40 pc of the bars in Budapest’s party district already bankrupt?

The mayor of District 7 said so in an interview broadcasted by ATV. Péter Niedermüller added that Hungarian enterprises active in the tourism and catering sectors should receive immediate state support to survive the lockdown and to be able to open once the government lifts the restrictions.

According to atv.hu, ​Mr Niedermüller highlighted that the Hungarian tourism and catering sectors hit a wall, and they do not have any more resources. He added that in Budapest’s famous party district, where thousands of tourists came to take part in bachelor parties before, 40 pc of the bars and restaurants already went bankrupt

while an additional 20-30 pc are on the edge of insolvency.

He said that the government has to help the sector immediately. However, the Hungarian SME enterprises in tourism and catering have not yet received the financial aid the government promised in November. The mayor said that even though the Orbán-administration decided to speed up all payments, the restaurant and bar owners of District 7 have not received their money yet. 

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Furthermore, he said that if the state wanted to help these enterprises, they would need to compensate not only the salaries of the employees but also the upkeep costs of the places, like electricity, water, heating, etc. He stated that the tourism-catering segment of the Hungarian economy is huge, in which 

hundreds of thousands of people work.

He also said that the local government tries to help the owners and the employees. For example, they extended the rental fee moratorium and are rethinking the system of the terrace fees as well.

He also said that, based on his experience, there is chaos in the Hungarian healthcare system; 90 pc of the people do not know where to turn with their questions and problems. Therefore, they feel that the government left them alone. He also added that

he thinks the curfew after 8 pm is senseless.

Moreover, he would allow terraces to reopen because that would also help the people working in the catering sector.

Source: atv.hu