More than 2,100 athletes from more than 200 countries will arrive in Hungary for the World Athletics Championships between 19 and 27 August. Along with the athletes, countless fans from all over the world are coming to Budapest as well – reports Turizmus.com.
According to the latest data from the National Tourist Information Center, run by the Hungarian Tourism Agency (HTA), nearly 340,000 overnight bookings for the duration of the event have already been registered by the capital’s accommodation providers.
The Information Center reported that more than 70 percent of the overnight bookings in Budapest between 19 and 27 August were made by foreign visitors. Accommodation was booked in the capital from Australia, India, China, South Africa, Tunisia, Argentina, the United States and Canada. The main countries of origin include the traditional markets of our country. One in ten overnight bookings came from Israel, the United Kingdom or Germany, while 6% of the capital’s accommodation was pre-booked from Spain and Italy, each.
More than half of the nearly 230,000 foreign overnight bookings in Budapest for the World Championships were made at hotels – 60% of them in 4 and 5 star hotels – while almost 40% of bookings were made at private accommodation and other accommodation.
Around 80% of the 110,000 overnight bookings received from domestic guests were also registered in hotels in the capital, with two thirds of these in 4 and 5 star hotels.
Boats will also be available to travel to the World Athletics Championships. Photo: MTI/Zoltán Máthé
In its statement, the HTA stresses that sports tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors. The international competitions of the World Athletics Championships are of particular importance for the performance of the domestic tourism sector. Visitors to sports competitions tend to stay longer in Hungary, spend more on and use more high-quality accommodation and catering services than leisure tourists.
The World Athletics Championships have a significant impact on tourism, as fans not only visit Hungary for the duration of the event, but also extend their trip to discover our capital or the countryside,”
said Péter Horváth, CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Agency. Moreover, even more people will follow the events on TV.
Nearly a billion people will be reached by the broadcasts, which will be multiplied by the social media posts uploaded by the competitors and fans.
All of this will serve to promote Hungary. They all tell the story of what a safe and exciting destination our country is. It is no exaggeration to say that during this time, the eyes of the world will be on us. The tourism significance and long-term impact of this is almost incalculable, added the CEO.
Featured image: MTI/Zoltán Máthé