A foreign tourist is much safer when he comes to Hungary on vacation than if he were to do it in Western Europe.

During the summer season, more than twice as many police officers are on duty at Lake Balaton as during the year, the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday in Tihany.

Bence Rétvári emphasized that it is extremely important for the government that all tourists feel safe at Lake Balaton and in all other priority tourist areas.

That is why there is a greater police presence at Lake Balaton in the summer in order to prevent crimes, maintain traffic safety and protect people, he added.

He said: per 100,000 inhabitants, there are twice as many crimes in Austria and two and a half times as many crimes in Germany as in Hungary. This shows that a foreign tourist is much safer when he comes to Hungary on vacation, the state secretary pointed out.

According to Bence Rétvári, the police provide an average of more than 150 events during the summer season. These include, for example, the Balaton Sound, Strand Festival, EFOTT, OZORA, the Kékszalag sailing competition or the Valley of the Arts, all of which attract tens of thousands of people to the area.

He emphasized: the increased police presence at Lake Balaton was also effective last year, as 880 people were arrested, 1,360 arrests were made, and the number of fatal accidents was also reduced. In addition, more than 300 people were rescued from the lake with the ships of the water police last summer, he explained.

At the press conference, government spokesperson Eszter Vitályos emphasized that tourism plays an important role in Hungary, the sector provides a living for hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises and about 400,000 families.

He expressed his joy that the level of tourism last year was close to, and in some indicators even exceeded, the peak year of 2019.

And in the first hundred days of this year, there was a 15 percent increase in tourism, the number of domestic guests increased by 12 percent, and that of foreigners by 20 percent, he declared.

He said: the government continuously supports the development of the tourism sector, they have just opened a HUF 15 billion application system for them.

Eszter Vitályos indicated that, from a tourist point of view, it is also important how safe an area is, and when choosing vacation destinations, public safety is the second most important thing for tourists.

Lieutenant-Colonel Miklós Vancsura, police captain of Balatonfüred, said: the Balaton Public Safety Coordination Committee, established in 1991, coordinates the police activities of the four counties in the Balaton region – Fejér, Somogy, Veszprém and Zala – between June 1 and September 15, this year Under the direction of the Veszprém County Police Headquarters.

According to his information, the work of the police is assisted by the National Professional Service of Water Rescuers, the disaster management, the meteorological service, civil guard associations, numerous fishing associations, and the local governments.

In order to strengthen public safety, patrols on foot, on horseback, with dogs, bicycles and motorcycles also serve on the coast, constantly checking the frequented areas, he pointed out.

Emphasizing the importance of communication, Miklós Vancsura indicated that the police.hu website and the Facebook page of the Veszprém County Police Headquarters help holidaymakers with constantly updated news.

MTI

Cover photo: Patrol boat after the press conference on the increased summer police presence on Lake Balaton, near Tihany
Source: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka