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Tourism is on the rise in Hungary, which is also confirmed by the latest data. Even though the weather this spring has been somewhat unfortunate, the sector still managed to produce outstanding results mainly due to foreign tourists.
In the first quarter of 2025, nearly 3.2 million guests arrived at Hungarian accommodations, 8.4 percent more than in the same period of 2024. Guests spent a total of nearly 7.3 million guest nights in Hungary, representing a 1.1 percent increase compared to the first three months of last year’s record year. Accommodation establishments across the country recorded revenues of more than HUF 190.6 billion (EUR 471.4 million), 14.4 percent more than last year. The outstanding results are largely due to the continuously strong foreign demand, according to the latest tourism data analyzed by the Ministry of National Economy on Tuesday.
They reported that the number of foreign travelers increased by 16 percent to 1.7 million, while the number of foreign guest nights exceeded last year’s January-March figures by nearly seven percent nationwide and by an even greater margin of 10.3 percent in the capital.
The analysis refers to data from the Central Statistical Office and the National Tourism Data Supply Centre, according to which a total of 1.1 million guests, including more than 600,000 foreigners, stayed in Hungarian accommodations in March 2025. The number of foreign guests rose by 5.6 percent compared to the same period last year.
Downtown Budapest with St. Stephen’s Basilica. Photo: Pixabay
The ministry pointed out that the poor weather had a negative impact on domestic travel (the average monthly temperature in March this year was 1.5 degrees Celsius lower than in the third month of 2024, while the national average rainfall was nearly three times higher than last year). In addition, the data was negatively affected by the fact that Easter fell in April this year instead of March, and unlike last year, the March 15 national holiday did not result in a long weekend. As a result, guest traffic was slightly lower than in March last year, by 1.1 percent.
Despite the poor weather conditions, domestic accommodation establishments registered nearly 2.7 million guest nights.
The 1.5 million guest nights spent by foreign visitors exceeded last March’s figure, but total guest nights in accommodation establishments still fell by 5.9% compared to March last year.
The Festetics Castle in Keszthely, Lake Balaton. Photo: Pixabay
The analysis highlighted that accommodation establishments recorded total revenues of HUF 69.2 billion (EUR 171.1 million) in March, representing a 6.2 percent increase compared to last year. Of this, HUF 36.2 billion (EUR 89.5 million) was spent by tourists in rural areas, where revenues were practically unchanged from the previous year.
The steady and dynamic growth in foreign visitor numbers also highlights that Hungary is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for international travelers. Tourism is a strategically important sector of the Hungarian economy, providing a livelihood for some 400,000 families, and thanks to last year’s exceptional results, it has become one of the most important economic drivers, the ministry emphasized.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay