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In the first five months of 2026, domestic arrivals at tourist accommodation establishments rose 3.9% from a year earlier, while international arrivals increased by 0.3%.
In May, the number of tourist arrivals increased overall, while the number of tourism nights declined slightly. Based on seasonally adjusted data, arrivals were up 2.8% and tourism nights rose 1.1% compared with May 2025.
Some 71% of guests stayed at commercial accommodation establishments, where arrivals increased by 5.5% year-on-year. Private and other accommodation establishments recorded 4.2% fewer tourist arrivals than a year earlier.
Domestic tourism performed more strongly than international tourism during the month. The number of domestic tourist arrivals rose 4.9% year-on-year, while domestic tourism nights increased by 2.8%. Based on seasonally adjusted data, domestic arrivals grew by 4.2% and domestic tourism nights by 2.5%.
The 898,000 domestic guests spent 1.8 mln tourism nights at tourist accommodation establishments. Within this, commercial accommodation establishments registered 636,000 domestic arrivals and 1.3 mln domestic tourism nights.
Hotels received 72% of domestic arrivals at commercial accommodation establishments, with their number growing by 8.7% compared with a year earlier. The number of domestic tourist arrivals at private and other accommodation establishments was 5.7% higher than in May 2025.
Domestic arrivals increased in all tourism areas compared with the same month of the previous year, with the strongest rise recorded in the Gyula region, where arrivals grew by 18%. Domestic arrivals at tourist accommodation establishments were up 2.9% in Budapest and 3.7% at Lake Balaton.
International arrivals rose only slightly, while foreign guest nights declined. The number of international tourist arrivals increased by 0.2% year-on-year, while international tourism nights fell by 3.4%. Based on seasonally adjusted data, international arrivals grew by 2.5%, while international tourism nights declined by 0.5%.
The 855,000 international guests arriving at tourist accommodation establishments spent 2.0 mln tourism nights there. Commercial accommodation establishments registered 612,000 international arrivals and nearly 1.5 mln international tourism nights.
Hotels accounted for 83% of international arrivals at commercial accommodation establishments, with their number increasing by 5.1% from a year earlier. The number of foreign tourist arrivals at private and other accommodation establishments was 13% lower than in May 2025.
Among tourism regions, international arrivals increased the most in the Gyula region, rising by 23%, while the sharpest decline was recorded in the Szeged region, where arrivals fell by 11%.
In Budapest, partly as a result of the ban on private and other types of accommodation currently in effect in District VI, the number of international arrivals at tourist accommodation establishments fell by 1.4%. At Lake Balaton, international arrivals rose by 3.4%.
A total of 27,422 tourist accommodation establishments welcomed guests in May, including 2,727 commercial accommodation establishments and 24,695 private or other accommodation establishments. Among commercial accommodation establishments, 1,006 hotels and 1,078 boarding houses were open for part or all of the month.
Gross sales revenue at tourist accommodation establishments totaled HUF 113.4 bln, up 8.1% at current prices from a year earlier.
Cardholders spent nearly HUF 3.2 bln at tourist accommodation establishments using Széchenyi Recreation Cards, 10% more at current prices than in the same month of the previous year.
In January-May 2026, tourist accommodation establishments recorded a total of almost 6.5 mln arrivals, up 2.0% year-on-year. Domestic arrivals rose 3.9% to nearly 3.2 mln, while international arrivals increased by 0.3% to 3.3 mln.
KSH also highlighted the effects of restrictions on short-term rentals in Budapest’s District VI, Terézváros. A complete ban on the operation of private and other types of accommodation took effect in the district on Jan. 1, 2026, causing a significant shift in local tourist traffic.
The number of available bed places in tourist accommodation establishments in District VI was 44% lower in May 2026 than a year earlier as a result of the restrictions.
The number of arrivals at tourist accommodation establishments in the district was overall 30% lower in the first five months of 2026. At the same time, commercial accommodation establishments registered 25% more arrivals than in the same period of the previous year.
KSH noted that several units among these accommodation establishments had previously operated as private or other types of accommodation, but reclassified themselves as boarding houses or community hostels after meeting the required criteria.
The decline in arrivals at private and other accommodation establishments could only be absorbed to a limited extent by other types of accommodation in Terézváros.
Arrivals at Budapest’s tourist accommodation establishments increased by 1.4% in the first five months of 2026. Excluding Terézváros, the increase was 7.9%. In Districts VII and VIII, growth was even stronger, exceeding 10%, suggesting that accommodation establishments in districts near Terézváros may also have benefited from taking over part of the displaced demand.
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