Lake Balaton Town Ranked Most Popular Rural Destination in 2023

Tourism in Siófok closed last year above the national average. The town on Lake Balaton saw an increase in spring and autumn tourist numbers in addition to the high season, as well as an increase in the number of foreign guests, and became the most popular domestic rural tourist destination in 2023, Turizmus.com reports.

Data from Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) shows that Siófok was the first among the towns of the Lake Balaton region in terms of total guest nights in 2023, with 1.3 million, followed by Hévíz (1 million), Balatonfüred (874,000), Zalakaros (725,000), and Keszthely (301,000), the Siófok municipality revealed in a statement.

The town also performed well in a national comparison, according to the KSH data, in 2023,

Siófok generated the most guest nights after Budapest (13.5 million),

followed by Hajdúszoboszló, Hévíz, and Balatonfüred. The number of overnight stays in Siófok exceeds the result of the same period in 2019, by 20 percent and is only one percent behind the result of the absolute record year 2022, they reported.

More than 42,000 people visited the Siófok Tourinform office in the historic Water Tower in 2023, 25 percent more than in 2019, and seven percent more than in 2022.

The emblematic building that serves as an exhibition space and lookout, received nearly 30,000 visitors between its reopening in May and December.

The summer period was a good time for town visits and other leisure activities, with many more people interested in the cultural values of the city and its surroundings, and attractions for children and families.

In the experience of the Siófok Tourinform staff, the most visitors last year came from Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. Many people arrived by train, taking advantage of the discounted and online offers, and the festival season also generated a significant surplus in the number of overnight stays.

Via Turizmus.com, Featured image: Facebook/Siófok Guide