The summer season of 2024 exceeded all expectations in Hungarian tourism, which was largely reinforced by the increased number of foreign tourists.
Between June and August, 14 percent more, a total of 3 million foreign guests visited Hungary, who spent nearly 8 million guest nights in domestic accommodations.
the National Tourist Information Center ( NTAK ), more than half of foreign guest nights were registered in Budapest, where around 1.7 million foreign tourists visited during the summer. The capital stood out not only in terms of tourists, but also in terms of income.
90 percent of accommodation revenues, nearly HUF 103 billion, came from international visitors.
Rural accommodations also performed well, especially spa towns and the area around Lake Balaton. The 1.4 million foreign tourists who visited the region generated nearly 4 million guest nights. Revenues showed a 13 percent increase, reaching HUF 67 billion. A 15 percent increase was registered in the Balaton area.
The successes achieved here highlight the importance of tourism to the national economy, as tourism revenues account for more than 12 percent of GDP. The largest proportion of tourists came from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The British and Slovak markets showed a 9 percent increase, while the number of Chinese visitors increased most dynamically, where the number of visitors doubled compared to the previous year.
Rurally, the Balaton, Debrecen, Bük-Sárvár and Mátra-Bükk areas attracted the most foreign visitors, while Siófok, Hajdúszoboszló and Hévíz stood out among the most popular settlements.
According to Olivér Csendes, the general manager of Visit Hungary, the successful summer season is significant not only in terms of immediate results, but also in terms of year-round tourist traffic, since almost 37 percent of the annual foreign guest nights are generated in the summer period.
Featured image: KulTúrázó/Facebook
