Hungary and France Push New Central Europe Tourism Vision Beyond National Borders

Hungary and France have brought fresh attention to a new way of promoting tourism across Central Europe, with industry leaders discussing how travellers could experience neighbouring countries as part of a more connected regional journey.

The idea was explored at the Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit 2026 in Brussels, where Olivér Csendes, President of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, appeared alongside Sandrine Buffenoir, Atout France Director for the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

At the centre of the discussion was a simple idea. European tourism experiences do not always need to stop at national borders.

Csendes called for greater international collaboration and suggested that regions could be positioned as connected destinations. Such an approach could support travellers who increasingly want to combine several cities or countries within one European holiday.

The discussion also went beyond tourism marketing. Data, sustainability and the protection of natural environments emerged as important parts of the wider debate over how European destinations should manage future tourism growth.

Central Europe Could Be Sold as a Connected Travel Experience

Central Europe is particularly suited to multi-country tourism.

Major destinations are relatively close together, particularly when compared with distances in large international source markets such as the United States.

A traveller arriving in the region can potentially combine several cultures, cities and landscapes during one journey rather than organising completely separate holidays.

Budapest can form part of a wider Central European route incorporating cities and destinations in neighbouring countries. Rail, road and air networks make many combinations possible, although journey times and transport options vary considerably between routes.

The proposal discussed in Brussels therefore centres on presenting the visitor experience beyond individual national tourism campaigns.

This does not mean removing the individual identities of countries.

Instead, the concept could allow destinations to retain their own culture, food, heritage and tourism brands while making it easier for visitors to understand how neighbouring places can fit into the same trip.

Hungary Sees Opportunity Beyond Borders

Csendes argued that tourism planners should not allow national borders to determine every part of the visitor experience.

That approach could have particular relevance for Central Europe because of the region’s geography.

For travellers arriving from distant markets, crossing from one European country to another can involve distances that appear relatively short compared with domestic journeys in larger nations.

This gives Central Europe an opportunity to create tourism experiences based around themes rather than passports.

Possible regional journeys could focus on:

• Historic cities and architecture
• Food and wine
• Thermal and wellness tourism
• Cycling and walking
• Rivers and lakes
• Cultural heritage
• Rural communities
• Rail travel
• Nature and protected landscapes

The result could be a tourism model where visitors choose an experience first and cross national borders as part of that journey.

France Brings a Major Tourism Perspective to the Debate

Buffenoir’s participation gave the discussion an additional perspective from one of Europe’s most established tourism organisations.

The conversation highlighted how cooperation could become increasingly important as European destinations try to balance tourism demand with environmental protection.

Tourism marketing has traditionally been strongly connected to national identity. Countries compete for international visitors through separate campaigns, tourism boards and destination brands.

Yet travellers themselves do not necessarily organise holidays according to those institutional boundaries.

A visitor interested in architecture, food, rail travel or nature may prefer an itinerary connecting several countries.

Regional collaboration could therefore allow tourism organisations to respond more closely to the way some international travellers already plan their holidays.

Tourism Data Could Help Manage Visitors Better

Marketing was only one part of the Brussels discussion.

Better use of tourism data was also highlighted as an important tool for managing destinations.

Modern tourism authorities have access to growing amounts of information about visitor movement, accommodation patterns, booking behaviour and spending.

Used carefully, such information can help destinations understand where tourists travel and when pressure becomes concentrated.

This becomes particularly important when several neighbouring destinations are promoted together.

Regional tourism growth cannot simply mean sending larger numbers of people into the same famous city centres and attractions.

A successful cross-border strategy would need to understand visitor flows and encourage travellers towards places capable of accommodating additional demand.

Protecting Nature Is Central to the Tourism Discussion

Natural environments were another significant part of the conversation.

Tourism depends heavily on landscapes, rivers, forests, mountains, lakes and rural communities. These natural assets are often among the main reasons people choose a destination.

Protecting them therefore has an economic as well as an environmental dimension.

Regional cooperation could become especially relevant where natural landscapes extend across national borders.

Rivers, mountain systems, forests and wildlife habitats do not necessarily follow political boundaries. Tourism planning around such places can therefore benefit from coordination between neighbouring destinations.

This creates a strong case for looking beyond marketing alone.

Cross-border tourism planning could potentially help destinations coordinate visitor management, sustainable transport and environmental protection while creating longer and more varied itineraries.

Multi-Country Travel Is Becoming More Visible

The Central European proposal also reflects changing travel behaviour.

Some travellers are increasingly trying to fit several destinations into a single journey. This approach is sometimes described as trip-maxxing.

Europe is particularly suitable for this style of travel because many countries and major cities are relatively close together.

Central Europe offers a strong geographical setting for it.

Instead of flying a long distance to Europe for one city, an international visitor could potentially create an itinerary combining several destinations connected by rail or road.

This can broaden the tourism experience, but it also creates planning challenges.

Travellers need clear information about transport, ticketing, accommodation, local regulations and realistic journey times.

Tourism organisations working together could make these trips easier to understand and promote.

What a More Unified Central Europe Tourism Model Could Mean

If greater regional cooperation develops, travellers could eventually encounter a different style of European tourism promotion.

Instead of seeing every border as the end of one destination and the beginning of another, tourism campaigns could highlight connected cultural and natural routes.

The potential benefits include:

• More multi-country itineraries
• Greater visibility for lesser-known destinations
• Longer regional journeys
• Stronger cross-border tourism partnerships
• Better distribution of visitors
• Greater use of tourism data
• More coordinated protection of natural areas
• New opportunities for rail and sustainable transport

However, the idea remains a strategic vision rather than an announcement that Central Europe has formally adopted a single tourism brand.

Individual countries will continue to control their own tourism policies and destination marketing.

The significance of the Brussels discussion lies instead in the direction being proposed.

Central Europe Tourism Could Become More Regional

The discussion involving Hungary and France suggests that European tourism leaders are increasingly thinking beyond conventional destination boundaries.

For Central Europe, the opportunity is particularly clear.

Its cities, cultural traditions, countryside and natural attractions sit relatively close together. Many international visitors already combine multiple countries when travelling through the region.

More coordinated marketing could turn that existing behaviour into a stronger regional tourism strategy.

But the future model would need to be about more than attracting additional visitors.

Data would need to help manage tourism flows. Natural spaces would need protection. Smaller destinations would need opportunities to benefit from regional tourism without being overwhelmed by it.

If those priorities remain central, stronger cooperation could make travelling across Central Europe feel more connected while preserving the differences that make each destination worth visiting in the first place.