Organised by the Hungarian-Chinese Association for Arts and Culture, the festival brings a slice of the Far East to Budapest, including an exhibition of calligraphy, tea tasting and a presentation of traditional Chinese medicine.
The agenda of this three-day event also features a kung fu show, a display of traditional Chinese apparels and tourism-related offers. In addition, guests can sample authentic Asian dishes, provided by wholesale hub Chinatown Budapest that also hosts the popular Street Food Night Market every summer. The event as a whole ties in with Chinese New Year, this year celebrated on 5 February.
In recent years, the number of Chinese visitors to Budapest has been on the rise. While destinations of choice remain the UK, France, Italy and Switzerland, the increased appeal of Hungary’s capital as an idiosyncratic destination to explore is now widespread. The city’s rich spa culture, high-quality wines and traditional cafés have placed Budapest on the map for Asian travellers.
Air China operates direct flights between Beijing and Budapest, and according to recent news reports, China Eastern are to open a direct Shanghai-Budapest service in June.
The recent Budapest-based Travel Easy retail summit, focused on Chinese tourism trends, confirmed that Hungary registered more than 234,000 travellers from China last year. Forecasts show that this number might increase by 20% for 2019.
Though only some 10% of the population hold a passport, this ratio is still the equivalent of more than 140 million people, showing the huge underlying potential of this segment of the market.
The Chinese Spring Celebrations take place on 25-27 January at building B of the Millenáris Park complex. See here for more details in English.
Open: Fri 2pm-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm
