Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Diversification in Hungary
László Puczkó and Tamara Rátz
Introduction
1. The number of foreign arrivals dropped by
15.7% between 1990 and 2000, alongside a
fivefold increase in tourism income generation
during the same period, whilst average spend-
ing per visitor and trip increased almost
sixfold. The decline in numbers was attributable
mostly to the reduction of cross-border shop-
ping and petty-trading by visitors from CEE
countries.
2. There was a clear shift towards higher quality
services in the use of commercial accommoda-
tion establishments. The proportion of guest
nights spent in hotels continued to rise and the
rate of increase in the number of guests staying
at 4- or 5-star hotels especially so. The turnover
of guests at commercial accommodation sites
shows strong geographical and seasonal con-
centration
'The happiest barracks' is how Hungary was
often referred to in the West before the political
and economic changes of 1989-1990.
Although, as the Hungarian National Tourist
Office (HNTO, 2005) states, the country:
is not fortunate enough to be endowed with
spectacular features, either natural or
man-made. However, this lack is compensated
for by its geographical situation and the sheer
number of its more modest attractions.
Hungary is situated in the centre of Europe
and has always attracted visitors from other
countries. This popularity has exhibited both
stability and significant change over time.
Because of the country's central location and its
relatively developed status compared to most
neighbouring countries, Hungary has been
attracting high numbers of visitors for several
decades. Although the data collection methods
of tourist flows applied by the Hungarian National
Central Statistics Office (KSH) have been modi-
fied since 1990, the main trends remain the
same, and Hungary has been among the 15
most visited countries in the world with around
30 million international visitors per year (the
highest
in
Budapest
and
around
Lake
Balaton.
3. The purpose of visit was predominantly
leisure, with business arrivals representing a
secondary but growing proportion.
4. The growing role of domestic tourism since
1997: numbers of domestic guest-nights grew
by 4.6% per annum between 1997 and 2002 in
commercial accommodation.
5. Half of all international arrivals have been
day-trippers or hikers, and the proportion of
such visitors from Austria is close to 60%. Only
about 12% of all international visitors stay in
Hungary for more than a week.
position
was
4th
in
1994:
HNTO,
2005).
During the 1990s, tourism in Hungary deve-
loped five major trends (Behringer
et al
., 2001):
