Sustainability and growth: Budapest’s river navigation gets a new direction

The event was attended by more than a hundred industry decision-makers, including representatives of shipping companies, ports and cities. In the panel entitled “Managed Tourism in River Cruise Cities”, the participants agreed that the benefits of river cruises – the economic benefit and the guest experience – should be maximized in a way that reduces the burden on local communities.

György Lendvai emphasized that hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive in Budapest on the Danube every year, and 75 percent of the nearly 400,000 overnight stays of American tourists are due to river cruises. This clientele is of particular importance for hotels and restaurants, as they have a high willingness to spend.

Representing the cruise lines, UNIWORLD emphasized the need for close cooperation with destinations to ensure that passengers receive a quality experience despite short visits. The representative of Amsterdam highlighted the education of the population, adding that river cruises are one of the most dynamically developing and technologically most sustainable segments.

Lendvai pointed out that future expansion requires clear rules of the game – transparent port usage rules, seasonal program offerings, and a broader territorial distribution of guest traffic. According to him, development is not only a question of quantity, but also of quality, which can be ensured through conscious tourism management.

The head of Visit Hungary added that the benefits of river cruises are not limited to Budapest, as several rural destinations have also been included in cruise programs in recent years. The demand for discovering hidden treasures is expected to increase in the future, so the number of guests can be sustainably expanded.