Aquaticum Debrecen Strand opened on Saturday, May 27. Mayor László Papp, Lajos Fazekas, managing director of Aquaticum Debrecen Kft., Enikő Tóth-Megyesi, director of tourism at VisitDebrecen and municipal representative Tamás Majer reported on the details at a press conference.
As László Papp said, he is very proud of one of the most emblematic developments in Debrecen in recent years, the Aquaticum beach, which is the result of joint work with the spa, the asset manager, the designers, contractors and all those who gave ideas to make this beach look like facility. In the recent period, it has won a series of international architectural awards, since its opening it has become increasingly popular, and more and more people visit it – last year the number approached 200,000 – so we can be proud of it in every respect – I consider the Aquaticum in Debrecen to be the coolest beach in Hungary – said the mayor. May this year was not full of beach time, so the facility will open later, but we hope that it will be bright sunshine from now until the end of the season. And the opening falls on a very eventful weekend in Debrecen – with the Debrecen Drive vehicle exhibition and the Loki soccer match promising a podium finish. It is very important that the beach – and the Great Forest in general – should be a favorite recreation destination for families, but at the same time, by creating the possibility of night bathing, the operator is thinking especially about young people who want to have fun. In recent years, it has become a tradition that the beach will be owned by graduating high school students for a day – this year, this party day will be on July 6. Aquaticum Debrecen Strand offers a serious discount of 15 percent or even more to all citizens of Debrecen with a city card – of whom there are already more than 20 thousand, so they should take advantage of this as well. By the way, the validity of city cards has just been extended until December 31, 2030 by the city assembly.
The mayor emphasized that the beach makes a very serious contribution to increasing the tourism value of the city. In addition to domestic visitors, the number of foreign guests is also increasing. In 2022, the number of guest nights was 547 thousand. Debrecen had a good year in terms of tourism last year. Compared to 2019, the last peak year before the coronavirus epidemic, the tourism market in Debrecen was able to produce a 9 percent increase in 2022. This success can also be easily measured by the fact that hotel developments started exactly during the most difficult epidemic period. A new hotel was opened last year, and a new hotel will be opened this year as well, and it is hoped that thanks to the tender issued by the asset manager, the development of a new downtown hotel will become available in the near future. – Overall, the picture is very positive, the beach is in beautiful condition, the spa is a very good owner of the beach, and we are fully prepared to welcome those who want to relax and have fun, families, young people, the elderly, everyone – said László Papp.
Lajos Fazekas, managing director of Aquaticum Debrecen Kft., highlighted the children’s day among the weekend programs. In the spirit of this, from the opening on Saturday until the closing time on Monday, they tried to structure the beach’s program offer in such a way as to favor families with children the most. A children’s band will perform, there will be programs in water and on land, various contests, and the Campus Radio, which will be set up for the whole day, will constantly have surprise guests. Speaking about the ticket prices, the manager said that the discounts associated with the Debrecen City Card start at 15 percent, but for example, if someone buys 10 eligible passes with the city card, the one-time discount is almost 34 percent, that is, it costs HUF 3,600 compared to the normal ticket price of HUF 5,400 admission for one session. According to Lajos Fazekas, this is a very serious discount. The executive emphasized that the ticket price includes the possibility of using all the water services on the beach area – the slides, the children’s world – which means that in Debrecen you don’t have to pay extra for these, just like you don’t have to pay for the use of the changing cabin. Swimmers are welcome from 6 in the morning, and with a swimming ticket you can use the beach until 9:30. It normally opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m., but on hot days the opening hours are always extended. A service innovation on the beach is that the number of catering units has increased, and conditions for selective waste collection have been created based on visitor needs.
Enikő Tóth-Megyesi, the tourism director of VisitDebrecen, talked about what the city has to offer to the guests coming here this year. Nothing but experience, fun and relaxation, preferably 365 days a year, as we strive to make the city “four seasons”. As of May 27, the Reformed Small Church – the Csonkatemplom – besides being a sacred space, has also become an experience place: as part of an adventure tour, you can go up to the tower, from which you can enjoy a wonderful view of the city. This year, the handing over of the renovated building of the Csokonai Theater will definitely be interesting in the cultural life. During the Whitsun weekend, based on pre-bookings, the number of guest nights spent by tourists in Debrecen is expected to increase significantly, by 11.5 percent, compared to the same period last year.
According to local government representative Tamás Majer, not only the beach will open this weekend, but also the Great Forest, and indeed the whole city. He expressed his hope that not only the people of Debrecen feel that the beach and the Great Forest are their own and special, but that more and more people from different parts of the country will visit Debrecen, curious about the programs, interesting things, and sights here.
(Debrecen City Hall)
