The capital could lose a huge amount of income if Karácsony exceeded this. The capital plan, according to which the inner parts of Budapest should be freed from large tourist ships, would also deprive the entertainment and catering establishments that rely on tourism in the area of ​​their income. The entry of tourists from a more distant port does not promise to be problem-free either.

There is a good chance that the two Hungarian shipping organizations that called a press conference in connection with the draft amendment of the capital's construction regulations on the Danube will present their concerns and counter-arguments tomorrow.

According to the justification of the amendment, they want to banish the ships that make life miserable for the residents and disfigure the panorama from the city center. They would also create the possibility that the banks of the Danube could serve the people of Budapest much better than at present. "Our goal is to keep the load caused by the harbor ships as small as possible, and to create a healthy balance as possible while using the river for different purposes," the mayor previously announced. Nevertheless, some of Gergely Karácsony's sentences already raise questions. It is not known, for example, how the ships make life miserable for the people of Budapest. Although it is a matter of taste, tourist boats are inherently beautiful, they cannot be missing from postcards and photographs along the Danube. And there aren't many cargo ships in the city center - reports vg.hu.

"The banning of large ships from the city center is not a new idea, it has already been raised four years ago," Ajtony Bíró Koppány, Secretary General of the Association of Hungarian Logistics Providers, told the paper that he also drew attention to some problems and possible negative consequences. These

  • bringing in tourists from more distant ports,
  • the expected decrease in the traffic of downtown catering establishments and shops built for those arriving by boat
  • as well as how the arriving tourists would accept the change affecting their trip.

Bíró recalled that according to the previous idea, the tourist boats would unload their passengers at the Csepel free port, from where a bus would take them to their hotels. The transfer (they also have luggage) is an extra inconvenience for them, not to mention the sight. "They should change their means of transport in an industrial environment instead of being able to enjoy the beauties of Budapest from the boat," he declared.

The Secretary General also added:

it is not even known where, according to the current idea, the big tourist ships would stop. 

The expert also touched on the fact that the lack of tourist boats docking nearby would adversely affect many downtown businesses. There is a chance that the traffic of those shops and catering establishments, which are partly organized for this boat tourism, will decrease or disappear - emphasized Ajtony Bírő Koppány.

Opening image: MTI / Zoltán Máthé