ANNUAL TOURISM REPORT 2013 HUNGARY

Transcription

1 ANNUAL TOURISM REPORT 2013 HUNGARY Article 3 of Council Decision 86/664/EEC 1 of 22 December 1986 establishing a consultation and cooperation procedure in the field of tourism stipulates that: "...each Member State shall send the Commission, once a year, a report on the most significant measures it has taken and, as far as possible, on measures it is considering taking in the provision of services for tourists which could have consequences for travellers from the other Member States. The Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof". The following reporting form aims at facilitating compliance with this Council Decision &pgs=10&hwords= 1

2 SECTION 1 TOURISM ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE This section is aimed at reporting on the following: Administrative organisation Territorial organisation Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and the provinces / regions Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and industry associations, stakeholders and customers 1.1. Short description of the administrative and territorial organisation of public bodies responsible for tourism Government responsibility for tourism is located in the Ministry for National Economy. The Ministry oversees the national economic development including eternal and internal trade, the national budget and taation, the employment policy, and the international economic relations. The Minister performs tourism-related tasks through the Deputy State Secretary for Tourism. Within the Ministry the Tourism and Catering Department is responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the national tourism development strategy, legislative tasks regarding tourism, international tourism co-operation, it is responsible for providing conceptual framework for the SZEP Card system and for the management and development of national trademark system and since 2009 it has been covering government responsibilities regarding the restaurant and catering industry. The EU co-financed development programmes (incl. tourism related programmes) are managed by the Ministry for National Economy through the EU Funds Managing Authority. They are responsible for the co-ordination of the operational programmes planning, monitoring of their implementation, finalization of the calls for applications, selection of the developments and the investments to be awarded support. The Minister of the Ministry for National Economy also oversees the activities of the Hungarian Tourism Ltd. (Hungarian National Tourist Office HNTO), which is responsible for tourism promotion in Hungary and abroad. The Hungarian Tourism Ltd. was established in 1994 with the core objective of improving Hungary s image domestically and abroad, thereby helping to increase revenues from domestic and inbound tourism. The Hungarian Tourism Ltd. carries out its international marketing operations mainly through its global network. The yearly allocated Tourism Fund is supervised by the Ministry for National Development. In local level Local Tourism Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) network has been set up. Nowadays 85 DMOs is registered. In 2013, already eighty-five DMOs have been operated in accordance with the professional criteria. There are 248 local authorities, 3,138 businesses taking part in these DMOs which generated 10.3 million overnight stays in 2010 representing 55% of the total Hungarian guest nights. 2

3 1.2. Organisation chart reflecting the above described administrative and territorial organisation 1.3. Relationship and main areas of cooperation between national/regional public tourism bodies and the most significant / active private organisations / stakeholders / industry associations /unions / consumer organisations The Tourism and Catering Department of the Ministry for National Economy has a close co-operation with other government departments regarding tourism related issues (Ministry of Human Resources cultural tourism, health tourism; Ministry of Rural Development rural tourism development and ecotourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advisories, visa issues, crisis management, Ministry for National Development tourism marketing through the Hungarian National Tourism Office and the management of the Tourism Fund ), and the National Statistical Office, regarding tourism statistics. The Department also co-operates with the major tourism trade organisations and professional associations. The country is divided into nine tourism regions. In these regions, the Regional Marketing Directorates of the Hungarian Tourism Ltd are responsible for regional tourism promotion. To develop co-operation and social dialogue between the government and the tourism industry, the National Tourism Employers Association, and the Trade Union of the Hungarian Tourism and Catering Employees have established the Tourism and HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering) Branch Dialogue Committee. The committee constitutes part of the national social dialogue process and regular meetings are organised. The Committee s most important aim is to work out a proposal for an overall strategy of the Hungarian catering sector. 3

