Budapest, Jan 14 (IANS): Hungarian tourism achieved record-breaking results in 2024, with unprecedented numbers of international visitors, a surge in domestic travel, and the highest-ever revenue generated by accommodations, Zoltan Guller, president of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTU), announced.

Speaking at a press conference, Guller said on Monday that Hungarian accommodations welcomed over 18 million tourists last year, an 11 per cent increase compared to 2023. This included 9.3 million domestic and 8.7 million international guests. He highlighted that the growth in guest nights in Hungary "exceeded the European Union (EU) average by 150 per cent."

Domestic and international tourists contributed equally to the 44.2 million guest nights recorded, reflecting a balanced distribution, Xinhua news agency reported.

Guller attributed the exceptional performance to strategic, data-driven tourism initiatives, impactful influencer campaigns, and the acquisition of Budapest Airport into Hungarian ownership. Preliminary data showed that Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport served approximately 17 million passengers in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of over 17 per cent.

Budapest played a pivotal role in the record year, attracting nearly 6 million international tourists, a 24 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Nationwide, accommodation revenues rose from 906 billion forints ($2.37 billion) in 2023 to 1,050 billion forints in 2024, a 16 per cent increase. Hospitality revenues also grew by 11 per cent, reaching 2,005 billion forints.

Regional tourism providers benefited significantly from the growing popularity of spa towns and Lake Balaton, which attracted over 3 million visitors, a 7 per cent increase, accounting for one-fifth of rural guest traffic.

Tourism remains a key driver of the Hungarian economy, contributing nearly 13 per cent to GDP and boosting economic performance every quarter.

Guller expressed optimism about the sector's future, saying that Hungary is on track to achieve its long-term goals of welcoming 20 million tourists, recording 50 million guest nights, and increasing tourism's GDP contribution to 16 per cent well before 2030. (1 Hungarian forint = $0.0025)