Tourists Favor Balaton For Long Weekends

  • 24 Aug 2018 7:37 AM
  • Budapest Business Journal
Tourists Favor Balaton For Long Weekends
Lake Balaton continues to be a popular destination for holidaymakers. So much so that many Hungarians visit the lake not only in summer, but even in winter, according to a recent survey.

Coupon association Bónusz Brigád and market researcher GKI Digital conducted a survey about how Hungarians relate to Lake Balaton. About one third of respondents said they do not travel to Hungaryʼs "inland sea" every year, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Balaton is the most attractive for the younger generations: while 27% of all respondents said they visit the lake at least once a year, this ratio was 36% among those aged 25-29. A further 17% of all respondents said they visit Balaton at least twice a year.

Interestingly, the once popular two-week holidays at Lake Balaton are less common nowadays, as Hungarians prefer shorter vacations by the lake. Most respondents, 44%, said they spend only a few days there, while somewhat more than one-third said they spend a week. Most of those aged 25-29 travel to Balaton only on weekends.

At the same time, Balaton seems to attract visitors not only in the summer, with 21% of respondents saying they also travel to the lake in winter.

As for the reasons for travel, young Hungarians (aged 18-29) tend to visit Balaton to attend festivals, while older visitors prefer gastronomic events. The most popular sites are the city of Siófok and its surroundings on the southern shore, followed by Tihany and Balatonfüred on the northern shore.

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Budapest Business Journal

Hungary's largest and oldest source of business and financial news in English. Since 1992 it has presented essential information on Hungarian business life, including international analyses about the country. These days the BBJ newspaper is published every other week, while it releases daily business news online including premium paid content.

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