Last year marked another record in tourism. The number of foreign visitors saw a dramatic jump – well over half a million more than in 2017 – and Hungary beat out Austria and the Czech Republic on a number of key, tourism indicators, according to the Hungarian Tourism Agency. In early 2019, was voted the No. 1 European destination for the year, surpassing Paris, Berlin and London.
Tourism has grown steadily in recent years, the country receives one-and-a-half times more guests than in 2010, and those providing accommodation have doubled their revenues. The growth in tourism across the board, including both foreign and domestic tourists, is thanks in no small part to development, safety and security, and the fact that more Hungarian families can afford holidays.
The year 2018 brought us some impressive results. Here are a few:
- commercial hotels registered 5.2 percent more visitors, a total of 12.5 million guests;
- the number of overnight stays increased by over one million, reaching almost 31 million;
- commercial hotels earned 9.3 percent more revenue, exceeding 510 billion forints;
- almost 6.5 million Hungarians spent their holidays in Hungary, which is more than five percent higher than last year
We also saw a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting from countries with higher spending potential, including double-digit growth in number of tourists from the United States, Canada, China and Spain
The tourism sector, according to current projections, will account for 16 percent of Hungarian GDP by 2030. That’s an ambitious goal, but the Hungarian government has made it a priority. The country will see nearly 1000 tourism development projects get under way nationwide in 2019 and most of them will be completed this year. Never before have so many investments taken place at the same time with the aim of developing accommodations, restaurants, attractions and infrastructure.
If you have yet visited or even if you are a return visitor, Hungary should be on your list. Here’s a glimpse at the latest in our efforts to promote the image of this beautiful country: