The Hotel Gellert in Budapest – Photo: wikipedia

Guest nights jump 630 percent in December from low pandemic base

Guest nights at commercial accommodations in Hungary rose by 630 percent year-on-year to 1,164,000 in December, albeit from a low base impacted by travel restrictions during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, data released by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) on Monday show.

The number of guest nights spent by domestic travellers increased by 446 percent to 616,000. The number spent by foreign visitors jumped 1,074 percent to 548,000.

KSH noted that the number of guest nights was down 42 percent from the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.

Revenue of commercial accommodations reached 28 billion forints (EUR 79.3m) in December, climbing 795 percent from the same month a year earlier.

For the full year, the number of guest nights rose by an annual 11 percent to 15,223,000. The number spent by domestic travellers increased by 6 percent to 10,501,000 and the number spent by foreigners rose by 25 percent to 4,731,000.

Lake Balaton was the most popular travel destination in Hungary last year, drawing visitors who spent 3,602,000 guest nights. Budapest was runner-up, registering 3,176,000 guest nights, followed by the Western Transdanubia region, where guest nights reached 1,793,000.

Germans spent the most guest nights in Hungary: close to 737,000. Czech nationals spent the second-most (443,000), followed by Romanians (331,000).

Revenue of commercial accommodations increased by 24 percent to 290 billion forints for the year.

Revenue at hotels added up to 244 billion forints, accounting for 84 percent of the total. Revenue of bed and breakfasts reached  27 billion forints, making up 9 percent.

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