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Nearly 1.2 million guests spent a total of 2.7 million tourism nights at accommodation establishments, including commercial, private and other lodging options. This marked a year-on-year increase of 0.6% in arrivals and 0.9% in guest nights.
The overall picture remains mixed. While headline figures showed slight growth, seasonally adjusted data indicated a 0.9% decline in arrivals compared to March 2025, with the number of nights broadly unchanged. Commercial accommodation accounted for 74% of total guests and saw a 3.4% increase in arrivals, while private and other accommodation recorded a 6.9% drop.
Domestic tourism was the main driver of growth. The number of Hungarian guests rose by 1.8%, while domestic tourism nights increased by 4.1% year-on-year. Around 560,000 domestic travelers spent 1.2 million nights in March. Within commercial accommodation, hotels accounted for 84% of arrivals and recorded a 5.1% increase.
Regionally, domestic tourism expanded most strongly in Gyula and the Győr–Pannonhalma area, both up 15%, while Sopron saw the sharpest decline, down 10%. Budapest recorded a 12% increase in domestic arrivals, while Lake Balaton experienced a 2.5% decrease.
International tourism, by contrast, weakened slightly. Foreign arrivals fell by 0.6%, while guest nights declined by 1.5% compared to March 2025. Nearly 598,000 international visitors spent close to 1.5 million nights in Hungary. Hotels remained dominant, hosting 87% of foreign guests, with a 1.6% increase in arrivals.
From a regional perspective, inbound tourism grew most strongly in the Budapest area, where arrivals rose by 15%, while the Pécs region saw the largest drop, down 23%. Budapest posted a modest 0.7% increase in international arrivals, while Lake Balaton recorded a 1% decline.
A total of 19,362 accommodation establishments welcomed guests during the month, including 933 hotels and 892 boarding houses operating for part or all of March.
Tourism revenues reached HUF 71.2 billion, representing a 3% increase at current prices compared to a year earlier. Spending via the Széchenyi Recreation Card rose by 6.3% to HUF 2.4 billion.
In the first quarter as a whole, Hungary recorded nearly 3.3 million tourist arrivals, up 3.1% year-on-year. Domestic arrivals increased by 3.5% to around 1.6 million, while international arrivals rose by 2.8% to approximately 1.7 million, pointing to continued, if moderate, growth in the sector.
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