On March 3, the 44th Travel Exhibition was ceremonially opened in pavilion H in the Hungexpo in Budapest. This year one hundred exhibitors from thirty countries take part in the event, in which the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) put up a separate booth. As the guest of honor at the Exhibition, Egypt participated for the first time, while Veszprém is “the domestic guest” which will also be the holder of the title the European Capital of Culture in 2023.
During the official opening of the Exhibition, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó pointed out that because of the crisis caused by the coronavirus, almost all the sectors of the economy – in such a way tourism too – faced serious challenges. In the course of one year, the number of tourists fell by 73 percent worldwide, and the income from tourism decreased to its half. For this reason, the Government of Hungary believed that the right time to launch development had arrived. During the first year of the pandemic, the resources spent on developing tourism exceeded HUF800 billion. In the framework of this, forty new hotels were built in the country, while 14.000 private rooms, almost 600 guesthouses and 114 beaches have been modernized.
Minister Szijjártó added that a development program for tourism in the value of HUF90 billion was launched in the countryside thanks to which in 2021 9.4 million people spent 29 million nights in the various venues of the country. “This is record high number with the help of which last year we were able to account for the best summers of domestic tourism.” We have just overcome the fifth wave of the pandemic, while eight days ago a war was launched in our neighborhood. For the time being, we do not know what impact this may have on tourism. It is likely that this will not be positive but the peace negotiations will, hopefully, be successful, said the Minister.
At the same time, Péter Szijjártó welcomed Egypt that is participating in the Exhibition as a guest of honor for the first time this year. Ghade Samir Shalaby, the Minister for Tourism of Egypt spoke about the most important products and attractions of his country, adding that it is now possible to apply for an entry visa online.
Government Commissioner Tibor Navracsics, responsible for the Veszprém–Balaton European Capital of Culture 2023 program told the audience that the region of Veszprém and Lake Balaton might as well be considered to be a beneficiary of the pandemic. The reason for this is that thanks to working online many people have found a home there, and that domestic tourism has been buoyant in the region. At the same time, besides having a swim in Lake Balaton, the town of Veszprém is yet to be discovered, together with the natural and cultural attractions of the region of Hill Bakony. The Commissioner highlighted the importance of the human factor, pointing out that on the basis of the qualifications, tastes and the added value of the work of the people living there, theirs is one of the premium regions in Hungary, a region that can easily match many other, more frequently visited regions in Western Europe.
During the first days of the Exhibition, the booth of the Representation Office of the Organization of the Turkic States was visited by a great number of people who had a chance to get acquainted with the opportunities and offers in tourism of the six countries having their display there.
