Famous TV show poised to drive UK tourists to Hungary

Contestants of a popular business reality show in the United Kingdom came to Budapest in a recent episode. The series provides a great promotion for the sights of Hungary and may prompt UK tourists to consider Budapest as their destination this upcoming holiday season, expert says.

Contestants of the UK’s version of The Apprentice competition series, airing on the BBC, went sightseeing at iconic locations in Budapest, sailed on the Danube, and visited a vineyard in Etyek, index.hu spotted. In the episode, contestants had to set up tours in the country with the goal of earning the most revenue from ticket sales. One team opted for a boat tour on the Danube, while the other set up a tour in a winery.

Those taking the trip on the river of Budapest also visited Margaret Island and its famous musical fountain:

Meanwhile, tourists choosing to visit the renowned wine region of Hungary got to learn about the so-called wine thief:

Besides the main attractions, a variety of the most famous sights of Budapest appeared on screen, from the Fisherman’s Bastion and the Matthias Church to the Basilica or Vörösmarty Square.

Budapest is a popular destination for UK tourists

The last season of The Apprentice garnered over 6.5 million viewers in the United Kingdom. The Hungarian Tourism Agency (Magyar Turisztikai Ügynökség, MTÜ) took part in coordinating the locations and tasks for the filming of the episode. They say that Hungary’s inclusion in the popular series, especially at the onset of the travel season, is priceless in terms of publicity, and may give a great boost to tourism in the country.

Especially so because, as Bálint Erdei, deputy general manager of MTÜ, highlights, 12% of tourists from Britain use mass media and the press to decide on their next holiday destination.

Hungary – particularly Budapest, its surrounding area, and Lake Balaton – is a popular destination for UK citizens: Hungary’s third and Budapest’s number one sending market is the Kingdom. The country is exceptionally trendy among members of the younger generation: around half of UK tourists in Hungary are aged between 19 and 34.

Earlier this year, we reported on how foreign tourists were crucial in keeping Hungary’s tourism sector afloat last year, as the number of guest nights Hungarians spent in local establishments fell by 5.1%. In comparison, the number of guest nights foreigners spent in the country rose by 16.6%. More than any other nationality, tourists from the UK spent an accumulative 84.6 thousand nights as guests in accommodations in the country.

Budapest offers many breathtaking sights and historic landmarks, and, as one travel guide points out to Brits looking for their next summer vacation destination, it also has some of the cheapest beer on the continent.

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