Letter: Hungary: a safe place for holidays

From Mr Gyorgy Odze

Sir: Your article ("Going on foreign holidays `getting more dangerous' ", 10 May) on the Holiday Which? report placing Hungary on the top of the list for muggings deals with matters of fact which need some elucidating.

Hungary's geographical position has always made it a country of transit. According to the Central Statistical Office, 40 million people crossed the borders in 1994, of which 21 million were tourists. There were 14,035 criminal incidents involving foreigners, 13,242 of which were acts against property or muggings.

These figures are difficult to reconcile with the "5.9 per cent of holidays affected" quoted from the Which? report, even taking into account the possibility that not all victims of a minor incident who responded to the survey made an official complaint to the authorities.

On the basis of the official figures, I feel justified in emphasising that Hungary is among the safer places to go for a holiday.

Yours sincerely,

GYORGY ODZE,

Press Counsellor

Embassy of Hungary

London, SW1

17 May