Although Hungary received only 350,000 travellers out of Asia in 2012- a market share of 8.5% of all international arrivals in commercial accommodation-, the trend remains extremely positive with double-digit growth rates year after year.
BERLIN – It is still a small segment in total arrivals or guest overnights but this is a growing one. At ITB, the Hungarian Tourism authority expressed its satisfaction about the evolution of its tourism. Last year, while total foreign arrivals in commercial accommodation were up by 8.1% to reach 4.12 million, tourist arrivals from Asia were up by 12.7% reaching a record of 348,644 people. Asia also generated a total of 742,000 overnights in commercial accommodation, up by 10.6%, a share of 6.5% of all accommodation.
Japan still remains Hungary’s largest Asian markets with 77,500 arrivals in 2012. Japanese travellers discovered the country in the eighties as Japanese tour operators started to organize circuits along the former capitals of the old Austrian-Hungarian monarchy with the main highlight being first Vienna and Budapest and then Prague, after the collapse of communism in the late eighties.Japan continues to grow strongly, with total arrivals up by over 11%. “However, the fastest growing market has been China. The market enjoyed last year a tremendous growth of 24.3% to over 72,000 arrivals”, tells Kristof Sztojanovits, Director for Germany of the Hungarian National Tourist Office. With annual growth rates of 20% per year, China is likely to take over Japan as Asia’s largest inbound market to Hungary in 2013, overtaking Japan. Another rapid growing market is also Korea, up by 19.6% last year. The tourism authority has currently three representative offices in Asia, in Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. The three offices are covering the entire region.
According to Kristof Sztojanovits, Budapest is of course Hungary’s main selling destination for Asians. “Budapest is turning increasingly into a trendy destination. With its bars, clubs and galleries in abandoned houses, it is turning into one of Europe’s most exciting cities for young generations”, he explains. The tourism authority is also increasingly focusing on new source markets from developing countries.
The absence of scheduled flights to Asia does not seem to be a handicap. “Budapest is merely 220 km away from Vienna International Airport, which benefits from non-stop flights to Japan, China, India, Thailand and to the Middle-East where further connections are offered to the rest of Asia”, says Mr. Sztojanovits.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
