New investment supports forest tourism

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 05. 07. 10:04

The recreational role of our forests has recently been appreciated, as evidenced by the increasing number of visitors each year – said András Mocz, Deputy State Secretary responsible for forests, at the ceremonial handover of the renovated Büdös-kút tourist lodge of Mecsekerdő Zrt. on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture (AM).

The Deputy State Secretary highlighted that the number of forest tours and walks in Hungary is estimated at around 40-50 million times a year. According to a survey by the Hungarian Tourism Agency, almost half of the active-age population of our country hikes, at least occasionally. The most important infrastructural background of this highly significant segment of domestic tourism, the network of forest tourist routes and rest areas, is maintained by state-owned forestry companies – they wrote.

According to the statement, András Mocz emphasized that between 2010 and 2023, state forestry companies spent almost 53 billion forints from their own resources on performing public welfare and tourism tasks, which means almost 4 billion forints per year.
The basis of this economic model is that forestry companies primarily perform their public welfare tasks from their revenues from the sale of sustainably produced renewable raw materials, wood from forests, such as the maintenance and development of the tourism infrastructure of forests.

Hungarian forests provide tourism services worth 39 billion forints to society annually – the deputy state secretary presented the data of a recent university study. The growing demand for forest tourism is clearly demonstrated by the fact that more and more forest accommodation facilities are being built or renovated throughout the country

he added.

The Büdös-kút key house, located between Pécs and Orfű, along the South Transdanubian BLUE Trail, has undergone a complete renovation and, thanks to the investment, now awaits its guests with a higher level of comfort. The construction work, furnishings and equipment of the building, which can accommodate 12 people, were carried out partly with the support of Mecsekerdő Zrt., and partly using its own resources, the statement said.