Pandemic: Hungarian Tourism Collapses

As a result of the coronavirus epidemic, in March 2020, the number of nights spent by international tourists in Hungary fell by 68% and that of nights spent by domestic tourists by 61% compared to the same period of the previous year in commercial accommodation establishments (hotels, boarding houses, camping sites, bungalow complexes and community hostels). Total gross sales revenues declined by 60% at current prices in commercial accommodation establishments.

The country's Central Statistical Office reports that n March 2020, compared to the same month of the previous year, he number of international tourist arrivals decreased by 74% and of international tourism nights by 68%. 107,000 guests spent 316,000 tourism nights in commercial accommodation establishments. All accommodation types and regions saw large declines. Accommodation establishments in Budapest and Western Transdanubia recorded a decrease of almost 70% in the number of tourism nights. Compared to March 2019, the number of tourism nights fell to a third from Europe and to less than a quarter from Asia and America. The number of Russian and Ukrainian tourism nights roughly halved with a lower-than-average decline. Guests from our most important sending country, Germany, spent 62% fewer nights in Hungarian accommodation establishments.

Also compared to a year before, domestic arrivals and tourism nights were down by 64% and by 61% respectively to 166 thousand arrivals and 381 thousand tourism nights. Compared to March 2019, the number of tourism nights fell by more than half in all regions and by more than two thirds in the Budapest-Central Danube region and at Lake Tisza in the eastern part of the country.