Sustainable tourism: Hungary is still at the beginning of the road

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 08. 20. 11:05

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Interest in sustainable forms of travel and vacations is growing around the world as tourists’ awareness of their environmental impact grows. Larger tourism providers are also increasingly recognizing the potential inherent in this and are beginning to adapt to green trends. In Hungary, however, the green transition in tourism is still in its infancy, and in the case of new hotels and tourism investments, ecological sustainability does not receive special attention for the time being.

According to the latest survey by Booking.com, about three quarters of tourists are looking for a sustainable travel destination in the next year. Despite this, half of the respondents feel that there are not enough such options on the market. One of the reasons for this is that sustainable tourism is still difficult to sell on a mass scale, as the implementation of energy efficiency and eco-awareness entails significant costs – a recent article from Portolio reveals.

Green initiatives can already be observed in the tourism industry, especially in the case of larger service providers. According to Barna Tarnóczi, the sales director of Tensi Holiday, the new generations of cruise ships already operate with LNG (liquefied natural gas), which significantly reduces emissions compared to the previous diesel propulsion. In addition, airlines are increasingly using more environmentally friendly engines and green fuels, which consume 30-40% less fuel.

While the commitment to sustainability can already be felt in global tourism, this process is only just beginning to unfold in Hungary. In the case of new hotels and tourism investments, energy saving appears as a consideration, but ecological and sustainability factors are not yet considered a basic requirement. However, future development is inevitable, as the demand from tourists for environmentally friendly travel options is increasing, which may be crucial for the domestic tourism industry in the long term.