Hungary has been featured for the first time on a TOP 50 list of the most popular destinations of Chinese tourists compiled by the Chinese publication Best of Tourism, state tourism agency Magyar Turizmus.
Hungary took 47th place among the 139 countries with Approved Destination Status.
Hungary is followed by the Czech Republic on the list. It is preceded by Israel. Japan, Hong Kong and the Maldives are at the top of the list, with Nepal taking 50th place.
Hungary as a CEE country – along with the Czech Republic – features on the list for the first time.
In the past five years, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Hungary rose at a steady 10-12pc per year, even during the crisis.
Preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office (KSH) show 38,400 Chinese visitors spent 70,800 guest nights in January-December 2009 at Hungarian hotels. The number of Chinese guests was up 18pc and the number of guest nights rose 12.4pc from one year earlier.