Hungary Increasingly Popular with Foreign Tourists

The Tihany Benedictine Abbey, northern shore of Lake Balaton

Last year, the number of foreign travelers to Hungary exceeded that of the previous year. Most visitors came from Spain, but there were also significantly more Scandinavian tourists in the country than in the previous year. Most foreigners traveled to Hungary by plane in September and spent an average of four days here, reports Turizmus.com based on Kiwi.com booking data.

While in 2023, tourists from 174 countries traveled to Hungary by plane, in 2024, it was already 180 countries, the booking data shows.

According to Kiwi.com‘s analysis, most foreigners flew to Hungary in September, followed by July, August, October, and December.

The data shows that the country was also a very popular destination for autumn getaways. The week of the Sziget Festival saw a particularly high number of arrivals, while the festive lights and Christmas markets also drew in crowds. Foreign visitors spent an average of four days in Hungary.

Advent Bazilika, a popular Christmas market in Budapest. Photo: MTI/Lakatos Péter

Based on Kiwi.com data, most people traveled to Hungary from these countries in 2024:

Spain
Romania
United Kingdom
France
Italy
United States
Slovakia
Denmark
Germany
Türkiye

Other countries in the top 20 include Sweden, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, China, and India.

It is no coincidence that Denmark is in the top 10: booking data shows that Danes were particularly interested in Hungary, with more than twice as many people flying here last year than the year before.

Last year, nine out of ten guests were foreigners at the Sziget Festival in Budapest. Photo: Facebook/Sziget Festival Official

Scandinavians seem to like the country, as a significant number of Norwegians and Swedes flew to Hungary. 36 percent more flights were taken to Hungary from Norway in 2024, compared to 2023, and 27 percent more from Sweden. Although Switzerland is not in the top 20, nearly 10 percent more people visited from there.

Bookings so far show that the Spaniards can maintain their lead, with the highest overall booking figures and the most popular route being Madrid-Budapest. However, the French and the Greeks also deserve attention, as those countries are both likely to be well ahead in the annual aggregate list based on bookings so far, and increased interest from the Nordic nations could also be on the rise.

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Via Turizmus.com, Featured image: Pixabay

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