A support program to strengthen tourism competitiveness will be launched with a budget of 15 billion, Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy announced recently at the press conference on the new Sectoral Support Programs for tourism. The most important goal of the complex, three-pillar support program package is to improve the quality of services.
In the first tender, small and medium-sized catering enterprises in rural areas can receive HUF 1 million in development support, thus giving around 13,000 enterprises the opportunity to modernize and purchase equipment. Any year-round restaurant – fast food, mobile restaurant, with the exception of workplace catering – can apply for this, which has at least one closed business year and is registered with the National Tourist Information Center (NTAK). In addition, 1 billion each will go to the development of the Touinform offices and to the Muzsikáló Hungary 2024 Program, which serves to preserve gypsy music in cafés.
We asked Péter Bágyi, the president of the Tourism and Hospitality Department of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BOKIK), about the county effects of the announcement and the current state of tourism in the region.
According to Péter Bágyi, the 15 billion subsidy provides a great opportunity for smaller hotels. According to him, this is a promising initiative, but it would also be important to support larger accommodation facilities, as they will be burdened with much higher costs in 2024.
Photo: MW
Péter Bágyi sees the need for wider support, because tourism always thinks in terms of destination. The guest arriving at the hotel will also check out the restaurants and catering units within a 30-40 kilometer catchment area, and they should also be supported for development.
The area is disadvantaged
How competitive is Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county tourism at the moment compared to the national results? – we asked the specialist. As he said, tourism competitiveness equals good professionals.
“We are an extremely disadvantaged region, despite the fact that there are many quality hotels and catering establishments in our region. After the Covid-19 epidemic, many people left the sector, and the presence of experienced and qualified labor in our region decreased. Catering establishments in the region are fighting for them. Continuous vocational training in this field, which of course means new workers. However, it will take 5-10 years before they become good professionals. Our region is struggling with a labor shortage. Only the hotel and restaurant can be in a winning position. This is particularly important in the hotel industry, as it is basically based on human resources. We need well-prepared, good-looking professionals who speak several languages and communicate well with guests.”
They trust in survival
According to Péter Bágyi, tourism and the catering industry are the most exposed to the current events in our world. No matter how high the number of guest nights, occupancy or sales in a hotel in Borsod, these can be eaten up one by one by the price of raw materials, wage costs, and utility fees. “Under such circumstances, it is extremely difficult to think about a long-term strategy. All tourism professionals believe in survival and that the prices of raw materials will decrease. The tourism sector would benefit greatly from a wage support system. The issue of wage costs most seriously affects the hotel and hospitality industry,” he explained. Who.
At the suggestion of MTÜ and the service providers, the competitiveness of rural catering enterprises is supported with a budget of HUF 13 billion. What would county tourism need the most, which area would need support the most? – we asked. According to Péter Bágyi, the county’s opportunities in terms of tourism are bright: the region stands out in terms of thermal water and mountainous features. These contribute to the fact that the guests who visit here are recharged, have recreation, and also participate in active tourism. But according to him, there would be a huge need for additional support in order for the catering units in Borsod to provide the highest quality service possible to visitors who want relaxation and quality. He believes that the grant funding would be essential for this.
Photo: MW
“We are talking about one of the sectors in the most disadvantaged position,” he declared. cost? Many people are forced to save money because of inflation and prefer not to spend on tourism. Nowadays, this does not fit into their budgets, because the amount intended for this is taken away by the high expenses of house renovation and schooling of the children”.
The SZÉP card can improve the situation of tourism
We also inquired about the extent to which tourists use the SZÉP card in our county, because in the words of the minister, it remains “the engine of domestic tourism”. According to Péter Bágyi, the trend is not bad, but it could still be improved a lot. “Employers like to give the SZÉP card, which somewhat improves the situation in tourism. I can say that 15 percent of all guest nights are paid with a SZÉP card, but it could be increased to 25 percent. This could be achieved if the SZÉP could be reduced card’s additional costs,” said the specialist.
According to Márton Nagy, by 2030, the tourism sector can contribute 16 percent to GDP per year and achieve 50 million guest nights. We also asked Péter Bágyi how realistic he thinks this estimate is.
He explained that in order for this to become a reality, significant developments would be necessary. “The features of our region are great, but we also have to catch up to the big tourist destinations in terms of quality, so that they choose us over Transdanubia or Budapest accommodations. We are almost 200 kilometers from Budapest, and people are forced to consider things when they are looking for a tourist destination due to the high fuel prices. quality decides: whether it’s really worth visiting, for example, a hotel operating in Tokaj-Hegyalja due to the quality of the services,” answered the specialist to our question.
