Budapest cruises – how long will it take for tourists to come back?

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about cruise ships, cruising on the Danube and the problems of overcrowding. Experts say, however, that the problem is not that there are too many ships, but that the industry expanded very unexpectedly, and many want to save money on the salary of staff.

According to HVG, the fact that there are lots of ships simultaneously on the Budapest section of the Danube could have been one of the contributing factors of the tragedy taking place between Hableány (Mermaid) and Viking Sigyn. Although we still do not know what exactly went down that night, it is an undeniable fact that the number of cruise ships simultaneously on the Danube has been growing. This comes as no surprise since operating cruise ships and hotel ships is an excellent business opportunity.

An insider from a cruise ship company revealed that the real problem is not the increase in the number of ships on the Danube, but that the growth came too unexpectedly. A few years ago, hotel ships also started offering sightseeing tours. So, the competition is big, and no one wants to risk missing out on such an opportunity.

In addition, most ships are on their way between 7 and 10 pm, and since there are no regulations, no one is willing to give up tours at such prime time.

According to data, there are about 130 cruise ships in Budapest and in the Danube Bend. When it comes to hotel ships, there are about 250 thousand tourists visiting Hungary on such ships every year, and from the 250 hotel ships cruising along the Danube, about 200 of them visit the capital. In addition, the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK) also has eight ships, however, these stop running after 8 pm.