4 1.4. Eisting national/regional specific legislation on tourism In Hungary, tourism is regulated in the Act on Commerce (Act 164/2005) and there are certain Government and Ministerial Decrees that regulate the different types of activities. - Government Decree 281/2008. (XI. 28) on travel contract - Government Decree 213/1996. (XII.23) on tour operator and travel agent activity - Government Decree 239/2009. (X.20) on commercial accommodation services - Government Decree 173/2003. (X.28) on non-commercial, recreational accommodation services - Government Decree 141/2011. (VII.21) on time share in accommodation establishments, on distance contracts concerning holiday products and on provision of long-term right to use accommodation establishments - Ministerial Decree 33/2009. (XII.18) on tour guiding activities - Ministerial Decree 14/2008. (XII.20) on equestrian services - Ministerial Decree 3/1992. (I.13) on the qualifying eamination of tour operators SECTION 2 - MEMBER STATE ECONOMIC DATA AND TOURISM BUDGETS This section is intended to provide an overview of the key statistical information about the general tourism economic environment of the Member States. Please see anne Statistics 4

5 SECTION 3 NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND STRATEGIES This section aims at collecting information on the Member States general strategic vision as well as the specific objectives of their tourism policies Key mission, main medium and long-term objectives and the main targets of your national tourism policy Our long term objectives are as follows: Enhancing the competitiveness of our tourism by innovative, creative, high-quality product and supply development Development of an environment which can improve our competitiveness, promote job preservation and creation Strengthening the institutional system of tourism based on co-operation of local-regional destination management organizations International and Eastern opening included international marketing and sales promotion Horizontal principles: commitment to quality services, highlighting and strengthening national values such as unique profile, sustainability, environmental consciousness. Tourism development in Hungary was directed by the priorities defined in the National Tourism Development Strategy (NTDS) and the New Széchenyi Development Plan s Healing in Hungary Program. From 2011 this document was the base of support schemes financed from EU Structural Funds. The objective of the governmental interventions was the enhancement of tourism supply by providing financial support for the development of attractions, the improvement of tourism services (accommodation and other) and to strengthen the territorial institutional system by stimulating tourist destination management organisations activities. In addition further actions has been taken in order to develop incoming and domestic tourism, to harmonize legal regulation in line with EU directives, to eliminate administrative burdens encumbering tourism businesses and to simplify formalities for tourists arriving from non-eu countries. To get prepared for the new planning period, the Tourism Development Concept has been worked out for the period of , and it is under finalisation after having it consulted with the tourism stakeholders and the society. The document is to be approved by the Government in

6 3.2. Multi-annual national tourism strategy specific / relevant for tourism in place The National Tourism Development Strategy (NTDS) for the period of was approved by the government in 2005 after a wide consultation process with the involvement of tourism eperts and all stakeholders of the sector, regional and national professional and political bodies. The Implementation Plan containing the governmental interventions for two years defined as a major goal to be the priorities of the NTDS incorporated into the country s National Development Plan (New Hungary Development Plan). The document was elaborated from a new approach, namely that tourism is not only a sector of economy but an integral part of life as well. Accordingly, the main objective is to improve the quality of life by sustainable tourism development. The key areas of NTDS are as follows: People oriented and long-term profitable development Improvement of competitiveness of domestic tourism Optimization of tourism effects on life quality Fair and predictable business environment for the entrepreneurs. Development of attractions Product development (priority should be given at national level to health tourism, heritage tourism (equestrian, cultural- and ecotourism, MICE tourism) Destination development Development of priority destinations Improvement of conditions of tourist reception Improvement of accessibility of tourist attractions Improvement of comfort of visitors (accommodation etc.) Development of human resources Market conform development of education Creation of stable employment Changing of attitudes Creation an effective operational system Reflecting subsidiarity in the structure, strengthening regional capacities with the enhancement of co-financing and co-decision making of tourism stakeholders. Creation local destination management organizations Transformation of the institution system in the regions Horizontal objectives Equal opportunities: accessibility improvement Sustainability: economic, social, environmental Cross border tourism development: interregional cooperation Youth tourism: co-ordinated activity in line with special needs The eperience chain establishment To get prepared for the new planning period, the Tourism Development Concept has been worked out for the period of , and it is under finalisation after having it consulted with the tourism stakeholders and the society. The document is to be approved by the Government in The initiator of the new concept is the Tourism and Catering Department of the Ministry for National Economy due to its responsibility for strategic planning of national economic development. The idea behind is that the Government s primary economic mission is to create favourable business, financial conditions for tourism development and SMEs involved in the sector. Earlier, the National Tourism Development Strategy included numerous actions that could only be implemented by local municipalities or private companies. Despite seeking for partnership with involved bodies, especially private sector stakeholders and NGOs, the implementation of some of the planned interventions were not efficient as the economic environment changed drastically since the strategy had been approved. The implementation of the National Tourism Development Strategy was monitored by a Monitoring Committee where all the relevant government departments, professional tourism organisations and NGOs were represented. The Committee makes a yearly overview of the implementation. 6

