Hungary’s tourism industry is booming: guest nights in August exceeded expectations

Guest nights at commercial and private tourism accommodations in Hungary rose 3.6pc to 6,987,000 in August from the same period a year earlier, data released by the Central Statistics Office (KSH) on Monday show.

Hungary’s guest nights in August

The number of guest nights spent by domestic travelers rose 3.7pc to 3,942,000, while guest nights spent by foreign visitors climbed 3.5pc to 3,045,000, KSH said.

Revenue from commercial accommodations, which include hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, campsites, resorts, and hostels, rose 8.5pc to HUF 140bn.

In August, 37,333 tourism accommodations hosted guests, including 2,972 commercial accommodations and 34,361 private and other accommodations.

For January-August, the number of guest nights at tourism accommodations rose 5.5pc year-on-year to 31,454,000. The number spent by domestic travelers increased 2.4pc to 16,314,000, and the number spent by foreign tourists climbed 9.1pc to 15,141,000.

The number of domestic tourism nights increased the most in the Szeged region (by 12%) and decreased the most in the Pécs tourism area2 (by 7.2%) compared to the same period last year. The number of nights spent by domestic guests in tourist accommodation increased by 7.3% in Budapest and by 5.6% at Lake Balaton.

The number of international tourism nights increased most in the Gyula region (by 12%), while the Greater Budapest tourism area saw the largest decrease (by 14%) compared to the same period of the previous year. The number of international tourism nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments increased by 9.2% in Budapest and fell by 1.4% at Lake Balaton.

The total gross sales revenues of tourist accommodation establishments amounted to nearly HUF 140 billion, which was 8.5% higher at current prices than a year earlier.

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National Economy Ministry comment

Commenting on the fresh data, the National Economy Ministry noted that guest nights in the capital exceeded 1.6 million in August, accounting for 23.9 percent of the total.

The ministry said tourism sector data for January-August “exceeded all expectations” and was “far ahead” of the average growth rate for the European Union as a whole.

It added that passenger numbers at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International climbed 18.6pc in January-August.

The ministry said Hungary’s tourism sector generates over 10 percent of GDP and provides the livelihoods of 400,000 people.

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