Péter Horváth, CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, said foreign visitors are expected to boost Hungary’s tourism sector this year, even as the number of domestic travellers declines as more Hungarians take trips abroad.
In an interview published on the business news website vg.hu, Horváth said guest nights grew by 4% to 12.2 million in January-May, supported by foreign visitors. The number of Italian visitors to Hungary nearly doubled, while visitors from Israel and Poland were up almost 50%, and visitors from Germany increased by one-third, he added. At the same time, the number of guest nights spent by domestic travellers fell by 6% to 6 million as more Hungarians booked trips abroad, he said. He forecast 10-15% growth in turnover from foreign visitors and in the capital this year, bringing numbers up to 90-95% of pre-pandemic levels, noting that tourism generates close to 13% of Hungary’s GDP and accounts for a significant part of the country’s foreign exchange.