The Liget Budapest Project has received a prestigious international tourism award at the Creative Tourism Awards ceremony in Barcelona, the chief executive of Városliget Ltd announced at a press conference on Thursday.
According to CEO Benedek Gyorgyevics, the project was selected from 223 applicants representing 28 countries and received the award for Best Creative and Sustainable Tourism District.
Gyorgyevics highlighted that the jury specifically recognized the project’s strong tourism appeal and its ability to attract large numbers of visitors. Competing entries in the same category included well-known destinations such as Cannes, the French Riviera, and Easter Island.
The awards are organized by the Creative Tourism Network, which was established with support from the European Union and works in strategic partnership with UNESCO and the UN World Tourism Organization.
Gyorgyevics said the recognition confirms the original concept behind the project: creating a concentrated tourism destination in Budapest by revitalizing the historic City Park (Városliget) while preserving its cultural heritage and strengthening its role as a cultural district.
He noted that visitor numbers demonstrate the growing popularity of the park. Since the launch of the Liget Budapest Project, 2025 became the most successful year in the park’s history, with total visits to completed developments exceeding 14 million.
Among the most visited attractions is the Museum of Fine Arts, which has welcomed 3.8 million visitors since reopening. The strong attendance was largely driven by a major exhibition featuring China’s Terracotta Army and another exploring the mysterious life of the painter known as MS Master.
The Museum of Ethnography has also hosted several popular temporary exhibitions, including a showcase about the Székely community that attracted more than 1.5 million visitors.
Gyorgyevics added that the House of Hungarian Music has proven particularly popular as well, combining a permanent exhibition with frequent concerts. Its 2025 temporary exhibition Listen drew large audiences, and a new exhibition dedicated to Freddie Mercury is scheduled to open in the spring.
According to the CEO, the latest international tourism award, along with numerous architectural prizes received in recent years, confirms that the objectives set when the City Park redevelopment began a decade ago were carefully designed. The project has included the renewal of the park environment, the construction of new institutions such as the Museum of Ethnography and the House of Hungarian Music, and the renovation of the Museum of Fine Arts.
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