7 4. TOURISM CHALLENGES, MEASURES AND INITIATIVES This section aims at collecting information on the challenges the Member states and the tourism industry has to deal with as well as the measures put in place to tackle them Key challenges for the tourism sector. CHALLENGES Diversification of the tourism offer Protection of the cultural heritage Protection of the natural heritage ICT and innovation Connectivity and transport Employment in tourism Improving education and skills in tourism Combatting seasonality Demographic changes Improving accessibility of tourism Improving socio-economic data in tourism Economic crisis and recovery Improving the sustainability of tourism offer Combatting climate change Improving the quality of tourism offer Developing responsible tourism practices Competition against other destinations Administrative / regulatory burden, bureaucracy Other, please specify IMPORTANCE / PRIORITY HIGH MEDIUM LOW 7

8 4.2. Main measures aimed at tackling the key high-priority challenges indicated above In the National Tourism Development Strategy the second most important product development area is heritage tourism. One important part is ecotourism which contributes to the enjoyment of tourism, in protected natural areas in an environmentally responsible way. In financial support was provided for the development of ecotourism sites in line with the guidelines of National Ecotourism Strategy. In projects were supported in a value of 66 million Euros. Among the ecotourism projects the Blue track national hiking route, the Nograd Geopark and the Old-Drava program have specific (regional, national) significance. Cultural heritages are also prioritized in tourism development. In more than 151 projects were provided 326 million Euros financial support. As the most important sites opened in 2013 we should mention here the following projects: The Magic Mountain Visitor Centre of the Zoo and Botanical Garden of Budapest, Edelény Castle, Castle in Füzér, the roofed adventure comple of the Castle Spa in Gyula, Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob, The City Park Ice Rink and the Historical City of Iseum in Szombathely. Cultural tourism (incl. cultural heritage) is one of the key tourism products that Hungary offers to foreign and domestic visitors. We work together closely with organizations responsible for the Hungarian cultural heritage in order to achieve both objectives: conserving the cultural heritage and showing it to a wide public. In 2011, the Parliament adopted the Act on World Heritage (2011/LXXVII). The law summarizes the rules and restrictions on the Hungarian World Heritage territories, and help to determine the potential for development opportunities as well. The World Heritage Act provides a legal framework to the management plans of each site, in which also tourism appears to ensure information to local governments and potential investors on the opportunities, restrictions and prohibitions regarding all individual sites. The plans are being elaborated and consulted by the relevant stakeholders and ministries. In the area of human resource development we have to analyse the results of the new structure of the vocational training and higher education system and analyse it in the light of the new labour market trends of the industry. Series of consultation have started between the relevant governmental bodies, educational institutes (universities, high schools etc.) involved trade associations (hotel, travel agents, meeting organisers, baths). The immediate aim is to clarify the actual requirements of employers toward the graduates and to analyse the first eperiences of Bologna integration as well as recent transformation of middle level education. In the field of inbound tourism, the most successful measure has been the Budapest Winter Invitation campaign, which aim is inviting tourists to Budapest in the off-season: between November and April. The campaign attracts more and more visitors to the Hungarian capital while more and more hotels and other service providers join it. The campaign s total budget is about EUR 1 million. During the winter of the ninth campaign is going to be organized. Hungary makes use of the European Destinations of Ecellence (EDEN) program of the European Union within the framework of which we could draw attention to accessible tourism. At the same time this issue contributed to the education of society s approach towards disabled people s tourism. To support high quality services a national trademarking system has been established since 2009 when obligatory qualification of accommodation was eliminated. Joining the national trademark system is not obligatory, but it contributes to distinguish good quality service providers from nonqualified services, to strengthen consumer consciousness and to provide guidelines for the easier selection of services. National trademark qualifications were set up until the end of 2012 for rural accommodations, private rooms, holiday camps, camping sites and hotels. The owner of the trademarks is the Hungarian State ecept the Hotelstars Union system, which is owned by the Hungarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants. The administrative duties/management of the qualification operating the thematic website, receiving, processing applications, carrying out site inspections, contracting service providers, updating the list of qualified accommodations etc. is the responsibility of the relevant professional associations. The decision about authorising, the use of trademark is authorised by the Minister responsible for tourism, who makes the decision based on the proposal of the Qualification Committee. Another qualification of competitive and sustainable business is the Hungarian Tourism Quality 8

