Borza Tibor (szerk.): A Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum évkönyve 1976 (Budapest, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, 1976)

Szántó Péter : Magyarország idegenforgalma a XIX. sz. második felében

PÉTER SZÁNTÓ FOREIGN TRAVEL IN HUNGARY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY In the second half of the 19th century travel abroad achieved a mass character and became well organized in Western Europe. Large-scale technological development rendered possible faster and safer travelling, catering improved and so did communication with distant countries by phone and telegraph. The old holiday centres flourished, but a new patch of colour was provided by spas and the increasing demands upon them, further the representative industrial exhibitions and world expositions which attracted great numbers. Hungary was in a worse position than the countries situated to the west from it. Not only because technical development did not reach their level, but also because, in the middle of century, the unsafe political situation and later the strongly German-orientation foreign policy discouraged the nationals of other countries. Those who visited Hungary first of all looked for matters of special interest — the Puszta (Lowland Plain), revelry, Gipsies etc. The building up of the Balaton region began only in the last third of the 19th century. Foreigners had not discovered it yet, but works by Hungarian authors were published in which this region was propagated and there were authors who clamoured for progress there. Provincial mineral springs could not be exploited because of lack of capital, yet at the same time Budapest became a spa. Travellers spoke about the beauties of the capital with extasy, but because of a lack of good organization and propaganda tourism on a European scale could not come into being. The booking-office of MÁV (Hungarian State Railways) opened in 1884. Already in the following year it managed publicity and organization for the National Exhibition. Although the exhibition did not fulfill the hopes placed in it, experience was gained. The year 1888 saw a further step. The Visitors' from Abroad Committee was established, publicity being their main concern. Books, booklets and posters were published making known the beauties of Budapest, as well as the first statistical data. Activity reached its peak in the period of preparation of the Millennium celebrations and exhibition, but its results caused disappointment. New large-scale initiatives were not taken until the first year of the 20th century. 244