Amsterdam bans creation of new hotels
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
Interview with Gergely Karácsony, Mayor of Budapest
Gergely Karácsony is a green, left-wing politician and Co-Chair of the Dialogue for Hungary (Párbeszéd Magyarországért) party. He was elected as Lord Mayor of Budapest on 13 October 2019 as the joint candidate of five Hungarian opposition parties.
Between 2014 and 2019 he served as Mayor of Budapest’s 14th district (Zugló). Prior to that, he was an MP of the LMP (Politics Can Be Different) party (2010-2013). Mr Karácsony is a sociologist by profession, and a former lecturer at Corvinus University in Budapest.
Although the pandemic situation has made things significantly harder for us, I am proud of the fact that we have achieved a lot in the first half of the year.
We made public transport free for registered jobseekers and opened an Assistance Office for them in the City Hall building. We have dedicated resources to restart the Budapest Housing Utilities Subsidy, and since then we have introduced it to help those who are most in need. We are helping the poorest households with 24 000 HUF annually.
We have also raised an additional 50 billion HUF for the development of the Budapest primary and specialist healthcare, and for the screening of cancer patients. Approaching our one-year anniversary, an additional 33 000 CT (88% more than in 2019) and 10 000 additional MRI (62% more) examinations will be available to residents of Budapest from October 2020, for which we will spend 2 billion HUF from the additional funding of the Healthy Budapest Program.
According to experts, there won’t be any significant changes until spring. Recently the borders were closed before the tourism sector was able to prepare for it.
The government lost the trust of the exporters with this border closure - they made exceptions for certain countries without thinking it through. If there is no consistent decision making on part of the government, then nothing will happen until spring, or even until autumn of next year.
They do not expect any movement in the sector due to the uncertainty. Budapest is unable to compensate for the lost traffic.
It was not possible because domestic travel towards the capital is marginal. Only 3-4% of visitors generate an overnight stay. Thоse 3-4 % are looking for boutique hotels or are coming to Budapest for a business meeting and choosing to spend a night in Budapest.
We are doing what we can. Here, overnight tourism has no tradition so it is a long process. The 2020 KSH data is worrying compared to the 2019 data when the number of incoming tourists was up by 14.7% and spent 1.1 million guest nights in Hungary.
The failures of recent economic crisis management which have resulted in plummeting GDP, inflation, and the privileging of selected groups over the majority can only be fixed if the restoration funds provided by the European Union are used smartly and efficiently.
To make sure this money gets to people who are facing financial problems and to enterprises which are in trouble, municipalities must be involved in the distribution process. Based on this, the General Assembly of Budapest initiated that 50% of the recovery funds provided to Hungary by the EU should be used through the municipalities.
The 2021 draft central budget is against the national interest and affects not only the opposition but also the communities and municipalities led by FIDESZ.
This is a terrible timing to making these kinds of decisions, since municipalities and local communities could be the best and most responsible actors to help people and enterprises that found themselves in trouble because of the crisis. The need to fight for this now is not only essential for the Municipality of Budapest but also for other municipalities in the country in order to protect local governance as such.
One of the priorities of the Municipality of Budapest is to lower the traffic density which we are accomplishing through pilot projects and community planning. This means that the plan for traffic safety released by the BKK Centre for Budapest Transport is based on the opinions of the city residents.
The huge traffic flow in Budapest leads to noise and air pollution, which holds the capital back from being a liveable city. The most important task is to reduce the number of serious and fatal road accidents down to zero.
In addition, Budapest is dedicated to creating a safer environment for cyclists. The traffic and air pollution data have shown the positive effects of these measures.
I am very proud that we are organising the first community meeting named: "There is a climate crisis – what should Budapest do?”. Community meetings are common worldwide – for example in Poland, Ireland, Belgium – to help the work of the governments, parliaments, and municipalities.
During these meetings, people from all kinds of areas of life gain new knowledge about a topic, share their thoughts with each other, and finally, make recommendations on how to create the new climate strategy for Budapest.
Legislators and magnates have to await a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice
The building will then serve as the site for a new museum dedicated to Finnish-Russian relations
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
In addition, the federal government has launched the National Week of Action against Bicycle Theft to raise awareness of the issue and the new solution
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
Legislators and magnates have to await a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice
It also set the standards for a better European parking card for people with disabilities
Everyone’s invited free of charge, but only after registration
It also set the standards for a better European parking card for people with disabilities
Italian cities and regions continue experimenting with creative proposals to curb overtourism effects
The building will then serve as the site for a new museum dedicated to Finnish-Russian relations
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team