9 Award (HTQA). The aim of the award is to support and appreciate the high quality performance of accommodations and restaurants based on a unified, objective and reliable voluntary evaluation system. The self-evaluation is controlled by the awarding committee and through mystery shopping. To tackle the bureaucracy and to simplify the authorisation and notification process of the enterprises a special one-stop-shop procedure has been elaborated. The application has to be submitted to the regional and local government or municipalities and during the procedure the permissions of the relevant public authorities are requested from them by the authority issuing the license of operation Legislative measures if any -at EU level related to the above mentioned challenges None 4.4. Measures implemented to increase tourism flows from other EU Member States and from third countries As regards inbound tourism development, in connection with our Governments policy of opening towards the East, besides our traditional markets, Hungary is trying to find new potentials from emerging markets such as the former member states of the Soviet Union (CIS countries), the GCC countries or other Far East Asian countries to attract additional visitors. In these cases visa requirements currently seem to be an obstacle to tourism therefore we believe it is important to look for new alternatives within the eisting policy framework (EU Visa Code), which can provide greater travel mobility while maintaining the level of national security. Beside tailor-made activities on the traditional source markets, more attention has to be paid to emerging markets (i.e. Russia, China, etc.) and the Central European countries growing demand. In order to be successful Hungary is establishing new relations in the field of tourism diplomacy with potential new source markets (i.e. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, etc.) in order to enhance tourism cooperation. The opportunities offered by regional co-operations (i.e. Visegrád countries) can also be eploited on third markets (i.e. Brazil, USA and Japan). The national tourism marketing organizations of the countries in the "Visegrád Cooperation" have pursued coordinated tourism marketing activities in markets of third countries since The collaboration aims at the promotion of the Central European region in markets where a single country cannot be represented independently due to the large geographical distances. These countries are the following: India, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, Australia, South-America, UAE, etc. The cooperation specifically works for directing the attention of professionals of the given country to V4 countries and to their tourism offers through jointly eecuted actions, for increasing the inbound traffic from these source markets. In order to achieve this goal, the organizations of the four countries have established a separate marketing fund within their annual budget. 9

