Organising Institutions

Budapest Metropolitan University

The institution was established in 2000, with state accreditation by the name of Budapest College of Communication and Business (BKF). It has been providing higher educational, adult educational and advanced vocational training courses of a high international and European Union standard in the field of applied communication and business sciences but its activities encompass now from economic, management sciences to visual art productions, hence its name was changed on 1 January 2016 to Budapest Metropolitan University (METU). In 2003, it became an accredited institution of adult education, and is entitled to operate as an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) training and exam Centre. In addition to this, the Languages Department (functioning also as an official exam Centre for the TOEIC language exams) organizes specialized and general language courses. The University has established the Career Centre, in order to help students make a smooth transition to the labour market. The number of students studying at Metropolitan University increased to above 7,000.

The number of international partnerships on 3 continents exceeded 50. By expanding its international relations, the main objective of Budapest Metropolitan University is to raise the standard of education, broaden its educational spectrum and deepen academic and professional co-operation. We focus on three key areas: education, mobility of students and staff, and scientific cooperation. Furthermore, since METU was granted the Erasmus University Charter in spring 2005, an immense area of potential cooperation within the European Union has opened up for our University.

In 2009, Heller Farkas College of Economics and Tourism merged into Budapest College of Communication, Business and Arts. With this merger BKF became the largest private college in Hungary. In the next year, it became part of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network of Culture, Tourism and Development.

The new multifunctional building was the first investment of nearly 1 billion HUF, co-financed by the EU in higher education where students learn in a pleasant, modern environment consisting of recently renovated buildings and a newly built structure in a beautiful park in a surrounding residential atmosphere.

In Budapest there are four campuses and two undergraduate programmes (Commerce and Marketing, Tourism and Catering) are launched at the METU Regional Knowledge Centre in Hódmezővásárhely, in the south of Hungary.

See: http://www.metropolitan.hu/sajto/1007/kepek.html

School of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality

Its mission

The mission of our institute is to transfer cutting edge knowledge and a human-centred view of tourism through our teaching and educating activities in order to ensure that our students make their way and prosper in their future personal lives and professional careers.

Its objectives

Our institute organizes and co-ordinates the activities related to the bachelor’s course in Tourism and Hospitality and the master’s course in Tourism Management. Tourism ranks among the largest industries in the world, producing dynamic growth with the highest turnover rate. Our home, Hungary is located in the heart of Europe, right in the middle of the greatest tourism market. Therefore, it is imperative to take this unparalleled chance since through the tourism industry we can draw large amounts of disposable income to our country which has been produced elsewhere. However, we can only benefit from this growing market trend if we strengthen our competitiveness in the international tourism market. On the other hand, our objective is to also facilitate the leisure-oriented travel of the Hungarian population and to help them enjoy the benefits of their leisure time in a way that improves the quality of their lives.

Its educational programmes

Since we target the sustainable development of tourism, our educational programme is characterized by a systems-based approach which fosters a comprehensive understanding of this complex field.

Having completed the theoretical grounding courses, our undergraduate students are offered a selection of choice to specialize in particular areas. The contents and structure of these specializations were developed by considering the findings of a thorough survey on national demands. The specializations offered include tourism destination management (TDM), health tourism, congress and event organization, leisure time, recreation and animation. 

By launching our Tourism Management master’s course offering a specialization in TDM (tourism destination management), we have become the first higher education institution to offer a university degree in the field of tourism in Hungary.

Our Master of Tourism Management programme also provides outstanding benefits within the framework of the Health and Wellness Tourism Management specialization at a Master level. In addition, as a member of the UNESCO UNITWIN programme METU is the only institution in Central and Eastern Europe offering a World Heritage Management specialization. World Heritage Tourism is one of the most important branch of the industry, therefore, we are proud to be a member of the network that is specialized in the assessment and advancement of tourism with the aim of contributing to the protection and utilization of World Heritage Sites.

Foundation for Information Society

The Foundation for Information Society established in 1998 together with INFOTA Research Institute working within its frameworks (www.infota.org) aims at supporting the development of information technology in Hungary. In the spirit of its Founding Articles it wishes to support IT-focusing scientific activities and research, as well as IT centres involved in the matter, with special regard to the development of computer-infrastructure in Hungary. The primary objective of the Foundation is to facilitate that application-centred understanding of information and knowledge management, its electronic data processing and information technology background together with the relevant human, organisational, legal, management and social scientific aspects, as well as that its interdisciplinary approach is adopted in Hungary. This is the basic concept that constitutes a framework for all research areas wherefrom individual research topics, analyses and projects aim to explore different elements.

Heritage preservation and tourism are also areas of outstanding interest for INFOTA. Through IT developments and projects related to this topic and making use of the possibilities granted by state-of-the-art technology and digital culture, INFOTA attempts to assist in the preservation of values intrinsic in the Hungarian culture and heritage preservation. An inherent objective of the Foundation is that in addition to the preservation and presentation of values, the cultural and tourism institutions and organisations, including World Heritage Sites would benefit on its projects. The Foundation for Information Society builds knowledge centres covering several areas of the societal, economic and financial spheres, which would form an organic part of the social and economic utilisation of contemporary knowledge.

Having a Cultural Heritage Research Centre, INFOTA has been working together with the other research groups of the Foundation combining directly their knowledge and the most recent developments in favour of projects, plans to develop and sustain the maintenance and preservation of our most outstanding touristic sights, museums, nature trails.

The cooperation experience of the two institutions in the organisation of conferences:

  • On 16 November 2012 - 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (together with ICOMOS Hungarian Committee and UNESCO Hungarian National Committee
  • On 7 February 2014 - 10 years of the Intangible heritage Convention (together with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Directorate and UNESCO Hungarian National Committee
  • On 15 October 2015 - On the occasion of the Year of Industrial Heritage and the 50th anniversary of ICOMOS, a one day conference in cooperation with ICOMOS Hungary and the Hungarian organisation for Industrial Heritage.