Geography of Tourism in Hungary

Abstract

Tourism as a new discipline emerged in Hungary in the 1960s. Since then different topics have been researched, such as tourist conditions of the Balaton and Danube regions or medical tourism in Hungary. The 1980s was the time of the first comprehensive analysis of natural resources regarding tourism aspect. In the last decade of the twentieth century, some new topics were researched, such as city or rural tourism. The beginning of a new century meant a more interdisciplinary approach to tourism. This chapter presents the natural preconditions for tourism such as relief features, climatic, hydrologic and biographic conditions. Short description allows us to point the most attractive areas of the country in terms of recreation. The special attention is paid to the protected areas existing in Hungary, among them 10 national parks, whose potential concerning the tourist movement and the infrastructure supporting the reception of values is also discussed. The cultural part of tourist values is presented in the most important tourist sites—in this case: World Heritage Sites, culture centres and the most recognizable values represented by museums as a part of tangible heritage and cultural events as the intangible potential. The tourist infrastructure of the country is presented through both transport and sport-recreational and accommodation elements. First element along with the state of transport infrastructure describes hiking trails, cycling routes and winter sports facilities. The accommodation sector situation in the last two decades presents changes in its capacity and spatial differentiation. An important part is the analysis of the contemporary situation of tourist movement in Hungary: domestic and international tourism, seasonality and its regional distribution. In the last part, the main types of tourism such as spa and wellness or rural tourism are described.