Hungary's tourist numbers have grown by 16 percent as Balaton and Budapest become more popular with international travelers.
In January 2017, the number of nights spent by international tourists increased by 14 percent and that of nights spent by domestic tourists by 5.6 percent compared to a year earlier.
The number of international tourist arrivals grew by 16 percent and that of international tourism nights by 14 percent (to 733,000). The number of international tourism nights rose in most tourism regions. Turnover grew faster than the national average in the Northern Great Plain (+20 percent) and Budapest–Central Danube regions (+17 percent).
According to the Central Statistical Office (KSH), the number of guest nights in Hungary’s commercial lodgings grew by an annual 14.4 percent to 1,747,000 in December 2016.
Nights spent by Hungarian tourists rose by 8.6 percent to 853,000, while those spent by foreign visitors jumped 20.5 percent to 894,000 due to a low base related to the migrant crisis. Nights at Budapest hotels were up 22 percent. Revenue grew by 16.5 percent to 30.9 billion HUF.
The tourism surge has led to reports of an increase in hotels being built throughout the capital over the next 6-7 years to cater to the increased number of visitors to Budapest.