Two thirds of Hungarians Skip Holidaymaking This Year

The summer plans of Hungarians have been substantially revised by inflation and the weakening of the Hungarian currency, the forint. Two-thirds of Hungarians have not been and do not plan to go on holiday this summer, according to a Publicus Institute survey conducted by phone and online between June 30 and July 7, commissioned by the daily newspaper Népszava.

For a quarter of those going on holiday, the rise in prices and the rise in the value of the euro and the US dollar have rewritten their preliminary plans.

A third of opposition voters and 9% of those if the governing party said they had to change their holiday plans.

A large majority, 58%, drastically cut back their holiday budgets and decided not to go on holiday this year because of the price rises. A fifth have simply cut the length of their holiday, while 9% have chosen a domestic destination instead of going abroad.

The survey also showed that although it is possible to travel this year, six in ten holidaymakers prefer to stay at home, with just over a quarter going abroad and 14% can afford both.