Tourism had a strong first quarter – sector outlook

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 05. 02. 10:44

Although tourist visitor traffic in March was 6% lower than last year’s level, the first quarter was still positive: the number of domestic guests exceeded the same period of the previous year by 0.7% and that of foreign guests by 16%. This shows that foreigners continue to be the engine of growth. In 2025, we expect the growth trend of tourism to continue in line with international processes, which is also supported by the increase in real wages in Hungary and other benefits, such as the gradual doubling of the family tax allowance and the personal income tax allowance for mothers with two and three children – we learn from the latest report by MonitorBlog.

Determinant processes of tourism:

Tourism regained its momentum in March 2025: in March, 1.1 million guests spent nearly 2.7 million guest nights in tourist accommodations. With the Easter weekend falling mostly in April this year and March 15 also being a normal weekend, the number of guests was 1.1% lower and guest nights were 5.9% lower than a year earlier.

The slowdown was most noticeable among domestic guests, as their number was 7.6% lower and their guest nights were 13% lower than the same month of the previous year.

However, the number of foreign guests continues to grow (+5.6%) and their guest nights increased by 0.7% compared to the same month of the previous year. The number of foreign guests in March was 16% higher in tourist accommodation than in the third month of 2024.

Based on the destinations of the trips, the number of domestic guests decreased in all tourist regions compared to the same month of the previous year, and foreigners preferred the Pécs–Villány tourist region to the greatest extent.

In the first quarter of 2025, the overall picture is positive compared to the same period in 2024:

8.4% more guest nights were registered in tourist accommodations, a total of nearly 3.2 million.
Domestic guests spent 0.7% fewer guest nights, while foreigners spent 16% more (1.5 million and 1.7 million, respectively) guest nights in tourist accommodations.

Examining foreign data, based on the number of guest nights spent in tourist accommodations, tourists from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Romania spent the most guest nights in Hungary in Q1 2025. The US is also among the top 10 inbound markets (up 11% year-on-year), but a recent survey by financial company Bankrate reports a decline in travel sentiment. According to the survey, 46% of Americans plan to travel this summer in 2025, down from 53% last year, citing financial reasons. Recently introduced tariffs and fears of a recession are leading to a delay in holiday planning. In Q1 2025, guests from the US accounted for 4% of all guest nights spent in tourist accommodation.