Debrecen4U May 7, 2025

There were a lot of foreign tourists in Debrecen last week

“Never before have so many Hungarians vacationed within the country’s borders, and never before have so many foreign tourists arrived at our country so early in the year. According to the data of the National Tourism Data Service Center (NTAK), 2.4 million domestic and 2.6 million international tourists have been registered by domestic accommodations so far, which is 18 percent more than at this time a year ago. The Easter holiday and the school break really boosted Hungarians’ appetite for travel, and the May long weekend also brought outstanding results. Thanks to the rapid expansion of the sector this year, tourism, which is showing extraordinary form, reached this important milestone already at the beginning of the fifth month, “ as was announced by Visit Hungary PLC., a subsidiary of the Hungarian Tourism Agency.

By May 6, about 6 percent more domestic tourists unwinded in Hungary than in the same period in 2024. More than 164 thousand domestic guests set off on their journeys at Easter, and 338 thousand during the spring vacation, while 136 thousand of our compatriots rested in our domestic landscapes during the May long weekend. During these periods, the number of domestic tourists exceeded the data for the same period last year by 20, 27, and 36 percent, respectively.

Thanks to the favourable weather, between April 30 and May 4, guests literally flooded the accommodations. More than half of them stayed in hotels, of which 4-star hotels were the most popular, with 56 percent of travelers in this category. Private and other accommodations also had significant traffic, with 34 percent of guests using this type of accommodation.

During the pleasant summer weather, Hungarians mostly filled the accommodations in the Mátra-Bükk, Budapest area, Debrecen and its region, as well as Tokaj and Nyíregyháza.

Thanks to this, the long weekend brought in a total of more than HUF 16 billion in revenues for Hungarian accommodation providers, a 31% increase compared to the same period last year.

The majority of the more than 2.6 million international travellers who have arrived in Hungary so far have come from Germany, Romania, Italy, the UK and Austria. The largest number of visitors came to Budapest, where accommodation establishments recorded a 20% increase in foreign visitors, mainly from Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain and Israel. Outside the capital, Sárvár, Hévíz and Bük were the most visited destinations. 

If tourism performance continues to grow at this rate, Hungary could reach the 20 million visitor target set in the National Tourism Development Strategy before 2030.

Source and photo credit:dehir.hu