Guest nights down 3.4% compared to last year's figures in January-August

It is 3.4% fewer than in the same period a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Tuesday. The number of foreign guest nights fell 8.4% from a year earlier to 7.016 million while domestic guest nights rose 2.4% to 6.725 million in January-August 2006. Guest nights at hotels fell 0.8% year-on-year to 9.23 million in the first eight months, of which foreign guest nights fell 7.2% to 5.361 million while guest nights spent by Hungarians in hotels rose a sharp 9.8% to 3.869 million. The average occupancy rate of hotels in January-August was 48.3%, unchanged from the same period a year earlier.

Gross revenue of commercial lodgings was Ft 151.5 billion (€557.1 million) in January-August, a 4.8% increase at current prices from the same period a year earlier. The increase partly reflected a weakening of the forint in the period, KSH noted. Room fees accounted for 57.2% of total revenue during the period, catering accounted for 23.4% and other services for the rest. Room fees and prices for catering rose 4% year-on-year, including a 6.1% rise in room rates and a 4% rise in the price of catering services. (Mti-Eco)