Hungarian tourism has also brought forward the previously set goals in terms of guest numbers: the 20 million guests planned for 2030 in the National Tourism Development Strategy were reached by accommodation establishments by 2025. According to Róbert Richard Kiss, the next level no longer depends on the quality of the rooms, but on the expansion of services and the city’s offerings – especially in Budapest.
The tourism journalist spoke on InfoRádió: The regional competitors of Vienna and Budapest are chosen in a greater proportion by wealthier travelers who also spend on premium products and experiences during their vacation. If Budapest could carve out a larger slice of this circle, it could bring additional income to the national economy through VAT and other tax revenues in addition to tourism revenues.
Accommodation is not the bottleneck – supply is the issue
According to Róbert Richard Kiss, the domestic accommodation market is inherently segmented: the palette is wide, from campsites to five-star superior hotels, therefore the problem of “quality” appears more in the urban service mix and on the axis of shopping, gastronomy and programs. As an example, he mentioned the Kärntner Straße and Graben areas in Vienna, where high-quality, heavily visited shops generate significant turnover during peak periods.
Value creation after record numbers: what do the 2025 data show?
According to the MTÜ assessment cited in the article, Hungary, as a country of ten million, welcomed roughly twice as many guests in 2025 as there are people living at home, and the number of guest nights also increased. In Budapest, the increase in the number of guests was put at over 13%, and nationwide guest nights increased to 48.92 million. Lake Balaton welcomed 3.4 million guests, and the revenue of Balaton accommodation was approximately 218 billion forints.
The 3–4 star base “pulls up” the supply – it can also give a boost to the countryside
The journalist specifically mentioned that 3–4 star hotels represent a stable, predictable category for both guests and operators, and also mentioned the Kisfaludy Program as an encouraging factor in the improvement of the supply at Lake Balaton. At the same time, he believes that the role of apartments and guesthouses is also crucial: they can provide a tourism “boost” even where there is no larger hotel capacity.
Commercial reading: targeted premium tourism can also rewrite the downtown business mix
The essence of the Vienna example is not just more luxury stores, but a densely organized chain of experiences where the cultural-heritage attraction, the hotel offer, gastronomy and quality retail reinforce each other. According to Róbert Richard Kiss, this could also be the next step in Budapest: in addition to the number of guests, higher spending, stronger service quality and a broader, “not just accommodation” type of urban
