Huge interest at 47th Travel Exhibition in Budapest

The 47th Travel Exhibition has ended. More than 23,000 people visited the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre during the four days of the event, which included several exhibitions and professional events. Feedback from exhibitors showed that this year, there was an increase in the number of serious enquiries for products and services, with many deals being signed.

Travel exhibition 2025

Hungary’s largest tourism fair, which has been called the Utazás+ International Tourism Exhibition and Experience Festival for the second year running, welcomed visitors on a total area of more than 30,000 square metres, in parallel with the Budapest Boat Show, the Caravan Salon and the E-bike Test&Show. The official site said that 250 exhibitors from 35 countries were satisfied on the closing day.

The conference organised by Tourism Ltd (Tourism on new wings: strategic steps for development and innovation), which focused on health, sport and active living and their links with the various areas of tourism, also saw long queues. The speakers presented national and international examples of efforts and solutions that can play a significant role in harnessing the positive impact of physical activity and active lifestyles on tourism.

In 2024, domestic tourism closed a record year with more than 44 million overnight stays and an 11% increase in the number of visitors compared to the previous year. These were among the messages delivered at a conference of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK) on the opening day of the Travel exhibition. At the event, entitled “The Future of Tourism in Hungary”, data-driven planning and the use of artificial intelligence were among the key topics discussed. The exhibition also sought to respond to new forms of tourism, which have become increasingly popular among travellers in recent times. This year, the latest and most innovative trend in tourism development, smart tourism, was the focus of the exhibition’s professional and public programmes. Another central theme this time was active tourism.

@dailynewshungary #traveltiktok Exhibition 2025 Budapest, Hungary #hungexpo ♬ original sound – Daily News Hungary

The organisers of the 47th Travel Trade Fair have helped the tourism sector with a new form of meeting, the so-called speed business meetings. These B2B business meetings brought together travel agencies, foreign and domestic destinations, service providers and key players in the tourism industry to exchange experiences and make deals. The feedback from participants showed that the new format worked: a number of concrete deals were concluded. The seriousness of visitors’ interest is also reflected in the fact that, in addition to the services sold, several boats exhibited at the Budapest Boat Show and several caravans from the Caravan Salon were also sold.

This year, the exhibition again featured a foreign country and a domestic region: the foreign guest of honour this year was Slovakia , the country of surprises, with a beautiful large stand, 17 exhibitors and a wide range of interesting exhibits and tastings. This year, the Four Seasons Balaton and VisitBalaton365 (the official destination management organisation of the Hungarian Sea) were the domestic guests of honour. Many people visited the exhibition’s islands of experience, where, in addition to popular travellers, a wide range of stage programmes and destinations, visitors were given a taste of the relationship between tourism and virtual reality, offers from health, festival and ski tourism operators, among others. This year, for the first time, the organisers set up a so-called sustainability island and an island for travel agents and travel insurance companies, where market players could meet directly with their prospective clients.

Blogger’s Corner; the Festival of Travelling Without a Traveller, where backpackers gave talks; and the Africa Expo were also a big success.

E-bike Test&Show

The E-bike Test&Show, which was a novelty two years ago, was again very well attended, with thousands of visitors trying out the electric bikes on the purpose-built 3,000 square metre test track.

Caravan Salon

In the Caravan Salon, where the focus was again on camping: exhibitors presented the latest motorhome and caravan trends, tents and equipment. Visitors were able to view over 50 caravans and motorhomes from 20 exhibitors. The success of the event was reflected in the number of vehicles that found a home this year.

Budapest Boat Show

At the 33rd Budapest Boat Show, the season-opening event of the Hungarian boating and water sports industry, the latest innovations and developments in the field of boating, both in Hungary and abroad, the range of sailing, electric and motor boats, various water sports, as well as related equipment, clothing and services were presented. At the Budapest Boat Show this year, 40 exhibitors displayed more than 100 boats.

In addition to the stage programmes, talks and talks about their experiences, many visitors came to the show pool where model builders presented their creations. The SSL Gold MINI Cup model sailing competition was also held there during the Travel exhibition.

The guest of honour of the exhibition in 2025 was the Hungarian Motorised Water Sports Association.