The number of foreign visitors in Hungary was up 4.2% yr/yr at 14.681m in the third quarter and the number of Hungarians travelling abroad rose 3.8% to 5.153m, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Thursday.

The number of foreign visitors rose yr/yr in Q3 the fourth time since Q4 2009 and the number of Hungarians travelling abroad rose for the fourth time since Q2 2009. Both increases started in Q4 last year.

In Q2 the number of foreign visitors in Hungary was up 5.3% yr/yr at 10.057m and the number of Hungarians travelling abroad rose 3.8% to 4.113m.

In the first three quarters of 2011, the number of foreign visitors rose 3.8% to 32.317m, and the number of Hungarians travelling abroad was 12.733m, up 3.6%.

After rising 5.9% yr/yr to HUF 196bn in Q2, Hungary’s tourism surplus was HUF 209bn in Q3, down 3.0% yr/yr, as spending by foreign tourists (tourism exports) fell 4.1 % yr/yr to HUF 388bn – still up on HUF 315bn in Q2 – and Hungarians’ spending abroad fell 5.1% to HUF 179bn.

In the first three quarters, tourism surplus fell 1.4% yr/yr to HUF 504bn. Spending by foreign tourists (tourism exports) was down 2.4% at HUF 910bn and Hungarians’ spending abroad fell 3.4% to HUF 406bn.