Visit Hungary: hundreds of thousands of travelers spent the autumn break in Hungary

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 11. 12. 11:28

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The pleasant autumn weather, the countless program options and the SZÉP card together once again attracted a record number of travelers: in the period from late October to early November, accommodation providers recorded outstanding guest traffic – Visit Hungary drew attention in its analysis published on Wednesday.

The subsidiary of the Hungarian Tourism Agency announced, based on data from the National Tourism Data Service Center (NTAK), that during the autumn school holidays, nearly 528 thousand travelers spent a total of 1 million 60 thousand guest nights in accommodations, which were 3.5 percent more guests than at this time a year.

The colorful landscapes, vintage programs and wellness opportunities lured many people to travel this year as well. Hungarian accommodation establishments thus generated more than 27.1 billion forints in revenue during the school break, which is 3.7 percent higher than the value measured during last year’s autumn vacation. The vast majority of guests, almost 306 thousand travelers, chose hotels, and 617 thousand hotel nights accounted for 58 percent of the total turnover. Within this, the four-star category proved to be the most popular, where 61 percent of guest nights were spent. Private accommodations also generated significant turnover, where 30 percent of guests arrived.

Budapest continued to be a popular destination with its colorful program offering, with 39 percent of guest turnover being tied to the capital. The 203 thousand guests who visited here, with 421 thousand guest nights, brought 11.2 billion forints in revenue to the accommodations, 8 percent more than last year. Budapest was not only popular among international guests, domestic tourists also enjoyed visiting it, their number exceeding the data measured during last year’s break by 17.5 percent, which was the most dynamic change in the autumn break.

The winners of the autumn vacation were once again the rural accommodations, in which guests left nearly 16 billion forints. The 325 thousand travelers who rested outside Budapest primarily spent a total of 639 thousand guest nights in accommodations in spa towns, lakeside and mountainous destinations. The top list of favorite rural destinations for domestic travelers this time was led by Zalakaros, Gyula, Eger, Hajdúszoboszló and Hévíz, while among foreign guests, Hévíz, Bük, Sárvár, Debrecen and Hajdúszoboszló were in the order of popularity.

Almost every fourth reservation in the countryside was for three or more people, which clearly shows that the autumn break has become a real domestic family travel season. In terms of the distribution of visitors by age group, the proportion of children was highest in Lake Balaton and the Sopron-Fertő, as well as the Tokaj and Nyíregyháza tourist regions, where the youngest made up almost a quarter of the guests. Among the most welcoming destinations, guests spent the longest time in Bük-Sárvár, Debrecen and its surroundings, Lake Balaton and the Sopron-Fertő area.

The SZÉP card continues to play a stimulating role in domestic tourism: the highest usage was enjoyed at accommodations in Lake Balaton, the Mátra-Bükk region and the Budapest area. The proportion of SZÉP card spending was particularly significant at accommodation providers in the Sopron-Fertő (18 percent) and Mátra-Bükk (14 percent) tourist regions.

October 25 was the busiest day of the school break: on this day, travelers spent about 190 thousand guest nights nationwide, which accounted for 18 percent of the guest night turnover for the entire period. The value of accommodation spending reached 4.6 billion forints, which represented 17 percent of the total revenue of the break.

The turnover results of the October long weekend and the autumn break project promising numbers for the month as a whole. Good results are important not only because travel provides experiences and refreshment, but also because the sector is one of the most dynamically developing sectors in Hungary, to which the livelihoods of more than 400 thousand Hungarian families are linked.

A strong autumn season creates a good foundation for the winter period and the Advent weeks – wrote Visit Hungary.