Lovers flew to Budapest: 55% more foreigners arrived for Valentine’s Day weekend

Comparing the period between February 11 and 15, 2026, with February 12 and 16, 2025, incoming passenger traffic increased by 55%, according to Kiwi.com booking data. In the case of the top 25 nationalities, the increase was 51%. This shows that it was not just a few prominent countries that increased their numbers, but also smaller sending countries experienced a similar growth rate despite the average ticket price increase (airfares per passenger increased by 11.5% on average compared to the same period last year).

Europe leads the list, but couples also arrived from overseas

The most bookings came from Spain, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, then the United States and Israel. Romania, France, Poland, Portugal and Germany also make up the top 10.

In absolute growth, i.e. in terms of the number of passengers actually arriving, Spain (+78%), Italy (+103.9%), the United Kingdom (+90.7%) and the United States (+94.7%) stood out. In relative, i.e. percentage, growth was most impressive in countries starting from a smaller base, such as Argentina (+600%), India (+333.3%) and Finland (+200%). Poland proved to be a particularly strong market, as it was at the top of both absolute and relative growth (+228.6%).

Budapest has become a romantic destination

The list therefore includes not only European cities, Budapest’s international appeal is undeniable. Travelers arrived over the Valentine’s Day weekend from Guangzhou, Dubai, Muscat, the Maldives, Porto Alegre and Abidjan, among others.

According to the data, event-based tourism continues to strengthen, with more and more people organizing their trips around specific dates and occasions.

“The Valentine’s Day traffic in Hungary clearly shows that Budapest is increasingly appearing on the map of international romantic hotspots for travelers. Couples and city visitors are planning consciously, and a special occasion – such as Valentine’s Day – can generate significant travel demand in itself,” said Daniela Chovancová, Kiwi.com’s press relations manager.