The decline in overnight stays was largely attributed to calendar effects: Good Friday and Easter fell entirely in April this year, unlike in 2024, and Hungary’s March 15 national holiday was not linked to a long weekend. Despite the drop, seasonally adjusted figures paint a more positive picture, with arrivals rising 8.4% and overnight stays up 5.6% compared to March 2024.
The number of domestic tourists fell by 7.6% year-on-year to 548,000, while the number of domestic overnight stays decreased by 13% to nearly 1.2 million. Seasonally adjusted figures showed more modest declines, with domestic arrivals up 4.5% and nights spent rising by just under 1%.
Hotels continued to attract the bulk of domestic travelers, accounting for 83% of arrivals at commercial accommodations. However, private and other forms of accommodation saw a 19% drop in domestic guest arrivals. Every tourism region reported a decline in domestic arrivals, with the sharpest drop—23%—in the Sopron region. Budapest was the exception, with domestic arrivals rising by 9.6%, while Lake Balaton saw an 8.1% decline.
International arrivals, by contrast, rose 5.6% to 601,000, with a modest 0.7% increase in overnight stays to 1.5 million. Seasonally adjusted, the jump was more pronounced: international arrivals were up 23%, and overnight stays grew 16% compared to the same month last year. Foreign guests primarily stayed in hotels, which accounted for 87% of international arrivals at commercial accommodations—a 3.4% increase from 2024. Private and other accommodations also saw a 10% rise in foreign guests.
The Pécs region reported the largest increase in international visitors, up 34%, while the Eger region saw the steepest decline at 18%. In Budapest, international arrivals rose 9.6%, while Lake Balaton experienced a 15% drop.
Tourist accommodation establishments generated HUF 69.1 billion in gross revenue in March, a 6.2% increase in nominal terms from the year before. Meanwhile, spending via the Széchenyi Recreation Card dropped 12% to HUF 2.3 billion compared to March 2024.
In total, 20,797 tourist accommodation establishments operated in March, including 2,179 commercial and 18,618 private or other accommodations. Of the commercial options, 919 were hotels and 930 were boarding houses.
Looking at the broader January–March period, Hungary’s tourism sector recorded nearly 3.2 million arrivals, marking an 8.4% year-on-year increase. Domestic arrivals were up 0.7%, while international arrivals surged 16%, reflecting strong foreign interest in Hungarian travel destinations despite mixed month-to-month data.
While holiday timing had a clear impact on March statistics, underlying trends—especially the rise in international tourism—suggest continued recovery and momentum heading into the peak spring and summer seasons.
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