Trapped by growth – Challenges in the development of Budapest tourism

Abstract

This paper attempts to present problems of Budapest related to overtourism in the international context of overtourism and attempts to manage them. Although the tourism of Budapest is characterized by booming demand and expanding accommodation supply, symptoms of overtourism and untreated problems are present. By critically analyzing the application of international literature on the subject of Budapest, the research attempts to reconsider the situation of overtourism. It focuses on a novel approach to tourism intensity index and tourism density index and provides suggestions to destination management policymakers. The research methods included using secondary sources, a focus group interview with members of professional organizations, in-depth interviews with practitioners in the field, and a quantitative investigation of perceptions of overtourism in a closed professional group on social media. The growth in tourism demand in Budapest may bring quality and sustainability problems, due to the lack of modern destination management at the district, metropolitan, and national levels. Untreated overtourism may bring protests among citizens, shortage of experience for the visitors, and decreased profitability for the entrepreneurs.