tourism
March 05, 2010, 09:42 CET
N Hungary national park goes bankrupt
Aggtelek National Park (ANP) has gone bankrupt with only Ft 20 million in its account, which is only sufficient to pay its staff salaries, Magyar Hírlap reports. According to the daily the Environment Ministry has transferred this sum as a... [read complete entry]
March 03, 2010, 10:01 CET
Hungary among TOP 50 destinations for Chinese tourists
Hungary has been featured for the first time on a TOP 50 list of the most popular destinations of Chinese tourists compiled by the Chinese publication Best of Tourism, state tourism agency Magyar Turizmus. Hungary took 47th place among the... [read complete entry]
March 01, 2010, 09:47 CET
Spa towns most popular tourism destinations in Hungary after Budapest
The spa towns of Heviz and Hajduszoboszlo were the most popular destinations for tourists in Hungary after Budapest last year, state tourism agency Magyar Turizmus told MTI on Friday, citing data from the Central Statistics Office (KSH). In fourth place... [read complete entry]
February 23, 2010, 09:33 CET
Number of foreign visitors to Hungary rises 2.7% in Q4 2009
The number of foreign visitors in Hungary was up 2.7pc at 40.62m in 2009, while the number of Hungarians travelling abroad fell 3.0pc to 16.90m, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Monday. The number of foreign visitors to Hungary... [read complete entry]
February 22, 2010, 10:26 CET
State tourism agency campaigns bring more Austrians to Hungary
The number of Austrian tourists who visited Hungary rose 4pc to 723,000 in 2009, thanks to campaigns by Magyar Turizmus, the state tourism agency said, citing preliminary data compiled by the Central Statistics Office. The number of guest nights spent... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:43 CET
State tourism agency plans joint campaign to promote conference tourism
State tourism agency Magyar Turizmus has said it plans a joint advertising campaign with conference hotels and event venues to raise the country's profile as a destination for conference tourism. The cooperation will involve the travel agents association and hotels... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:37 CET
Guest nights in Budapest fall at slower rate than in other capitals in region
The number of guests and guest nights spent by visitors to Budapest fell about 11pc in 2009, but the drop was still smaller than declines in the capitals of other countries in the region, Budapest deputy mayor Imre Ikvai-Szabo said... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:25 CET
Budapest Airport expects passenger traffic to increase this year
Budapest Ferihegy International Airport operator Budapest Airport (BA) expects passenger traffic at the airport to increase in 2010, reaching or even exceeding its 2008 figure of 8.4m, after falling to 8.1m in 2009, BA Communications Director Mihaly Hardy told MTI... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:22 CET
Hungary guest nights drop 7% year-on-year in December
Guest nights spent at commercial accommodations in Hungary fell 7.0pc to 913,000 in December 2009 from a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Monday. Foreign guest nights fell less, by 3.5pc to 441,000 in December and domestic... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2010, 09:18 CET
Fine Arts Museum receives fine for changing tender for expansion
The Public Procurement Arbitartion Board (Közbeszerzési Döntőbizottság) has fined the Budapest Fine Arts Museum for Ft 3 million (€11,300) for modifying documentation of a tender for an underground expansion of the building following the announcement of the results, writes index.hu,... [read complete entry]
January 11, 2010, 10:49 CET
Guest nights drop 10.7% year-on-year in November
Guest nights spent at commercial accommodations by Hungarian and foreign tourists fell 10.7pc to 1,003 m in November from a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Monday. The fall widened from October when it sank 8.2pc year-on-year... [read complete entry]
January 08, 2010, 11:37 CET
Airport near Lake Balaton to reopen in spring
A Hungarian-owned company will manage operations at FlyBalaton airport in Sármellék from April, after an agreement to that effect was reached with Vectigalis, the company liquidating the former operator, Ireland-based Cape Clear Aviation, Napi Gazdaság was informed. The airport was... [read complete entry]
September 03, 2009, 10:26 CET
Summer outlook less bleak for Budapest tourism
After a drastic decline in the first quarter of 2009, Budapest tourism seems to be bottoming out, national daily Nepszava said on Thursday. In line with the European trends, Budapest hosted 20 percent fewer visitors in the January-March period than... [read complete entry]
August 28, 2009, 11:05 CET
Southern Hungarian spas to receive Ft 5bn in development funding
The Southern Hungary Regional Development Agency announced Thursday that the thermal spas in Barcs, Kaposvar, and Tamasi (all SW Hungary) will receive HUF 5bn (EUR 18.73m) in funding for development and renovation projects by the end of 2010. Southern Hungary... [read complete entry]
