Hungarian Tourism Continues to Boom

This year, Hungary welcomed its five millionth visitor on May 6, eleven days earlier than last year's record year. Never before have so many Hungarians rested within the country's borders and never before have so many foreign tourists arrived so early in the year, Visit Hungary told MTI on Wednesday.

According to the National Tourism Data Center (NTAK), domestic accommodation establishments have registered 2.4 million domestic and 2.6 million international tourists so far, 18% more than this time last year. The Easter holiday and the school holidays really boosted Hungarian travel, and the May long weekend also produced outstanding results. The sector's rapid growth this year has helped tourism reach this important milestone at the beginning of the fifth month of an exceptional year.

They said that by May 6 this year, around 6% more domestic tourists had visited the country than in the same period in 2024. More than 164,000 domestic guests travelled at Easter and 338,000 during the spring holidays, while 136,000 of our fellow countrymen and women spent the May long weekend in our home countryside. During these periods, the number of domestic tourists exceeded the figures for the same period last year by 20%, 27% and 36% respectively.

They also pointed out that, thanks to the good weather, the period from April 30 to May 4 was also a period of overcrowding. More than half of them stayed in hotels, with 4-star hotels being the most popular, with 56% of travelers booking in this category. Private and other types of accommodation were also popular, with 34% of guests staying in this type of accommodation. In the pleasant summer weather, Hungarians mostly stayed in accommodation in the Mátra-Bükk, the Budapest area, Debrecen and its surroundings, Tokaj and Nyíregyháza.

In total, the long weekend brought in more than HUF 16 billion in revenues for Hungarian accommodation providers, a 31% increase compared to the same period last year.

Most of the international travelers who have arrived in Hungary so far have come from Germany, Romania, Italy, the UK and Austria. The highest number of visitors came to Budapest, where accommodation establishments recorded a 20% increase in foreign visitors, mainly from Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain and Israel. Outside the capital, Sárvár, Hévíz and Bük were the most visited, they said.