New Record Reached in Tourism thanks to Millions of Travelers

Lake Hévíz

This year, Hungary welcomed its five millionth visitor on May 6, eleven days earlier than last year’s record-breaking tourist season. Never before have so many Hungarians vacationed within the country’s borders, and never before have so many foreign tourists arrived so early in the year.

According to data from the National Tourism Data Supply Center, 2.4 million domestic and 2.6 million international tourists have been registered at domestic accommodations so far, which is 18% more than at the same time last year. Hungarians’ desire to travel was really boosted by the Easter holidays and the school break, and the long weekend in May also brought outstanding results. Thanks to the steady growth of the sector this year, tourism, which is in exceptional form, reached this important milestone at the beginning of the fifth month, Visit Hungary announced.

By May 6, approximately 6% more domestic tourists visited Hungary than in the same period in 2024.

More than 164,000 domestic guests traveled during Easter, 338,000 during the spring break, and 136,000 spent the long weekend in May relaxing in their home country. During these periods, the number of domestic tourists exceeded last year’s figures by 20%, 27%, and 36%, respectively.

Thanks to the favorable weather, guests flooded accommodation facilities between April 30 and May 4. More than half stayed in hotels, with 4-star hotels being the most popular, accounting for 56% of bookings.

Private and other accommodations also saw significant traffic, with 34% of guests choosing this type of accommodation.

In the pleasant warm weather, Hungarians mostly filled accommodations in the Mátra-Bükk (northern Hungary), Budapest and Debrecen (eastern Hungary) areas, as well as Tokaj (wine region in northeastern Hungary) and Nyíregyháza (also in the northeastern part of the country). Thanks to this, the May 1 long weekend brought a total of more than HUF 16 billion (EUR 39.5 million) in revenue to domestic accommodation providers, representing a 31% increase compared to the same period last year.

The majority of the more than 2.6 million international travelers who have arrived in Hungary so far came from Germany, Romania, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Austria.

Budapest was the most popular destination, with accommodation providers registering 20% more foreign visitors, mainly from Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Israel. Outside the capital, Sárvár, Hévíz and Bük (all spa towns in western Hungary) were the most visited destinations.

If the growth in tourism continues at this pace, Hungary could reach the target of 20 million visitors set in the National Tourism Development Strategy before 2030, according to Visit Hungary.

Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay