Destinations, Diplomacy, International Journalism and PR, Roots: Central and Eastern Europe

I have fallen in love with Giethoorn at first sight

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14th September 2020

On 20th March 2018

Second part of the interview with. H.E. Ambassador of Hungary in the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mr. András Kocsis on tourism, Hungarian festivals, wine industry and on a private note

Hungary is a popular tourist destination attracting each year more and more tourists. In 2013 10.675 million tourists visited Hungary and in 2017 already 29,5 million. What can Hungary offer as far as tourism is concerned?

Yes, the number of foreign guest nights reached 29,5 million in 2017 in Hungary. In the ranking of the most visited destinations, Budapest, Hévíz (with the world’s second-largest natural thermal lake) and Hajdúszoboszló (with one of the biggest spa complexes in Hungary) are in the first three places in terms of arrivals and guest nights. Of the twenty most popular destinations, the number of guest nights increased most significantly in Szeged (the third largest city of Hungary), Hévíz, Hajdúszoboszló, Siófok (the ‘capital’ of Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe) and Budapest.

According to the Hungarian Travel Agency, the popularity of camping holidays among the Dutch tourists in Hungary in 2015 rose around 10% in comparison to 2014. 25% of the Dutch tourists visited Hungary with a caravan. Why are the camping holidays in Hungary becoming a new trend among Dutch tourists?

In Hungary over 11 000 kilometres of marked tourist paths will lead the hikers through the countryside. Hungary’s most famous tour spanning the whole country is the Countrywide Blue Tour. The route starts atop the Irottkő Mountain (884 m) at the Austrian-Hungarian border and cuts across Hungary, ending 1128 km further at the village of Hollóháza at the Hungarian-Slovakian border. Hungary is relatively cheap for Dutch tourists and around lakes and rivers, along major trekking routes, at thermal springs – camp sites are to be found everywhere, and they come in various sizes and budgets, offering all kinds of services.

Hungarian festivals win a European Festival Award almost every year. Sziget won the award for ‘Best Line Up’ in 2017 and was awarded ‘Artist’s Favourite Festival’ in 2016, whereas Telekom VOLT Festival won ‘Best Medium-Sized Festival’ in 2015. Can you elaborate more on the festival culture in Hungary and why the festivals there are so popular?

The festival culture in Hungary developed in the past decades, due to its colourful cultural tradition and the growing demand. Hungary offers a full schedule of festivals from the authentic folk festivals to different music festivals. It is clear that the weather helps the festivals succeed. The pleasant weather makes people very relaxed and a party atmosphere is inevitable. It is almost sure that during the summer months it is warm all night, which makes festivals with a tent really enjoyable. Moreover, a really diverse mixture of musical genres can be found at music festivals, which attracts a large spectrum of audience. Hungarian festivals offer both big international names and excellent Hungarian artists. Last but not least, the costs of the tickets are a good bargain for many fans as multi-day festivals cost roughly as much as one might spend for a one-band concert.

Popularity of cycling is rising in Hungary. Could you tell us more about I Bike Budapest event?

The I Bike Budapest is a popular mass-cycling event that began in Budapest in 2004. At that time, the name was however, different (Critical Mass), but the aim was the same: to invite everyone to go to the streets on two wheels and to draw attention to the continuing need for creating better cycling conditions around the city. In 2017, nearly 10.000 bikers joined the event, enjoying the possibility of conquering the empty streets, bridges and squares as they are closed to car traffic for the duration of I Bike Budapest.

The growing number of participants also reflects the rising popularity of cycling in Hungary, more and more people take their bikes every day to choose this eco-friendly form of transportation. One of the best incentives for growing popularity is the growing network of bike paths both within the city of Budapest and on the countryside, mostly due to EU structural funds.

What Hungarians are proud of?

We, Hungarians are very proud to be great survivors: throughout the waves of history, we have defended our country and people in the past more than 1000 years since the foundation of the Hungarian Kingdom. We love freedom, which we have fought for in many battles, not only in the 20th century but long before as well.

