2024 is the new record year for domestic tourism

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 01. 15. 11:26

Surpassing the outstanding 2023 result by almost 11%, more than ever before, nearly 18 million tourists arrived at Hungarian accommodation facilities in 2024. The guest nights they spent also increased by almost 6%, their number of more than 44 million also represents a new record based on preliminary data. According to Eurostat data for the first 10 months of 2024, our country outpaced the average European growth in guest nights spent in commercial accommodation by a long way, by 150%.

Domestic and international tourists now contributed almost equally to the extraordinary results. Never before have so many people traveled to us from abroad, never before have so many domestic guests rested within the country’s borders, and never before has so much revenue been generated in accommodation facilities – said Zoltán Guller, President of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), at a press conference evaluating the performance of domestic tourism in 2024.

Last year, inbound traffic skyrocketed. According to preliminary data from the National Tourism Data Service Center, a new 17% growth record was set, with more than ever before, 8.7 million guests from abroad arriving to explore the landscapes of our country. The guest nights they contributed to also exceeded the 2023 figure by nearly 10%, exceeding 22 million. The soaring air traffic figures contributed significantly to the excellent results. By the end of November, in addition to the nearly 17% increase in the number of flights, 16 million passengers had passed through Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport, which is almost a fifth more than the previous year.

The results of the new record year of 2024 were largely due to the explosive performance of the capital. Last year, Budapest attracted an unprecedented 24% more foreign tourists, almost 6 million, and its foreign accommodation turnover of almost 14 million increased by almost 15%. This is also important because it accounts for around 60% of all international guest nights in Hungary. At the same time, foreign travelers have also significantly boosted tourism in several destinations outside the capital. Thanks to investments in larger rural cities, international business tourism has been steadily strengthening. For example, Debrecen’s nearly 18% growth rate in foreign guest nights even surpassed that of the capital.
“The extraordinary growth in inbound traffic has also had a significant positive impact on the current account. Almost 80% of the expected surplus of around 5 billion euros by 2024 will come from tourism. Without the outstanding performance of the sector, this surplus would be negligible,”

emphasized Zoltán Guller, President of the Hungarian Tourism Agency.