The Embassy of Hungary, in collaboration with the VFS Cebu, held a tourism promotion event in Cebu City on Tuesday, November 12, with the goal of encouraging Cebuanos to visit and experience everything that the country has to offer. | CDN Digital Photo | Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – “Think Hungary — More than Expected.”
This is the official tourism tagline of Hungary, a country best known for its thermal springs, fairy tale architecture, folklore, and enchanting history.
Boasting about the rich cultural life and historical heritage of the country, Hungarian representives urged Cebuanos to add Hungary to their list of must-visit travel destinations.
The Embassy of Hungary held a tourism promotion event in Cebu City on Tuesday, November 12, with the goal of bringing Philippines and Hungary together through tourism.
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The event’s opening remarks were given by Hungarian Ambassador to the Philippines Titanilla Tóth. A speech was also given by Ms. Maria Paz of Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA).
Consul Zsolt Horváth also graced the event, which was held at the City Sports Club-Cebu.
Attendees witnessed a presentation showcasing the breathtaking sights and incredibly rich culture of the country, with its capital Budapest dubbed as the Pearl of the Danube.
Consul Zsolt Horváth, in his presentation, highlighted the country’s modern health tourism blended with centuries-old thermal bath traditions.
Hungarian culture
The capital Budapest is home to the iconic Széchenyi, Gellent Baths, and the healing waters of Lake Heviz – the largest natural thermal lake in Europe.
These destinations showcase the country’s rich array of natural healing and self-care waters, a feature that is perfect for travelers in search of a therapeutic time while traveling.
Renowned Hungarian Folk Dancer, Ms. Andrea Zsapka, also treated the attendees to a dazzling performance to show off the essence of Hungarian culture.
The ambassador encouraged local travelers to visit Hungary and experience everything that the country has to offer, from its delectable food, soothing baths, and vibrant culture.
“I think not many Filipinos know how similar our culture is to the Filipino culture. So the Hungarian culture is also based on the Christian Catholic heritage and it’s more than a thousand year old now. So what we can offer to Filipinos that we would like to showcase our rich history, rich culture, culinary experience, combined with the wine tourism,” she told CDN Digital.
Pearl of the Danube
Ambassador Tóth also highlighted that visitors would be captivated by the country’s wellspring of wonders.
“Hungary is the very rich land of the water so [this] kind of tourism of wellness is also on the plate of who is hungry for Hungary. We have many baths, thermal baths. And the biggest European thermal lake is also located in Hungary,” she stated.
“As I mentioned, Hungary [Budapest] is the Pearl of the Danube and Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient so why we don’t bring them closer to each other,” she added.
The Embassy worked together with VFS Global and the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA) to conduct the tourism promotion event on Tuesday.
This was one of the activities scheduled for the embassy’s most recent official visit to the city, focused on the promotion of tourism and search for potential partnerships.
Cebu visit
On Monday, Ambassador Tóth revisited partner educational institution, the University of San Carlos Cebu, and inaugurated the Rubik’s Cube Exhibition in lieu of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Rubik’s Cube by Hungarian Ernö Rubik.
In addition, her excellency donated several books by Hungarian authors to include in the university’s Library. This was followed by a presentation by Consul Zsolt Horváth on the promotion of the prestigious Hungarian government-funded Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship programme, that sends 35 Filipino students to Hungary annually to pursue undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral degrees.
This was not the ambassador’s first visit to the province of Cebu.
She recalled that she has previously visited Cebu, a place she has fallen in love with, twice before together with her husband.
While emphasizing that Hungary has much to offer for Cebuano travelers, the ambassador urged them to take courage in exploring a country quite similar and yet so different from the Philippines.
“Take your courage. Have your adventure in the heart of Europe, which is Hungary. Theere’s no other other place and other warm hospitality where you can experience something similar but something totally different to what you have here in Visayas,” she stated.