Government May Throw Another Lifeline to Tourism

The Hungarian government may extend by three months energy subsidies available for micro-enterprises and SMEs until the end of March. Such a measure would help thousands of catering and accommodation establishments to manage their overheads, the business news site Napi.hu has learned.

In the framework of the SME Energy Costs and Investment Support Program, businesses operating in the hospitality and accommodation sector could apply until the end of April for non-refundable support to help them meet the increased costs of natural gas, electricity and district heating in the first quarter.

Thus, at the initiative of the Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association, the tender for the most vulnerable businesses in energy-intensive sectors may be reopened in the second quarter, with certain changes, which will allow thousands of tourism service providers to receive additional help to reduce their overheads in the face of economic challenges.

It is expected to be used by individual businesses, micro, small and medium enterprises with fixed annual contracts at high prices to pay their increased energy bills, President of the Hotel Association, Tamás Flesch told Napi.hu.