Equestrian tourism in Hungary

Németh, Andrea

Till the eighties of the previous century Hungary was renowned for the high standard of her equestrian tourism. Privatisation which had begun at the end of that decade did not avoid this sector either. Subsequently, the standard of services has dropped along with an enormous increase in prices, and the structure of demand for services has changed. In spite of these unfavourable processes more and more people have started equestrian tourism services, which anybody was allowed to do who could afford it because regulation was lacking. This lack of official regulation is still the main problem of the equestrian profession in Hungary. Some other tasks to be solved are: the establishment of multi-level vocational training; the elaboration of a system of professional qualification for horses; the increasing of the efficiency of the already existing horseshoe qualification system; and the creation of the prerequisites of free cross-country ride. The objects of the Sub-programme of the Development of Equestrian Tourism, a sub-programme of the Széchenyi Programme of the Development of Tourism, are: to improve the conditions of accepting guests for equestrian tourism; to intensify demand; and to increase income for the sector. In accord with these objects the programme of developing equestrian tourism products for the Northern Hungarian Region and the Northern Great Plain Region was elaborated in 2003. It can serve as a model for an analogous development in the rest of the regions of Hungary.

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