The National Tourism Development Strategy 2030 - Tourism 2.0 guides tourism policy and programme development in Hungary. The Strategy was updated in 2021 to respond to the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and set out the direction and priorities for tourism in Hungary to 2030, with key objectives to:
Complement the previous supply and product-based approach with a strong demand and needs-based approach. The focus of the strategy is shifting from development to marketing, with a well-developed understanding of international and domestic market segment needs, used for marketing, sales and future development.
Define a new model of governance whereby sectoral governance is complemented at the destination level. The new network of destination management organisations links central management with the tourism regions.
Strengthen the role of the Hungarian Tourism Agency in education and career-path shaping to help improve the quality of the workforce.
Utilise digital solutions to accompany and support the travel process. Sectoral interests also need to play an active role in developing and connecting digital solutions to improve the guest experience and understanding the opportunities of big data by looking in detail at sub-sectors, such as hospitality and the labour market.
Promote sustainability as a strategic objective, channelled through sector-based interests to involve actors across all sectors. Sustainability considerations are reflected in product development at the destination level through the introduction of a sustainability trademark and priority development for sustainable and ecotourism attractions (e.g. national park visitor centres and water recreation sites). This will help lay the foundations for a sustainable profile for tourism in Hungary.
The specific targets of the Strategy are to increase the total number of guest nights in Hungary to 50 million by 2030 (up 20% on 2019 levels), to be generated by 20 million tourists with an equal distribution of domestic and international tourists and spread between Budapest and rural destinations. A further aim is for Hungary to be the most popular Central European tourist destination.
To meet the objectives of the Strategy and to achieve sustainable growth, Hungary is developing and implementing several policies and programmes. The update the Széchenyi Leisure Card (SZÉP Card) aims to increase domestic consumption and encourage domestic tourism. Employees have been encouraged to use the funds on the cards by a one-off fee of 15% on unused balances accumulated on the cards for at least a year. The government also permitted employers to transfer a one-off amount of up to HUF 200 000 to SZÉP Cards on top of the current HUF 450 000 recreational allowance, during a 4-month period in 2024. The SZÉP Card will continue to be available as a fringe benefit in Hungary, with a reduced public tax rate.
Created in 2019, the National Tourism Data Supply Centre is an electronic tourism registration and administration system. The administration of accommodation facilities is handled through the online platform, which provides online statistical data on a daily basis.
In April 2023, Hungary reintroduced the Tourism Development Contribution, after suspending it during the pandemic to provide financial support and alleviate the administrative burden for tourism businesses. The contribution collects revenues from catering and commercial accommodation providers to reinvest in tourism. To strengthen the competitiveness of tourism, the VAT on commercial accommodation services has been reduced from 18% to 5% since 2020. A digital tourist tax declaration for accommodation providers was also introduced. The mandatory use of paper guest books was abolished, eliminating the double record-keeping obligation for accommodation providers, and making it faster for guests to check-in.
The manufacturing programme has been extended to the tourism sector. This initiative helps 1 445 accommodation and catering businesses registered to the programme to reduce the costs of utilities, particularly energy. It also supports SMEs to invest in energy efficiency and retain their workforce through binding commitments. In addition to the utility allowance, it was possible to apply for a non-repayable grant to supplement the loan for energy efficiency investments. Businesses who benefited from the programme had to pledge to keep at least 90% of their staff employed until the end of 2023 and commit to invest in energy efficiency by the end of 2024 at the latest.
A national accommodation rating system was introduced in 2022, to align with international standards and respond to visitor expectations (see box below).