10 4.5. How do promotional measures implemented make use of / capitalise on the promotional campaigns carried out by the Commission (i.e. Ready for Europe, EDEN, low-season tourism campaigns, etc.). To stimulate tourist flows in off-season, and to provide the opportunity to all Hungarian tourism destinations to get involved, and to contribute to the reduction of the economic impacts of seasonality by encouraging the more effective utilization of capacities and a more active employment, the Ministry is the governmental partner of the Hungarian National Foundation for Recreation in OFF2013, which is supported by the European Union within the framework of the Calypso Program. The objective of OFF2013 is to facilitate low-season transnational echanges of seniors and families facing difficult circumstances in Hungary and Poland. Hungary has actively participated in the European Destinations of Ecellence (EDEN) program from the very beginning as of The successful presentation to the international audience and the growing popularity of the winners chosen during the recent years confirm that we have good reasons to be proud of these regions. The Hungarian National Tourism Office usually offers some awards, thus the winner destination of 2013 (Kaposvár and the Zselic area 2013 Best destination in Accessible tourism ) received 2 million HUF (cca Euro) for the development of its marketing assets and special promotional opportunities in the media and on the web-site of the HNTO, whereas the other applicants were also given multi-level promotion support Measures /actions which contribute to maimising the potential of national policies for developing tourism (e.g. ensuring that tourism interests are taken into account in the development of other policies which may have impact on tourism) Hungarian taation system contains elements to support tourism. The accommodation services VAT is 18% which is 9 percentage points lower than the average rate. Employers have to pay lower taes when they provide tourism-related fringe benefit to their employees. (See the paragraphs on Széchenyi Recreation Card) Measures/actions which contribute to maimising the potential of EU Financial Instruments for developing tourism (e.g. information on main objectives, financing opportunities, training courses, etc.). We have no information that any EU Financial Instrument was promoted in the field of tourism, although there were several Hungarian successful applicants in the tenders of the European Commission. 4.8 EU programmes most frequently used and for what purposes of tourism development The most important programme is the National Strategic Reference Framework Hungary co-financed by ERDF and the Hungarian Government between years As part of Regional Development Operational Programmes, tourism was one of the eligible development areas for funding. Since 2007 a total of 1107 tourism projects have received million Euros of subsidization. So far 790 investment projects have been implemented, from which 483 aimed service developments (e.g. accommodation) with a subsidy of M Euros, 514 investments were tourism attractions development projects with a subsidy of M Euros, furthermore 110 Tourism Destination Management Organisations were supported with a subsidy of M Euros. Hungary is also an active partner since the launch of EDEN programme of the COM. 10

11 Sustainable and responsible tourism, whether talking about economic, social or environmental sustainability, is a broad concept and may be interpreted in various ways depending on the attributes of a Member State or region. The following questions focus on sustainability and responsibility in tourism as described in the 2007 Commission Communication 2 on an agenda for sustainable and competitive European tourism Sustainable destination: What support is given to strengthen destination management at the national /regional/local level (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, training programmes, technological support tools, financial support, promotional activities, etc) Development of sustainable destinations began in 2009 by reorganising the territorial tourism organisations. Local destination management organisations (DMOs) were set up in most of the important destinations. These organisations activity is based on the co-operation of major tourism stakeholders, and covers the full range of tourism planning, product and attraction development, management of information and booking systems, project management, research and marketing, human resource developments, co-ordination of stakeholder activity and administrative tasks. In 2013, already eighty-five DMOs have been operated in accordance with the professional criteria. An ecellent eample is the region of Gyomaendrőd where the local Tourism Destination Management Organisation (DMO) elaborated special methods to compensate the unfavourable environmental effects of tourism. The DMO eamined the environmental load of their operation. As a result of the audit they took measures in order to compensate for the pollution so the DMO of Gyomaendrőd was qualified to be carbon-free /inde_en.htm 11

