Balaton might be swarmed by tourists this summer

Since the emergence of the coronavirus in 2020, the tourism industry has suffered greatly, and this is similar in Hungary as well. However, this might change this Summer as more and more people are vaccinated, and some countries have considerably eased their restrictions on travel and just in general.

A couple of days back, Hungary has managed to get five million of its citizens inoculated, and with that milestone came a great deal of freedom. If you would like to know what restrictions were eased and what remained, you should read THIS article.

This greater freedom means that at least domestic tourism might be able to recover and welcome almost as many guests as before the pandemic. Index has asked several mayors around Hungary’s most bellowed tourist destination, Lake Balaton, about what to expect from the tourism this season.

And for beach lovers, we have another great news. The Kisfaludy tourist development program, which launched in 2017, aims to renew all open beaches by 2030.

Only during this year, 80 such beaches are renewed for a total of HUF 13 billion (€ 37 million), so tourists can expect to see some progress in certain areas, but not just around Lake Balaton.

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The mayor of Balatonfenyves, Gábor Lombár, told Index that the free beaches will certainly open around the 15^th of June. He added that there were several developments. They did some landscaping, filled in the road, and built a room and kindergarten for mothers and their small children.

He also mentioned that they had spent HUF 100 million (€ 285 thousand) on developing the slide at the main beach and placing uniform changing rooms around the area.

The mayor of Balatonmáriafürdő, György Galácz, said that seven of their eight beaches are free to use and he highlighted that the developments are non-stop. They have renewed the toilets in almost every location, and playgrounds are installed everywhere to appeal to big families. The mayor told Index that they had spent HUF 70 million (€ 200 thousand) on modernising.

Depending on the weather, their beaches are ready to open from the 15^th of June.

Index also asked Róbert Richárd Kiss, a tourism expert, who is confident that tourists will storm lake Balaton. According to some surveys, all catering units will operate fully booked all season.

“Lake Balaton satisfies every need. Even those who just go there for a day can feel good, but also those who want more culinary experiences beyond hake and beer,” – he said.

Hopefully, some of the nearby countries will allow at least vaccinated people to move freely between countries. The tourism sector in Hungary can finally recover from the shock caused by the pandemic.

Read alsoWhat can you do in Hungary with or without the immunity certificate?

Source: Index.hu