Budapest has essentially only two rivals in the region on this front: Vienna and Prague, but the hotels opening in the Hungarian capital could soon be the envy of its neighbors.Continue reading
Like Christmas, Easter is a time when many people like to stay in hotels, and this year will be no exception. More than 400,000 nights have already been booked in Hungarian hotels, which means an 11 percent increase in hotel turnover over the Easter period compared to last year, Világgazdaság reports.
The majority of bookings are for two nights, mostly for Good Saturday and Good Friday, meaning that people will not necessarily spend the entire 4-day holiday in hotels. Domestic bookings are up 7 percent on last year and foreign bookings are up 30 percent, according to the Hungarian Tourism Agency. During the holidays, most hotels have a special offer and guests can enjoy music or art performances during their stay.
Most guests opted for rural accommodation at Easter, with around two-thirds of bookings coming from the countryside and the remaining third visiting the capital.
Pre-booking figures show that 72% of Budapest’s turnover is from foreigners, but in the countryside three quarters of bookings are from domestic tourists. Most foreign bookings came to the capital from Israel, Germany and Spain. Foreigners are also interested in rural accommodation, with Czech, Slovak and German guests booking the most there.
The most popular destinations are Lake Balaton, the Mátra-Bükk area in northern Hungary and Bük-Sárvár area in western Hungary. Among the rural settlements, Hévíz, Bük and Sárvár are the most visited by foreigners. Hévíz is also very popular with Hungarians, with the world’s second largest thermal lake, while in Sárvár the prestigious 5-star Spirit Hotel is a great place to relax.
Lake Hévíz. Photo: Pixabay
67 percent of Easter bookings are for hotels, 20 percent for private and other accommodation, 5 percent for guesthouses, 4 percent for shared accommodation, 2 percent for holiday homes and 2 percent for campsites.
According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the start of the year was very good also in international comparison, and after a strong start to the year, the spring season is also particularly good.
Featured photo via Facebook/Lotus Therme Hotel & Spa*****