World stars not only boosted the atmosphere but also boosted tourism

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 07. 23. 11:30

World stars shared the stage with each other at Budapest’s mega-concert venues last week. On July 15, Guns N’ Roses opened the line-up, two days later Lionel Richie and on the 20th, fans were treated to a wild concert by Jennifer Lopez. The international headliners didn’t just excite their audiences: the capital welcomed 10% more tourists during the July concert boom than the previous week. The musical legends had a big impact on Hungarians in particular: on the day of Axl Rose and his band’s performance, for example, the number of Hungarian guests in the capital was one-third higher than the previous week.

According to data from the National Tourism Information Service Center (NTAK), between July 14 and 20, Budapest’s accommodations welcomed 175,000 guests and 347,000 guest nights. The beneficial effect of international star performances on tourism is illustrated by the fact that guest traffic exceeded the results of the week preceding the major concerts by 10% and the number of guest nights by 8%.

These tourist magnets are of particular importance for tourism not only because of their immediate impact on guest traffic. “Through the social media posts and shares of the performing star performers and their fans, our messages can reach millions more that it is worth traveling and even returning for the experiences available in Budapest and Hungary,” emphasized Olivér Csendes, CEO of Visit Hungary.

86% of the traffic was accounted for by foreign guests, with the largest number arriving in the capital at this time from the United Kingdom (8%), Germany (7%), the United States of America (6%), Poland (6%) and Spain (5%).

The NTAK data also show that the number of guests from neighboring countries increased significantly during certain concerts. For example, on the day of Guns N’ Roses’ performance, four times as many Croatians and three times as many Slovaks visited Budapest than on the day of Jennifer Lopez’s performance, compared to the previous week.

However, the increase in domestic tourist traffic was particularly remarkable: during the period rich in star performers, the number of Hungarian tourists was 15% higher compared to the previous week. The American singer, who is popular with millions of fans worldwide, made the hearts of domestic fans beat faster in particular: during her concert on Sunday, Budapest accommodations were able to welcome 20% more Hungarian guests than on the same day the previous week.