Yesterday, 12 March, Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) chief Zoltán Guller reported on the severity of the issue. According to Guller, 89% fewer planes are coming to Europe from other continents compared to last year’s numbers, and European tourism is expected to drop 85%, until Easter at least. The situation is rapidly changing, but the Hungarian government predicts the virus to reach its peak here in June. Until the end of April, cruise ships on the Danube will also be avoiding Budapest.
According to information provided by the National Tourism Data Supply Centre, the number of cancellations is increasing by the day. For the three months from March, of the 163,500 bookings for Hungary, 24% have been cancelled. The biggest provider of visitors, Germany, is responsible for a 14.9% drop. Cancellations from Israel (43.2%), Italy (43.2%) and Romania (27.9%) are particularly high.
The drop in domestic travel numbers is less serious, 14.9%. For Budapest, most of the cancellations are from China (57%) and Israel (44%). Outside of the capital, there is a 10-15% drop. Professionals are hoping that the crisis will be over by the summer season.
Guller also announced that his team is working on possible solutions at the moment, and if everything goes according to plan, tourism can return to its 2019 state within ten months. MTÜ has stopped all advertising campaigns until the end of the outbreak. They are currently working on a seven-point action plan to boost tourism in the future. Meanwhile, the EU is formulating a tourism ‘Marshall Plan’ to revitalise this sector after the virus has retreated.
The Hungarian Tourism Agency has produced this information guide in English for visitors to Hungary, with advice and emergency numbers.
