Hungarian Tourism Outperformed 2022 Last Year

Last year, Hungarian tourism not only surpassed the results of the year 2022, but also reached and sometimes even exceeded the record year 2019, Zoltán Guller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), said at a press conference held on the basis of preliminary data in Budapest on Thursday.

He stressed that last year almost 16 million tourists spent more than 41 million nights in Hungary, while the revenues of accommodation and catering services increased by double-digit rates, above inflation. Hungarian accommodation providers recorded 1 million 300,000 more nights compared to 2022, an extraordinary result because international conflicts are estimated to have reduced the number of nights by one million, he pointed out.

According to the report, the total revenue of hotels reached HUF 860 billion, 23% higher than in 2022. Last year, guests spent 18 percent more in restaurants, HUF 1780 billion.

Following a successful year in 2023, tourism is expected to be on a sustained growth path this year, Zoltán Guller said.

He pointed out that according to a recent World Tourism Organization report, Hungary's recovery rate is higher than the global average, which also supports the recovery of economic growth.

Zoltán Guller said that according to data from the National Tourism Data Center, the result was mainly due to a significant recovery in international inbound tourism, with an 18% increase in the number of foreign visitors to 7.1 million. The increase in the capital's guest numbers was particularly impressive, as last year 59% of Hungary's foreign accommodation turnover, 11.7 million guest nights, was registered in Budapest, which represents a significant 19% increase compared to 2022.

Finally, Lake Balaton, the most popular domestic tourism region, not only achieved an excellent result in the peak summer season, but its full-year guest numbers of three million exceeded the record year of 2019 by 9%, he said. He added that Lake Balaton's popularity is characterized by the fact that eight guests for every resident stayed in the summer. The SZÉP card, which is the driving force of domestic tourism, also contributed greatly to the results, because in 2023 not only the number of top-ups reached a historic high of HUF 445 billion, but also the amount spent, with users paying HUF 449 billion with it.