rural accommodation turnover.

The largest proportion of guests in the countryside were Hungarian (75 per cent of total guests), while in Budapest, 83 per cent of total guests this summer were foreign tourists.

Covid/commons.wikimedia.org

The largest numbers of tourists visiting Budapest came from the UK, Germany, the US, Israel, Italy and the Netherlands.

MTU also said that the general hotel-room occupancy rate stood at 60 per cent nationally during the three summer months.

President of India presents the National Tourism Awards

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the National Tourism Awards today (September 27, 2017) at a function held in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. Its evolution can be estimated from the fact that the number of tourists all over the world has increased from 2.5 crore in 1950 to 123 crore in 2016. The tourism industry contributes 10.2 percent of the world’s GDP. It is estimated that every 10th person in the world works in the tourism industry.

The President said that in India too the livelihood of a very large number of people is linked to the tourism industry. In the year 2016, tourism’s contribution to GDP was 9.6 percent and 9.3 percent to total employment. The tourism industry can contribute significantly in generating permanent employment opportunities and eliminating poverty. According to an assessment, an investment of Rs. 10 lakh in tourism industry provides employment to about 90 people, while about 45 in agriculture, and about 13 people in manufacturing.

The President said that inclusive tourism development can strengthen inclusive economic development. Every citizen should strive to provide a good experience to tourists at his or her own level. In a tourism conscious society, the role of the government is only to provide direction and a facilitating environment.

The President said that ‘Adopt a Heritage Project’ which was launched today, with the efforts of the Tourism Ministry, Culture Ministry and Archaeological Survey of India, has great potential to make our rich and diverse heritage monuments, tourist-friendly. He expressed hope that this project will help in the maintenance of our heritage with a partnership of the public and private sectors.

Entry Fee Hiked Steeply for Monuments from Today

Visiting centrally Protected Ticketed Monuments under Archaeological Survey of India will cost 200% more from today, April 1, 2016 as the government has decided to enhance the entry fee at 116 Centrally protected ticketed monuments under Archaeological Survey of India from Rs.10 to 30 per person.

The new rate comes into effect from today, April 1, 2016 and the department said it was hiked after a period of more than 15 years. Last time the increase was effected in 2000, it said. The fee has been revised after consulting the general public and the Ministry of Tourism, Tour Operators and Travel Associations, said the department, which said the fee charged abroad for such monuments is far higher in comparison. Essentially, the hike in fee will be used for more facilities at the monuments, defended the government in its statement on steep fee hike.

The revised entry fee structure is as under:

Type of Visitor Existing entry fee Revised entry fee (w.e.f. 01.04.2016 Type of monuments
citizens of India and visitors from SAARC, visitors from BIMSTEC Countries and overseas citizens of India Rs.10/- Rs.30/-

per head

World Heritage Monument
others (All Nationals other than from countries mentioned above) Rs.250/- Rs.500/-

per head

World Heritage Monument
citizens of India and visitors from SAARC countries, visitors from BIMSTEC Countries and overseas citizens of India Rs.5/- Rs.15/-

per head

Other monument
others (All Nationals other than from countries mentioned above) Rs.100/- Rs.200/-

per head

Other monument

Accordingly better facilities in the form of free bottled water, wi-fi connectivity, mementoes and CDs with pictures and films of monuments would be offered to tourists purchasing high value tickets @ Rs 750/ and Rs 300/- at World Heritage monuments and Other Ticketed monuments respectively. This would also generate additional revenue for the exchequer. Further, separate queue would be provided for ticket holders of Rs.750/-, Rs.500/-, Rs.300/- and Rs.200/- for ensuring smooth entry to the monument. The revised rates shall be effective from 01.04.2016.

[tags, tourism, asi, monuments, visiting fee, hike, india tourism, hig ticket rates]