For survival, one needs creativity. Being able and ready to figure out our ways from difficult historical situations, Hungarians developed a great sense of innovation. This is clearly reflected in the number of innovations still used today. Just to make a few examples: Rubik’s Cube, ballpoint pen, safety match, vitamin C, helicopter, design of the Ford T Model and the basic Volkswagen Beetle, telephone exchange, digital computing, colour TV and I could go on for long…

When it comes to Hungarians, our sport successes are also to be mentioned: Hungary has won 476 medals at the summer Olympic Games, which makes us the 8th in the world; moreover, we rank 2nd at medal per-capita for gold medals and 3rd for all medals.

All my international friends visiting Hungary are delighted with the Hungarian wine and food. Could you elaborate on a few examples of Hungarian wines? What regions do they come from? What wines are especially popular among the Dutch audience?

Hungary has 22 designated wine regions, and they all have something of interest to anyone who appreciates fine scenery and wants to discover Hungary first hand. A visit to top vineyards and cellars can be combined with other activities, and you can easily take in several winemaking towns in the course of a week. The most important regions are Tokaj, Badacsony, Eger, Villány, and Szekszárd. Tokaj, in northeast Hungary, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains is best known for its sweet Tokaji Aszú wines, as well as the Furmint, Hárslevelű and Muscat grapes. Several varieties of grape are known to have originated in Hungary, like the Irsai Olivér with a distinctive Muscat character and the Cserszegi Fűszeres, which often is informally called “spiced wine” in Hungary. In the Netherlands, the best-known wines are the white dessert wine Tokaji and the red wine Bull’s Blood of Eger (Egri Bikavér).

Ambassador Kocsis during Wine Professional 2018

What are your favourite places in Hungary and why?

There are many beautiful spots to discover around Lake Balaton in Western Hungary, which has become our summer capital: not only hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists visit the lake but also the Hungarians themselves set off every weekend for the ‘Hungarian Sea’, as we like to call it. It is smart to leave Budapest very early in the morning on a hot summer Friday, unless you want to spend long hours on the motorway – instead of lying on the beach…

Lake Balaton

Budapest

What were your first impressions of the Netherlands when you were appointed Ambassador here in 2016?

My very first impressions date back much earlier: when I was deputy Ambassador in Kenya, I used to transfer through Amsterdam. I was fascinated by the hundreds of people biking to their workplace early in the morning – in suits and even in heavy rain…

What are your favourite places in the Netherlands that you would like to recommend to the Hungarian tourists?

I have fallen in love with Giethoorn at first sight. It is for good reason it is called the Venice of the Netherlands. And if you are a fan of the beauties of nature, like open theatre performances, or simply enjoy silence: you just can’t get enough of the Frisian Islands, either.

My company and I try to promote and intensify the knowledge about CEE countries in the Netherlands and the knowledge about the Netherlands in the CEE countries. Although the CEE countries are no longer behind the Iron Curtain and are enjoying freedom, so little is still known about CEE and so much can be still achieved together. How would you assess the purpose of our activity?

I believe that for all CEE countries it has become a primary mission since their democratic transition to create and represent a positive narrative about their region especially towards Western Europe. I can confidently say that the wide range of professional and cultural activities representing our region offered by the CEE Embassies in the Netherlands and dedicated partners as Communications Unlimited are imbued with the spirit of the Visegrád co-operation. This reflects the efforts of the Central European countries to work together in a number of fields of common interest in the framework of the European integration.

What is your ambition as an Ambassador of Hungary in the Netherlands?

I intend to visit every corner of the Netherlands, from Schiermonnikoog to Valkenburg, from Domburg to De Hoge Veluwe and bring the message about my beautiful country and the many possibilities for trade, culture, and tourism.

What message would you like to share with our audience at the end of this interview?

Discover Hungary, discover Central Europe. All the millions who did so just keep coming back…

Useful links:

Ambassador Kocsis: @amb_kocsis
Website of the Embassy of Hungary: https://haga.mfa.gov.hu/eng
FB: https://www.facebook.com/EmbassyHUNL/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embassyhunl/
Hungarian Tourism Office on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellohungaryHU/

Photo: Giethorn

FB: https://www.facebook.com/journalismlanguagesinternationalization/

Welcome video of Ambassador Kocsis: