Mayor claims Budapest has no access to government tourism support scheme

The mayor of Budapest on Thursday criticised the government, saying that the capital city that would need the most support for reviving its ailing tourism sector, has no access to the Kisfaludy tourism development fund.

According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, Budapest has received no funding because its tourism sector was believed “to recover” most rapidly, Gergely Karácsony said on Facebook.

But the assumption was wrong, he said, arguing that Budapest is “the engine” of Hungary’s tourism, with its residents preferring to spend their holidays in the countryside, and fewer visitors coming to Budapest from there.

Meanwhile, the head of the Budapest Chamber of Industry and Trade (BKIK) has invited Karacsony and Finance Minister Mihaly Varga for talks about possible financial aid to businesses hit by the pandemic, daily Magyar Nemzet said on Thursday.

“Budapest would need 40 billion forints (EUR 111m) to support ailing businesses in the tourism sector which will have to soon dismiss several tens of thousands of their employees. We must take action without delay,” Elek Nagy said.

Read alsoBudapest hotels are forced to shut down due to ban on foreign tourists from entering Hungary