For the first time in the history of the International Travel Awards, a project has won three awards: the Liget Budapest Project secured first place in two categories—World’s Best Tourism Development and Europe’s Best Family-Friendly Development—while the House of Music was recognized as Europe’s Most Attractive Tourist Attraction at the award ceremony in Dubai, Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Zrt announced.
The developments in the renewed City Park competed against popular tourism projects from over 120 countries, and were deemed the best based on the jury’s evaluation and public votes. The International Travel Awards is the most prestigious prize in the travel and tourism sector, often referred to as the ‘Tourism Oscars’, and annually recognizes the finest from thousands of contenders. Since 2018, the awards have been held each year to honour the best projects, developments, and attractions that excel in tourism appeal. Nominations come from across continents, with categories covering buildings, natural landmarks, and unique sights, with winners determined through a combination of jury assessments and public voting. This year, tourism professionals, the media, and visitors voted for nominees from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, according to the press release.
‘It is a great pride that the Liget Budapest Project, currently the most significant cultural investment in Europe, and the House of Music, realized as part of it, significantly contribute to the tourism appeal of our country and capital. This recognition from industry professionals is also confirmed by the public vote. In addition to high visitor numbers, our success is proven by the three awards won at one of the most important tourism competitions, the International Travel Awards,’ the statement quoted Benedek Gyorgyevics as saying.
He added: ‘One of our primary goals was for the City Park to become a must-see attraction for visitors to Budapest. Based on the increasing number of foreign visitors to the House of Music, the Museum of Ethnography, and the Balloon Lookout, it is evident that we have placed ourselves on the international tourism map. Our long-term goal is to continuously introduce new cultural and recreational experiences in the park, making Budapest a destination worth visiting and revisiting time and again.’
‘With the most prestigious tourism and real estate development awards in the world in our possession, we can now confidently say that the uniqueness and complexity of the Liget Project are recognized everywhere. Here, institutions with over a hundred years of history peacefully coexist with new buildings that represent outstanding architectural quality, creating a living system embraced by nature, the park, and recreational functions,’ the CEO said.
Benedek Gyorgyevics also noted that the results of the Liget Budapest Project now transcend themselves: the iconic buildings of the City Park have become symbols. ‘When the cover of the fourth-grade reading book features the stylized image of the red-and-white striped balloon soaring over Városliget, reminiscent of a Szinyei painting, or when the graphic representation of the House of Music appears in national image publications, it becomes clear that this is about us, about the whole country, and about the fact that we are indeed capable of creating world-class achievements.’
Regarding the award ceremony held in Dubai on Saturday, the CEO pointed out that during the first decade of the Liget Budapest Project, century-old cultural institutions were revitalized, and alongside them, new institutions that belong among the most exciting contemporary buildings in the world were established. Thanks to these developments, Hungary’s tourism appeal has significantly increased, and the new contemporary buildings in the City Park have become internationally recognized landmarks for our country. ‘Contributing to this is the fact that the first decade of the renewal of City Park has already garnered more than two dozen prestigious international awards,’ he added.
Related articles:
