Hungarian tourism closed the summer on an all-time high, according to the latest report from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office.
New figures, the Hungarian Tourism Agency claims, show that in July Budapest average room rates bested both of its main competitors in the region, Vienna and Prague. Accommodation revenue from foreign visitors increased by 30.1% in the month over the same period last year, the agency claims.
“The goal of the Hungarian Tourism Agency was to target its regional competitors, such as Prague and Vienna,” said Zoltán Guller, Hungarian Tourism Agency CEO.
Guller told a Budapest press conference that, according to the STR (Smith Travel Research) indicator used in the tourism industry (which analyses the data from more than 50,000 hotels, with a combined capacity of 6.8m hotel rooms with a 4 and 5 star rating), an average hotel room in Budapest cost €111.50 in July. This figure exceeded the averages in Vienna and Prague of €89 and €85, respectively, besting both cities for the first time.”
The average price of hotel rooms in Budapest was 42.2% higher than they were in July 2016, in part because of the FINA Water World Championship and Formula One events held in the city, according to the national agency. “These results also show that Budapest has excellent opportunities for quality, value and experience seeking tourists,” Guller said.
Separate figures published this week by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office confirmed that in the months from January to July 2017, eight of the top 10 origin markets for visitors to Hungary have reported gains above 8%, with the number of visitors from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Russia increasing by more than 10%.
The number of guest nights from the high-potential Russian market grew by 35.2%, and that the number of guest arrivals from Germany, the primary sending market, increased by more than 10%.
Spas and baths reported record results, e.g. 12% more people visited them during the summer months.
Car hire rates in Hungary grew between 10-15% and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport received 1.3m passengers in August, making turnover from January-August nearly 15% higher than last year.
