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Following the success of the busy spring break, the long weekend in May exceeded all expectations in the boating sector on the “Hungarian sea,” with ferries and passenger ships carrying 69,000 passengers between May 1-4, reads the website of Balaton Shipping Company (BAHART) .
Thanks to the summer weather, bicycle tickets were very popular, with around 11,000 people combining cycling and cruising during this period. The record traffic in early May was also helped by the extended timetable and increased interest in the two new ferries and catamarans launched last year with more than HUF 6 billion (EUR 15 million) in support from the government.
The ‘Tomaj’ catamaran. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
The performance of the Fonyód-Badacsony route on the first day of May was particularly outstanding:
after 7,000 passengers last year, over 9,000 passengers chose one of the three large vessels between the two settlements this year.
But it is not just the long weekend. The entire season so far for passenger transport on Lake Balaton started on March 28, and is also producing strong figures: passenger traffic is 8% higher than the same period last year.
Demand has particularly increased for scheduled cruises, now departing from 13 ports. New this month: the Balatonboglár-Révfülöp route now also serves Balatonlelle. Passengers can also enjoy the new catamaran, ‘Tomaj,’ on this route on weekends, which together with the ‘Balaton’ catamaran represents a new level of comfort and modernity in passenger shipping on Lake Balaton.
Balatonfüred. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
Motorists are also choosing BAHART ferries for their journeys between the northern and southern settlements of Lake Balaton: so far, some 97,000 vehicles and 22,000 bicycles have been rolled on board the ferries, with 250,000 passengers.
Cycling tourism is also growing spectacularly, especially in the ferry ports: during the May long weekend, 8,500 cyclist tickets were exchanged at BAHART ticket offices.
May 2 was particularly busy, with more than 3,500 cyclists taking the ferry between the two coasts. So far, more than 27,000 cyclists have travelled on BAHART vessels, an increase of 7% compared to the same period last year.
Thematic program boats will also start operating from the end of the month. On May 25, the children’s day boats will leave from Balatonfüred and Siófok, and on June 6, the special, thematic catamaran from Siófok will be added to the range.
Via bahart.hu, Featured image: MTI/Vasvári Tamás