Tourism contributed 10.2% to Hungary’s GDP in 2025, with the sector employing around 420,000 people in tourism-related activities, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) reported. The sector generated a HUF 1.749 trillion surplus in the services trade balance, underscoring its economic significance.
Foreign Visitor Influx Drives 2025 Growth
Inbound foreign tourism was the main growth driver in 2025, with foreign arrivals increasing by 4.4% year-over-year. Foreign visitors extended their stays by 15% and increased their spending by 12%, according to Eszter Németh, head of KSH’s Services Statistics Department. The sharpest increases in multi-day visits came from Austria, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States, while
demand also strengthened from Asian, South American, and French visitors.
Hotels accounted for more than 53% of guest traffic at accommodation establishments in 2025. Private accommodation hosted around 20% of all guests and represented 19% of foreign visitors’ lodging usage. Budapest alone recorded four out of ten guest nights, with tourists from eight countries accounting for half of all foreign guest nights in Hungary.
Budapest and its surroundings posted the fastest growth in domestic and foreign guest traffic in 2025, while domestic travel participation narrowed to less than half of the Hungarian population taking multi-day trips. However, Hungarian domestic travelers
took more trips, stayed longer, and spent more money per trip than previously.
Domestic Travel Patterns and Spending
Hungarians undertook roughly three times as many domestic trips as foreign trips in 2025 but spent more abroad. Average spending on one-day trips was HUF 9,100 domestically compared to HUF 40,300 on foreign one-day trips. For multi-day travel, daily spending abroad was roughly twice domestic levels.
Among domestic destinations, Pécs-Villány—including Siklós and Harkány—performed strongly. The Szeged region, including Makó, attracted substantial foreign visitors. Tokaj and the Nyíregyháza area showed less pronounced growth.
Early 2026 Trends and Regulatory Impacts
Accommodation traffic rose 4.5% at the start of 2026 but slowed to 0.6% growth in
March and declined by 1% in April compared to 2025. The April decline partly reflected conflicts in the Middle East, contributing to a drop in visitors from Israel.
Regulatory restrictions in Budapest’s District VI Terézváros reduced private accommodation capacity by 40%, causing a 28% drop in local guest traffic in Q1 2026. Outside Terézváros, Budapest saw a 12% increase in guest traffic during the same period.