August 25, 2009, 09:48 CET
Use of employer-issued vacation vouchers up 28%
Hungarians used more than HUF 21bn of vacation vouchers at commercial accommodations in 2008, up 28pc from the previous year to account for 9pc of the segment's total revenue, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said, citing data from the Hungarian... [read complete entry]
August 25, 2009, 09:41 CET
Inbound and outbound tourism both see large increases
Spending by foreign visitors in Hungary rose 21pc to HUF 544bn in H1 2009, while spending by Hungarians abroad increased 25pc to HUF 379bn, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Tuesday. Hungary's tourism surplus rose HUF 16bn to HUF... [read complete entry]
August 24, 2009, 11:05 CET
FlyBalaton owners look for new operator as passenger numbers slump
The local councils that own the FlyBalaton airport in southwest Hungary are looking for a new operator, Vendel Szabo, the mayor of Sarmellek, where the airport is located, confirmed for MTI on Wednesday. Talks on operating the airport are underway... [read complete entry]
June 17, 2009, 10:12 CET
Budapest moves up to eighth in conference league table
Budapest has jumped to eighth place on the list of the most attractive conference venues, from the 24th place a year earlier, according to the Union of International Associations (UIA), the Hungarian Tourism Co. said on Tuesday. Altogether 141 conferences... [read complete entry]
March 23, 2009, 04:10 CET
Local governments fear blow to tourism by planned VAT hike
The tourism department of the Ministry of Local Councils published a report on Monday stating that Hungary's hotel and restaurant industry would lose HUF 18bn (EUR 60.08m) of its 2008 revenue of HUF 873bn if the planned three percentage-point increase... [read complete entry]
March 17, 2009, 09:36 CET
New hotel/office complex to open in downtown Budapest in May
A new hotel and office building, dubbed "First Site," will open on the former Úttörő Áruház (Pioneer Department Store) site on Kossuth Lajos utca in downtown Budapest this May, reports napi.hu.... [read complete entry]
March 17, 2009, 08:35 CET
Hungary's third Hilton to open in late 2009
Hungary's third Hilton Hotel is scheduled to open in Visegrad, about 40km north of Budapest, in Q4 2009, Hilton Hotel director Luca Crocco told MTI on Monday.... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2009, 09:22 CET
Incoming tourism may drop in 2009 with Budapest hit hardest, minister says
Foreign tourism in Hungary may drop 5 percent in 2009, while domestic tourism is expected to stagnate due to the economic crisis, the local government minister in charge of tourism told reporters on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
February 06, 2009, 09:40 CET
Fly Balaton airport faces battle for survival
Talks are underway between the owners of Fly Balaton airport and potential investors to sell the financially frail airport in Sármellék, near Lake Balaton, Népszabadság writes.... [read complete entry]
February 06, 2009, 09:32 CET
Hotel occupancy in Hungary dropped below 50% in '08; guest nights down 1.5%
Guest nights spent at commercial accommodations by Hungarian and foreign tourists fell 1.5pc in 2008 compared to the previous year. Guest nights in December fell 4.6pc from a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Friday.... [read complete entry]
February 06, 2009, 09:21 CET
Crisis-weary Hungarians plan to slash vacation spending
Almost two-thirds of Hungarians will spend less on their holidays this year due to the economic crisis, a tourism official said on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
January 26, 2009, 10:56 CET
Grand old hotels on Hungary's Great Plain get big makeovers
Five old hotels in Hungary's Southern Great Plain region are undergoing renovations worth a combined HUF 11bn, including EU development funding, business daily Napi Gazdasag reported on Friday.... [read complete entry]
January 26, 2009, 08:54 CET
Russian Bank, Aeroflot to take over Malév following collapse of parent company
Russia's state-owned Vnesheconombank will take over Hungarian national airline Malev and operate the airline in partnership with Russia's Aeroflot, Hungary's Finance Minister Janos Veres announced at a press conference held jointly with Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov on... [read complete entry]
January 13, 2009, 09:31 CET
EU to finance tourism development project at Lake Velence
A large-scale tourism development project will be carried out at Lake Velence in central-western Hungary by the year 2010, Velence's mayor said on Monday.... [read complete entry]
January 13, 2009, 08:51 CET
Hungary guest nights drop 6.5%
Guest nights spent at commercial accommodations by Hungarian and foreign tourists fell 6.5pc in November 2008 from the same month a year earlier. Guest nights in January-November fell 1.4pc from the same period in 2007, the Central Statistics Office (KSH)... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2009, 09:03 CET
