"The diplomatic visits show the privileged role that the Chinese relationship plays in Hungary's foreign policy."Continue reading
As part of the Hungarian EU presidential program, the EU-China Tourism Dialogue Ministerial Meeting and Conference took place in Budapest on Wednesday evening.
Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy stressed that during the presidency of the Council of the EU that began this week, Hungary sees improving the EU’s competitiveness as its most important task. As part of this, the competitiveness of tourism should also be promoted, as the sector plays a key role in the EU economy. It accounts for 9 percent of EU GDP, employs 4.4 percent of the workforce and, in addition to almost 10 million employees, indirectly supports the livelihoods of some 25 million people, the minister said.
Hungary plays a special role in the relations between China and the EU thanks to its developing ties with the Far East,”
he stressed.
Márton Nagy (L). Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
The minister pointed out that forecasts predict a significant increase in the number of Chinese visitors to Europe in the coming years. Thanks to the strengthening of Hungarian-Chinese relations, more and more tourists have been arriving in Budapest from the Far East for years, with more than 300,000 overnight stays in the country last year.
Márton Nagy is confident that
2024 will be an important year for relations between the two countries, and even for the EU, thanks to the further development of tourism.
A particularly important achievement for tourism is the return of Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, the gateway to the country, to state ownership a few weeks ago, he added.
The minister welcomed the fact that valuable new contacts had been established at the tourism event linked to Hungary’s EU presidency, based on feedback from participants.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/China Southern Airlines