Guest nights climb 3.6 percent in August

The number of guest nights spent by domestic travellers rose 3.7pc to 3,942,000, while guest nights spent by foreign visitors climbed 3.5pc to 3,045,000.

Revenue of commercial accommodations, which include hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, camp sites, resorts and hostels, rose 8.5pc to HUF 140bn.

A total of 37,333 tourism accommodations hosted guests in August, including 2,972 commercial accommodations and 34,361 private and other accommodations.

For the period January-August, the number of guest nights at tourism accommodations rose 5.5pc year-on-year to 31,454,000. The number spent by domestic travellers increased 2.4pc to 16,314,000 and the number spent by foreign tourists climbed 9.1pc to 15,141,000.

Commenting on the fresh data, the National Economy Ministry noted that guest nights in the capital had exceeded 1.6m in August, accounting for 23.9pc of the total.

Tourism sector data for January-August “exceeded all expectations” and was “far ahead” of the average growth rate for the European Union as a whole, the ministry said.

Passenger numbers at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International climbed 18.6pc in January-August, it added.

Hungary’s tourism sector generates over 10pc of GDP and provides the livelihood for 400,000 people, the ministry said.