Forex revenue in Hungary tourism industry grows
Foreign currency revenue of Hungary's tourism industry rose 17.6pc in Q1-Q3, state tourism agency Magyar Turizmus said on Friday, based on current account data from the National Bank of Hungary.... [read complete entry]
January 07, 2009, 11:01 CET
Managing director resigns amid uncertainty about Balaton airport future
Agoston Gubicza, the managing director of Cape Clear Aviation, which operates the FlyBalaton airport (SW Hungary), resigned after the airport's owners, a group of Irish investors, failed to make the necessary decisions on the successful operation of the airport by... [read complete entry]
December 16, 2008, 12:17 CET
Hotel occupancy drops below 60% for first 11 months of 2008
The average occupancy rate at 3-5 star hotels in Hungary was 59 percent in January-November, down from 61 percent of the same period in 2007, the Central Statistical Office said on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
December 16, 2008, 07:37 CET
State tourism promotion agency to focus on domestic and regional markets in 2009
State tourism agency Magyar Turizmus (MT) will focus on domestic tourism and increasing the number of tourists visiting Hungary from neighboring countries in 2009, MT Marketing Director Balazs Szucs said at a press conference in Budapest on Monday.... [read complete entry]
December 10, 2008, 05:17 CET
Big drop in confidence in Hungary's tourism sector
Ecostat's latest Tourism Barometer, a measure of sentiment in Hungary's tourism industry, declined 8.4 percentage points to 35.9 percent from H1 2008, the company said in a report published on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
December 03, 2008, 08:36 CET
Arab investors plan luxury spa hotel in Northwest Hungary
A group of Arab investors plan to spend billions of forints to build a 300-room luxury hotel and water park in Veszprem (NW Hungary), the city's mayor Janos Debreczenyi announced on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2008, 01:49 CET
Layoffs in Hungary near 19,000 year to date; Budapest loses 1,100 jobs in Oct.
Layoffs in Hungary have reached nearly 19,000 since January this year, national daily Nepszava said on Tuesday. Budapest alone registered 1,090 jobs closed in the month of October, said the paper.... [read complete entry]
November 28, 2008, 07:58 CET
Turnover at Hungarian hotels drops 8%-10%
Turnover of Hungarian hotels fell 8-10pc over the past several months from the same period a year earlier, chief secretary of the Hungarian Hotel Alliance Istvan Kovacs said at a general meeting of the organisation in Sarvar (W Hungary) on... [read complete entry]
November 28, 2008, 07:49 CET
Long-shuddered historic Budapest hotel-spa complex to be rebuilt
A historic public bathhouse in central Budapest's Dohany Street will be rebuilt and is planned to re-open in 2010, daily Nepszava reported on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2008, 08:52 CET
Lánchíd 19 Hotel wins European design award
Budapest's Lánchíd 19 Hotel has won one of Europe's most prestigious design awards, writes property portal ingatlanmanadzser.hu.... [read complete entry]
November 25, 2008, 07:54 CET
Budapest public transit operator under investigation by competition office
Hungary's competition office (GVH) is investigating claims that Budapest public transport company BKV has abused its dominant position in the market, reports news portal Index.hu.... [read complete entry]
November 18, 2008, 08:03 CET
Danubius Hotels Q3 pre-tax profit plunges 45%
Hungary's Danubius Hotels posted pre-tax profit of EUR 5.6m in the third quarter of 2008, down 45pc from EUR 10.3m in the third quarter of 2007, the company revealed in its unaudited, consolidated IFRS report on Monday evening.... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2008, 10:40 CET
Occupancy rate at Hungarian hotels drops further in October
The average occupancy rate at selected three-, four- and five-star hotels in Hungary was 61.4pc in October, down from 65.9pc in the same month a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Monday.... [read complete entry]
November 07, 2008, 12:21 CET
Magyar Turizmus "remixes" international posters for domestic tourism campaign
State-owned tourism promotion firm Magyar Turizmus Zrt (MT) has decided to "reuse" the same concept employed in its most recent international promotion for its upcoming domestic campaign, following an unsuccessful tender to find different ideas, reports Kreatív Online. The company... [read complete entry]
November 07, 2008, 08:17 CET
Work begins on Balatonring motorcycle racetrack
The foundation stone of the Balatonring motorcycle race track was laid Thursday in Sávoly, Somogy county, near Lake Balaton. The venue will host next year's inaugural Hungarian Moto GP.... [read complete entry]
November 05, 2008, 04:43 CET
€6.2 million renovation of historic Eger baths begins
