TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Making their presence felt at Expo 2020 Dubai, Hungary Tourism continues to attract GCC market with their strategy to welcome more visitors in 2022. Continuing their activities, a special workshop was held targeting agents from the region. Speakers shared their insights with TRAVTALK.
Shehara Rizly
Ivan Ljubinkovic, Tourism Development Manager, Hungary National Tourism Organisation (HNTO) highlighted the importance of the market and their strategies for the year. “It is an important market for us even before the pandemic. But now many things have changed. Our focus on the GCC market is important as it brings a lot of diversity to our tourists. In November 2021, we organized a FAM trip with travel agencies and tour operators and it was a big success. It was our first event after the intensity of the pandemic has lessened. We are happy to have people from the GCC region explore the many offerings in Hungary and Budapest. We are organizing this workshop now which was a success.”
He added, “It is a two-sided project for both B2B and B2C media. One week for Budapest is necessary because that way you can discover the city in depth. It is a city where walking is good to discover the architecture in Budapest — the cultural sites are all within 20 minutes from either sides of the city center and find amazing spots. One important attraction is the spas; thermal baths that we have all over in Hungary and Budapest. We are talking about hot water spas, and also architectural and cultural heritage. Spas offer one a cultural experience— some of the spas were built in the beginning of 19th century. There are baths that were built during the rule of the Ottomans in 16th and 17th centuries which you can bathe in today .”
Ljubinkovic said, “Every season has something new to offer to travellers in in Hungary. However, winter and spring are the best seasons here: We have colourful Christmas markets and ice skating and, of course the baths. During the COVID-19, we had to change our tourism strategy. We focused on data, stats-driven marketing and focused on making the tourism sector more appealing to the younger generation. We wanted to bring back people to the tourism sector and get the regional tourism involved. We are looking at increasing numbers from the GCC market, especially due to the flights we have between Dubai and Budapest so that we have a constant traffic from this region.”
Nasir Jamal Khan, Chief Executive Officer Al Naboodah Travel shared “There are endless reasons to visit Hungary. Hungary as a destination boasts potential for the UAE and Middle Eastern markets. The luxury lifestyle experiences of castle stays, spas, designer shopping and natural landscapes as well as options for hunting and culinary adventures are tempting options for visitors. In short, Hungary has an abundance of experiences that will captivate tourists. In the current climate, it is reassuring to know that Hungary has swiftly implemented all the newly required health and safety measures to protect visitors, without compromising on the holiday experience. Similarly, people are increasingly concerned about health and safety, preferring to travel privately. There has been an increase in private jet bookings over the last few months, with business increasing by almost 300 per cent. Middle Eastern travellers spend an average of seven to 10 days at one destination. Tourists from the GCC look for safety, medical facilities, and Halal food. Hungary as a destination enjoys more awareness in the GCC than many other destinations.”
Emily Jenkins, Head of Leisure UAE at dnata Travel said, “At dnata Travel, we have seen recent bookings coming through for Hungary. There are a lot of people in the region seeking new destinations to go to, particularly across Europe. Hungary is an excellent place to travel to for a holiday. But now travellers are adding Budapest and the country’s other landmarks as part of a wider journey by road or train across different parts of Europe. One of the factors which we consider as important when attracting travellers from the GCC is building local awareness of the destination. We have worked on many partnership marketing campaigns with Tourist Boards, which support in building travellers’ awareness of the destination of the region. As part of these tailor-made campaigns, many of our decisions are driven by data in terms of who to target, and how to drive bookings.”
Naouphale Mohammed, Head – Product Development & Global Contracting, ITL World “Relatively less promoted in GCC than its well established as well as newly marketed neighbours, Hungary has the right ingredients to attract and welcome all types of audience from the region. Continuous promotional initiatives featuring relevance is key to keep the destination right in front of travelers’ eyes. While workshops targeting local women’s groups and clubs showcasing culture, food and shopping can penetrate the family crowd, conducting wellness-oriented events for reputed medical practitioners and prominent personalities would result in medical movements. Engaging social influencers, corporate decision makers, government officials and importantly media and the travel fraternity can help increase interest in the country, provided the tourism promotional plan is a collective effort between Hungarian Tourism Board, Tourism companies and Hungarian Embassies and is based on a long term vision.”
