According to the latest data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), 1.4 million guests spent 3.4 million tourism nights at accommodation establishments nationwide — representing a 17% increase in arrivals and a 16% rise in tourism nights compared to April 2024.
Seasonally adjusted data also showed solid momentum, with arrivals growing by 5.6% and tourism nights by 4.4% on a year-on-year basis. Commercial accommodation establishments hosted 69% of guests, a 14% increase from the previous year, while private and other accommodation providers registered a 27% jump in tourist arrivals.
Domestic tourism continued its upward trajectory in April. The number of Hungarian guests rose by 12%, and the number of nights they spent increased by 14% year-on-year. A total of 683,000 domestic travelers booked 1.5 million nights across various types of accommodation. Hotels accounted for the majority of commercial stays, receiving 484,000 guests and nearly 1.1 million tourism nights — 78% of which were at hotels, where guest numbers were up by 9.9% from last year.
Domestic arrivals grew in every tourism region, with Lake Balaton seeing a 14% increase and Budapest recording a 5.7% rise. The only notable drop occurred in the Tokaj and Nyíregyháza area, where domestic arrivals declined by 27%.
International tourism saw even more pronounced growth. The number of international arrivals surged by 22%, with overnight stays up 17% year-on-year. In seasonally adjusted terms, international arrivals were 11% higher than in April 2024, and international tourism nights climbed by 6.1%.
A total of 764,000 international visitors spent close to 1.9 million nights in tourist accommodations. Commercial accommodation providers hosted 512,000 of these guests, with 85% staying in hotels, which recorded a 17% year-on-year increase in foreign guest numbers. Private and other accommodation establishments saw a 35% increase in international visitors.
All tourism regions registered higher numbers of foreign guests, with the Győr-Pannonhalma area posting the largest growth at 30%. Lake Balaton and Budapest both saw strong increases of 28% and 24%, respectively.
Gross sales revenue at tourist accommodation establishments reached HUF 87.6 billion in April, a 25% rise at current prices from the same period a year earlier. Cardholders using the Széchenyi Recreation Card spent around HUF 3.1 billion at tourist accommodations, up 8.3% year-on-year.
A total of 25,834 tourist accommodation establishments were active in April, including 2,446 commercial and 23,388 private or other providers. Of the commercial establishments, 955 hotels and 1,035 boarding houses were open for part or all of the month.
Between January and April 2025, Hungarian tourism accommodations welcomed 4.6 million guests, marking an 11% increase over the same period in 2024. Domestic arrivals were up by 4.1% to nearly 2.2 million, while international arrivals jumped by 18% to approximately 2.4 million.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
