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Devastating: Almost 1.5 million Hungarians cannot afford a holiday
According to a study by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) released in late July, 24.3% of workers in Hungary cannot afford a holiday. This equates to approximately 1.46 million people, an increase of 82,000 from the previous year.
“Holiday poverty” in the EU
Hungary ranks 4th in the EU for “holiday poverty,” with Romania being the worst affected at 35.8%. Cyprus and Greece follow, with 24.9% and 24.8%, respectively. In contrast, Sweden and Finland have the lowest rates, at around 4.7%, Telex reports.
Regionally, Hungary is not alone in its struggles; Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Croatia also report significant proportions of people unable to take a vacation. However, Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic fare much better.
The data highlights a rising trend across the EU, with vacation poverty increasing in almost all member states from 2021 to 2022.
Read also:
- Surprising results: Hungarians want to travel to these destinations from Budapest Airport
- Choosing the best taxi service in Budapest: A guide for tourists
Source:
Cannot afford a holiday where? Holidays can be spent in the home country. Holidays can include visiting museum, swimming in public pools, exploring Hungarian cities like Eger. In North America, many families explore their own home cities, prepare sandwiches and have picknick in parks. Many North American families cannot afford to go away for holidays. Often, it is worth taking holidays earlier in the year instead of August and July. Most places are more economical earlier in the season.
That’s all useful advice for people seeking to maximise their disposable income. If these 1.5 million people referred to in the article HAD sufficient disposable income for an inland holiday, I’m sure they’d choose that as an option and say that they’ve had a holiday, even if it wasn’t the one they’d otherwise have chosen. Going for a picnic in the local park or visiting a local museum is not a holiday, it’s just leisure time.