A two-phase, Ft 1.6 billion (over €6.2 million) baths development project is underway in Eger. The first phase will be completed in spring 2009, while the second in 2010, writes Fürdőzz.hu.... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2008, 09:21 CET
Budapest launches new winter tourism campaign
State tourism promotion agency Magyar Turizmus is organising its third winter season campaign to attract tourists to Budapest, changing the name from last year's Budapest Winter Invasion to Budapest Winter Invitation. Participating hotels offer discounts on overnight stays.... [read complete entry]
October 07, 2008, 08:47 CET
Hungarian tourism grows in January-August, says minister
The tourism sector in Hungary maintained a good trend in January-August this year same as in 2007, which is considered a record year over the past eighteen years, Local Government Minister Istvan Gyenesei told reporters on Monday.... [read complete entry]
October 01, 2008, 10:18 CET
Work to begin on €2 million boating/hospitality complex near Győr
Mosoni-Duna Csónakház Kft plans to build an extensive maritime and hospitality complex on the site of the former Richards boathouse on the Danube in Győr. Plans for the Ft 500 million (over €2 million) investment have been completed, and the... [read complete entry]
September 24, 2008, 10:41 CET
Budapest airport fears hard landing as Russian-owned Malév downsizes
Budapest Airport, the company that runs the city's Ferihegy International Airport, is worried about the downsizing of Hungarian Airlines Malev, as it generates the lion's share of traffic at the facility, wrote Wednesday's nationwide daily Nepszabadsag.... [read complete entry]
September 12, 2008, 11:10 CET
Franz Joseph's stables to become major Sopron sports and cultural center
The former riding stables of Franz Joseph in Sopron are to be renovated and converted into a multi-functional hall hosting a variety of cultural and sporting events, reports Napi Gazdaság. József Sinkovits, chief clerk of the Austrian-owned Zuma Kft. undertaking... [read complete entry]
September 11, 2008, 12:30 CET
Majority of F1 racegoers planning return to Hungary
About 57pc of visitors to Hungary's Formula 1 Grand Prix race in August said they planned to return to Hungary, but not during the race, in the next three years, according to a survey by Magyar Turizmus published on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
August 11, 2008, 08:53 CET
Operator of Budapest airport says no further discounts for airlines
Budapest Airport will continue to offer discounts to airlines that add more flights at Ferihegy International Airport, but it will not offer any new preferences, spokesman Domokos Szollár told MTI.... [read complete entry]
August 01, 2008, 02:14 CET
Southern Transdanubia to benefit from Ft 160 million in tourism grants
A total of Ft 160 million (nearly €695,000) in subsidies for tourism development will be made available in the Southern Transdanubia region this year, writes Napi.hu, based on an MTI report. The region lies to the South of Lake Balaton.... [read complete entry]
June 17, 2008, 09:45 CET
Hungarian airlines Malév back in the black
After many years of losses, Malév reported a Ft 703 million (€2.8 million) profit in 2007, the Hungarian airline announced. Profit from core activities increased by 44%, or Ft 7 billion, buoyed by a Ft 9 billion decline in material... [read complete entry]
June 16, 2008, 10:14 CET
Off season spells weaker turnover for Lake Balaton hotels
Tourism drops at Lake Balaton hotels despite increases in numbers visiting wellness resorts. [read complete entry]
May 30, 2008, 11:16 CET
Inbound tourism eases, while Hungarians step up trips abroad
During the first quarter of this year, 7.6 million foreign tourists visited Hungary, 1% fewer than during the same period in 2007, while Hungarians recorded 3.7 million trips abroad, which represents a 2% increase, data from the Central Statistics Office... [read complete entry]
April 10, 2008, 11:37 CET
Zalaegerszeg to build Hungary's first anti-stress therapy center
A new anti-stress therapy center will soon be built in the southwestern town of Zalaegerszeg. [read complete entry]
April 01, 2008, 09:46 CET
Szeged cancels airport development
The City of Szeged has shelved its planned Ft 4 billion airport expansion after finding the figures don't add up. [read complete entry]
February 25, 2008, 11:27 CET
Central Europe's biggest indoor water theme park to open in Budapest this year
With nearly three dozen pools and slides, Central Europe's biggest indoor water theme park will open in Hungary this October. [read complete entry]
February 21, 2008, 11:04 CET
Hotel development projects set to commence in southern Hungary
Two major hotel development projects are expected to be soon started in the south of Hungary. [read complete entry]
January 08, 2008, 11:37 CET
Danubius Group to build hotel near Gellért Baths
The Danubius Group has won a Ft 2.4 billion tender to build a new hotel complex adjacent to Budapest's Gellert baths. [read complete entry]