Guest nights up again in Hungary – UPDATED: more details

Guest nights at commercial and private tourism accommodations in Hungary rose by 2.0 percent to 6,646,000 in July from the same period a year earlier, supported by an increase in bookings by foreign visitors, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Thursday.

The number of guest nights spent by domestic travellers edged down by 0.3 percent to 3,861,000, while guest nights spent by foreign visitors climbed 5.4 percent to 2,786,000.

The number of foreign tourists went up by 11 percent and the number of guest nights they spent by 5.4 percent year-on-year.

Visitors from Germany spent 255,000 guest nights at tourism accommodations in Hungary in July, more than any other nationality. Visitors from Poland spent 157,000 guest nights and tourists from Czechia 142,000. The number of guest nights spent by visitors from Asia reached 187,000, up 8.2 percent from the base period.

Lake Balaton was the most popular destination in July, accounting for 2,272,000 guest nights. The capital was runner-up with 1,516,000 guest nights.

Revenue of commercial accommodations, which include hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, camp sites, resorts and hostels, rose by 12 percent to 134 billion forints (EUR 341m).

Commenting on the figures, the national economy ministry said the tourism sector “performed better than ever before in July,” noting the over 6.6 million guest nights recorded for the month, up 2 percent compared with the same month in 2023. The number of foreign tourists last month reached 1 million, up by an annual 11 percent and the number of guest nights they spent was 2.8 million, up by an annual 5.4 percent, the ministry said in a statement.

It pointed out “a strong performance of the sector for the whole year so far,” noting an annual 10.6 percent increase in the number of guests, 9.9 million, at all commercial accommodations during the period of Jan-July.

The revenue of accommodations during the period went up by 14.2 percent to 553.1 billion forints, the ministry said.

It said that the tourism sector accounts for more than 10 percent of Hungary’s GDP and gives jobs directly and indirectly to 400,000 people.

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