12 4.10. Sustainable businesses: What support is given to strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism businesses (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, orientation of business support services to sustainability, training, financial incentives, promotional activities, etc.)? For supporting sustainable businesses in Hungary, we work on establishing supportive legal and policy environment and endeavour to give orientation for businesses to incorporate sustainability principles in their decisions. As regards the legal framework, we have modernised and modified the tourism related legislation in line with the recent adopted EU legal acts giving impetus and clear regulations to quality services. The Széchenyi Recreation Card (SzRC) system in addition to stimulating domestic tourism has further contribution to the competitiveness of the Hungarian tourism service providers, as they have to pay only 1.5% commission after a transaction. As regards the sustainability orientation for businesses, the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development are taking into consideration in the evaluation process of all the applications for funding from the Regional Development Programmes. Furthermore an evaluation guideline and criteria system was elaborated by the National Development Agency with the active participation of the Tourism and Catering Department in the Ministry for National Economy. In the economic indicators of a local tourism development we pay attention to the utilisation of local workforce, local products, and local subcontractor chains. As regards the social aspects priority is given to maintain and preserve local workforce, to development of quality of life of locals through established services. Local community partnerships are preferred in project evaluation as well as the improvement of the quality of access to local cultural and natural heritage. As regards the environmental aspects of the project evaluation, preference is given to developments paying attention to sustainable means of transport, increased accessibility by using alternative transport methods (public transport, cycling) in case of increased environmental burden an off-setting mechanism is to be established. To support high quality services a national trademarking system has been established since 2009 when obligatory qualification of accommodation was eliminated. Joining the national trademark system is not obligatory, but it contributes to distinguish good quality service providers from non-qualified services, to strengthen consumer consciousness and to provide guidelines for the easier selection of services. National trademark qualifications were set up until the end of 2012 for rural accommodations, private rooms, holiday camps, camping sites and hotels. The owner of the trademarks is the Hungarian State ecept the Hotelstars Union system, which is owned by the Hungarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants. Another qualification of competitive and sustainable business is the Hungarian Tourism Quality Award (HTQA). The aim of the award is to support and appreciate the high quality performance of accommodations and restaurants based on a unified, objective and reliable voluntary evaluation system. The self-evaluation is controlled by the awarding committee and through mystery shopping. 12

13 4.11. Responsible tourism: What support is given to tourists and the tourism industry to promote their responsible practices and choices (e.g. awareness raising, sustainability in education, national marketing and media campaigns, promotion of certification schemes, etc.)? An Ecotourism strategy has been developed where specific attention is given to responsible tourist approach and an attempt is envisaged to establish a code of ethics for ecotourists, assisting awareness raising for tourists to remain in harmony with nature during tourism activity. The code of ethics for ecotourists can be found in the national brochure presenting our natural attractions. The Hungarian Tourism Ltd. also participated in several actions that aim at enhancing the knowledge and consciousness of tourists regarding their responsibility for the environment. From 2010 every year the relevant ministries responsible for environmental protection and tourism calls for the tender Ecotourism Facility of the Year together with the Hungarian Tourism Ltd. The purpose of this program is to provide opportunity for the ecotourism facilities to evaluate the family-oriented and visitor-friendly nature of their services. The award and the relevant promotion contribute to draw tourists attention to the fact how important is to protect and preserve the natural values of our environment, in addition it helps the management of protected areas to get acquainted with the interpretation opportunities of drawing visitors and providing ecellent eperiences. This way innovative methods will appear in a wider sphere as well as the ecotourism destinations will be promoted. Different awards like Entente Florale for cities and villages or Rosemary Award for restaurants with best floral milieu, or the Green Hotel award are also serving to raise awareness of tourists towards regions, service providers with environmentally responsible business attitude Most significant planned / future tourism measures (legislative or non-legislative) which envisage to impact travellers visiting your country from other Member States or from outside Europe. In 2013, as a new area health tourism based on medical services was also prioritised: 33 projects containing both medical treatments and tourist services were awarded by 53 million euros financial support making possible to realise some 90 million euros development. During the net programming period the development of health tourism will keep its position, but instead of building new capacities enhancement of service quality and improvement of cost- and energy effective operation system is to be in the focus. The eploration of possible co-operations in the field of health tourism is one of the main objectives also within the international tourism policy of Hungary. In line with the Hungarian tourism policy highlight, health tourism is the first priority product of the Hungarian Tourism Ltd. It is in the focus of numerous marketing campaigns and is presented on several international forums. The tourism development projects financed by EU funds contribute significantly to the growth of tourist arrivals. The most important sites opened in 2013 are the following: The Magic Mountain Visitor Centre of the Zoo and Botanical Garden in Budapest, Edelény Castle, Castle in Füzér, the roofed adventure comple of the Castle Spa in Gyula, Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob, The City Park Ice Rink and the Historical City of Iseum in Szombathely. In connection with our Governments policy of opening towards the East Hungary is aiming to find new potentials from emerging markets such as the former member states of the Soviet Union (CIS countries), the GCC countries or other Far East Asian countries to attract additional visitors. Beside the traditional and Eastern markets we pay more attention to our neighbour countries. 13

