Latest Data Reveals a Record Year for Tourism

2024 was a new record year for tourism: never before have so many people traveled to Hungary from abroad, never before have so many domestic guests stayed within the country’s borders, or so much revenue been generated by hotels, the President of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) announced on Monday.

Zoltán Guller, speaking at a press conference to assess the preliminary results of tourism 2024, said that last year, accommodation facilities welcomed more tourists than ever before, with 18 million visitors. This is an 11 percent increase compared to 2023, with 9.3 million domestic and 8.7 million foreign visitors this year.

Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport had roughly 17 million passengers last year, according to preliminary figures, an increase of more than 17 percent, he added.

The capital’s booming performance played a major role in the results of the new record year 2024.

Last year, Budapest attracted almost six million foreign tourists, with an all-time high growth of 24 percent. Budapest saw a 20 percent increase in revenue for service providers, Guller said. He called this result important because the capital accounts for 60 percent of all overnight stays by foreigners in Hungary.

According to Eurostat data for the first 10 months of 2024, Hungary was 150% ahead of the European average increase in nights spent in commercial accommodation, Turizmus.com reported. As the press conference revealed, domestic and international tourists contributed almost equally to the extraordinary results.

According to mobile phone data, the Parliament, Margaret Island, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Market Hall, and the Széchenyi Baths are the most popular attractions in the Hungarian capital. In addition, the Hungarian State Opera House received the most positive comments on social media, said Zoltán Guller.

At the same time, foreign travelers have boosted tourism in several other destinations outside the capital, too. International business tourism has steadily increased thanks to investments in major rural cities.

For instance, Debrecen’s growth rate of almost 18 percent in overnight stays from abroad even outstripped that of the capital.

Hungary’s tourism success is also visible in its revenues. “The surge in inbound tourism has also had a significant positive impact on the current account. Tourism may account for nearly 80 percent of the EUR 5 billion in activity expected for the year 2024,” said the President of the MTÜ.

Hotels generated HUF 1,050 billion (EUR 2.5 billion) in 2024, while the amount spent in catering establishments reached HUF 1,005 billion (EUR 2.4 billion). Both grew above inflation, the former by 16 percent, and the latter by 11 percent compared to 2023.

Taking into account spill-over effects, the sector’s contribution to the national economy continued to rise last year and now accounts for nearly 13 percent of the GDP.

Tourism is expected to continue to be a driving force of the domestic economy in the future,” concluded Guller.

Via MTI, Turizmus.com, Featured image: Pixabay