Hungarian baths see huge ticket price increase

This summer, price of baths have increased by around 40 percent compared to last season. Zoltán Kántás, the president of the Hungarian Bathing Association (Magyar Fürdőszövetség) explained what to expect this summer.

He reminded that the rise in gas and electricity prices, has created challenges for spas and the tourism sector. To address this, he emphasised the importance of transitioning to alternative, renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on the market, writes Index.

Renewable systems

According to Kántás, energy efficiency improvements are necessary for long-term sustainability. To demonstrate, he highlighted examples where domestic spas have implemented renewable solutions. These include utilising methane-containing thermal water for energy or utilising waste heat and investing in energy efficiency measures. However, a long-term solution is needed to enhance spa sustainability.

The expert stressed that maintaining spas has become significantly more expensive, with costs for gas and electricity rising by tenfold in many places. This has prompted operators to implement changes, including adjusting opening hours, imposing restrictions and reviewing energy systems. Spas have embarked on major energy modernisation investments with the support of subsidies and their own resources.

Lack of guests

Notably, despite the challenging economic climate, no spa has had to close, although some may do so temporarily for renovation and modernisation work. Rising energy prices, labor costs and the cost of water treatment materials have contributed to increased expenses.