Hungary recognizes Chinese as official UNWTO language

Hungary, as a member of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has ratified the UNWTO General Assembly resolution to include Standard Chinese among the official languages of the organization, Hungary's National Economy Ministry official responsible for tourism, Adam Ruszinko, announced on Wednesday, Hungarian News Agency MTI reported.

Ruszinko said the Hungarian government had called on the other regional officials responsible for tourism to do the same, adding that the government had contacted eight or nine countries.

Hungary, he said, officially represented 16 countries through the Budapest-based China-CEE Tourism Coordination Center. The center encouraged Chinese tourists to visit as many countries as possible while also promoting China as a destination for Hungarian tourists.

While the four flights weekly between Beijing and Budapest introduced on May 1 by Air China will help boost tourism, Ruszinko also called for a simplification of visa procedures.

The proposal to make Chinese the official language was passed at a UNWTO meeting in 2007, and it will become effective when two thirds of the member countries approve the proposal.