14 5. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 5.1. Three best practices of tourism measures implemented at national, regional or local level 1.) Széchenyi Recreation Card (SZRC): In order to promote domestic tourism a new fringe benefit system has been introduced which is called Széchenyi Recreation Card (SZRC). It is a non-wage benefit that can be provided by companies to their employees besides their salary with a discounted ta rate. It is a convenient card with three sub accounts for the different purposes. The maimum amount is 1500 EUR annually to give with discounted ta rate, from which 750 EUR can be used for accommodation services, 500 EUR for catering and 250 EUR for leisure services. One of the advantages of the system is the relatively low commission level, set at 1.5% which is to be paid by the service providers after the transactions. The SZRCs are issued by market participants (at the moment by three bank-owned groups of companies), thus the operation of the system does not cost anything to the state. A Government Decree specifies the conditions under which the issuers are required to be compliant. Since the launch of the new system more than companies gave this benefit to their employees and more than 908 thousand cards have been issued. In 2013 EUR 68 billion have been filled up to SZRCs, and the same amount was spent on domestic services. 2.) Erzsébet Programme: Erzsébet program is a purely social welfare and application system operated by Hungarian National Holiday Foundation and financed from the profit generated by the Elizabeth Vouchers (EV) which are paper-based vouchers entitled to purchase services of hot meal catering units and ready-forconsumption meals and foodstuffs. An act decrees that the Hungarian National Holiday Foundation has to spend its profits derived from the distribution of EVs on the implementation of social programs (organized social holidays, providing meals for children). In 2013, the Hungarian National Holiday Foundation invited applications for organized social holidays for an amount of more than 10 million euros. As a result, more than 145 thousand people, of which more than 83 thousand were children had recreation and camping opportunities. several thousands of people more than 160 thousand children 5.2. What policy developments / actions / activities would you epect from the Commission's tourism team that would serve better (than the current ones) the EU Member States and the industry? Hungary would be happy to cooperate with the Tourism Unit of the European Commission in the field of Tourism Satellite Accounts. We would very much appreciate the idea of creating funding opportunities for Member States in order to develop their TSAs and to publish them every two years in cooperation with National Central Statistical Offices. We believe this could contribute to successful and efficient planning of tourism policy in all Member States. As far as travel facilitation is concerned we welcome the revision of the Visa Code by the Commission however Hungary considers that the Tourism Unit should play a more active and an initiator role in this respect and cooperate more closely with DG HOME. Making travel easier and the question of visa facilitation are key issues in today s tourism policy making on global level as well. As we have seen from the joint research of UNWTO and WTTC, visa facilitation can have significant economic impacts on tourism and the analysis have identified different ways how to move forward on visa facilitation. Therefore Member States tourism administration should be backed up by EU Tourism Policy making in order to proceed during the discussion with its own Foreign and Interior Ministries. 14