Tourism Minister: There is much we can learn from Hungary

Riverboat tourism is a big part of Hungary's visitor economy. Photo / Avalon Waterways

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey told an industry event the sector can draw on lessons from Hungary.

The minister, who was unable to make the Tourism Industry Aotearoa summit in Auckland in person, said in a video message that he had met his Hungarian ministerial counterpart while on a recent family holiday.

“It was the first ministerial-level visit from New Zealand to Hungary since 2016. This visit was a meaningful way to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations,” he said.

Hungary - whose leader Victor Orban is admired by US President Elect Donald Trump and pushes back on Western support for Ukraine - has brought in real-time reporting of tourism activity.

The central European country introduced live statistics from 2019, first for 40,000 accommodation providers which was expanded to restaurants two years later. The system covers not only museums, manor houses and castles, but also festivals, bath houses, and all other venues where tickets are sold.

The digitised approach was “pure genius” with the tourism industry no longer having to wait months for statistics, Hungary’s National Tourism Data Supply Centre said.

A spill-over effect due to the digital recording of data is that the accommodation providers obtain tools and information useful for analysing their own business activities.

Doocey said wherever he went in New Zealand he heard those in the tourist industry call for more robust, reliable data.

“It’s clear that the high-quality data is essential to give you the confidence and certainty you need to make informed decisions. Hungary’s commitment to a data-driven tourism model was particularly impressive to see firsthand,” he said.

“Although our tourism sector is of course different to Hungary, tourism remains a vital driver for both economies.”

He said his visit underscored the importance of robust accurate tourism data to maximize the benefits of tourism both at national and local levels.

Here $5m has been allocated from the International Visitor Conservation Tourism Levy to improving tourism data collection.

A strategic plan focuses primarily on investing in “foundational data gaps” and is working towards setting up appropriate oversight and stable funding.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Rebecca Ingram said all indications were for the role of technology in tourism to accelerate.

“And this will create so much opportunity for some truly remarkable experiences – as well as industry productivity.”

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.