Hungarian cruise manager welcomes return of Chinese tourists_Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

Hungarian cruise manager welcomes return of Chinese tourists

Xinhua

2023/02/24

Tourists are seen with St. Stephen's Basilica in the background in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 4, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

After China optimized its COVID-19 policies and lifted travel restrictions, Chinese tourists have been flocking to popular destinations around the world, including Hungary, boosting the tourism industry worldwide.

BUDAPEST, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- "Steady, gradual growth" in the number of Chinese tourists will make the year 2023 as good as 2019 was, a senior manager of Hungary's largest passenger shipping company has said.

"I believe that one of the most important things for Hungary is the return of Chinese tourists," Gabor Spanyik, managing director of MAHART PassNave Passenger Shipping Ltd., told Xinhua at a tourism conference held here on Tuesday.

After China optimized its COVID-19 policies and lifted travel restrictions, Chinese tourists have been flocking to popular destinations around the world, including Hungary, boosting the tourism industry worldwide.

The number of direct flights between China and Hungary has increased in recent years in line with Hungary's eagerness to welcome visitors from the Asian country, Zsofia Jakab, deputy chief executive officer of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, has told Xinhua in an interview.

Flight crew celebrates with a special cake at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 11, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Spanyik said Chinese tourists are now arriving in greater numbers, which can already be seen on the banks of the river Danube.

He said he was confident that the two countries' similar cultures and developing business relations will lead to the arrival in Hungary of even more tourists from China.

China has become an increasingly important market for Hungarian tourism. In recent years, Hungary has been promoting itself on Chinese social media platforms, such as TikTok, Weibo or WeChat. The efforts appear to pay off.

Cruise ships dock on the Danube in Budapest, capital of Hungary, May 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Last year, 4-5 percent of the tourists who arrived in Budapest on cruise ships came from China, Spanyik said. "Nowadays, this rate is more like 14-15 percent on international tourist ships."

Spanyik said that his company is making improvements to welcome Chinese tourists, such as providing information in the Chinese language as well. ■