Will tourism go back to normal? - great conversation on the stage of Brain Bar
In case you're not familiar with it, let me start with a brief introduction: Brain Bar has become Europe's biggest festival of the future, where young audiences meet foreign scientists, politicians and business people to discuss the burning issues of the 21st century.
The interactive event is unrivalled anywhere in the world, so I was particularly pleased to see #tourism included as a theme.
It was a great honour to be invited and perhaps even greater to be able to talk to such a great man as Iain Lindsay OB OBE .
Our topic was somewhat provocative, but all the more topical: Will tourism go back to normal?? I had a great debate partner to discuss the issue, as a British diplomat with a wide range of languages, a very diverse knowledge and a well-travelled career, he had a great insight into the industry.
Since the reopening of borders after the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector in Hungary showed one of the fastest recoveries, with more than 16 million foreign visitors making Hungary their preferred #destination this summer. #domestic #travel is also on the rise, with increasing numbers of Hungarians spending their summers within the country, and 63% travelling to rural areas during the autumn months.
However, despite these positive statistics, there is no doubt that tourism is changing, and our #strategies must change to meet emerging trends, whether they be shorter #booking windows, or the increasing blend of #holidays and work that is leading to the coining of new terms like “bleasure” or “workacation”. This shift means that expectations regarding accommodation establishments and the services they provide also need to evolve.
I have identified 3 key problems that need to be addressed in the near future.
On this last point, we have chosen to make investments according to new habits or trends, in order to attract more tourists. One great example is of those regarding key infrastructure, as part of which more than 75,000 rooms have been built or renovated across the country, and this initiative in particular has contributed enormously to the recovery of the sector.
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We are also working on intensifying our partnership with the Budapest University of Economics, to #develop education and to create an attractive #career path in the field of tourism: the Hungarian Tourism Agency is betting on the next generation to address the shortage of workers.
Our strategy involving data is also quite new. Over the past decade, digitalisation has fundamentally altered the tourism sector, and that is why data represents the key to our strategy overall.
With the help of the National Tourist Information Centre system, we can always be one step ahead of our competitors, as the Hungarian Tourism Agency has what it needs to develop more efficient, targeted #marketing .
Data has also brought with it a new trend of sustainability and green travel, and in this area we have worked in close collaboration with regional representatives to develop 11 tourist areas, each with their own distinct identities. Alongside their infrastructure, it is the links, both to the natural assets of their regions and to their cultural heritage, that renders these destinations so attractive.?
We still have a lot to do, and the tourism sector is constantly evolving. Our data-based strategy is a great way for us to follow this evolution and to adapt as fast as we can to new trends. That is the goal I have set myself: to create growth in Hungarian tourism, and to spread the great image of our country worldwide.
Will tourism get back to normal? Overall, I am optimistic.? I think we are heading in that direction and getting closer every day.?
Many thanks to Brain Bar for including tourism among the important topics, and also to Iain Lindsay OB OBE , who was fantastic to meet and talk to!?