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Hungary

Tourism in the economy and outlook for recovery

Tourism has been a driver of the Hungarian economy. In 2019, tourism directly contributed 6.8% to
total GVA and 9.5% of the national workforce (421 036 jobs). The impact of COVID-19 has had a
significant impact on the tourism sector, with preliminary estimates suggesting tourism GVA fell to
HUF 2 194 billion or 5.4% of the national economy in 2020.
In 2019, there were 15.9 million international tourists in Hungary, and international expenditure
accounted for 75% of total tourism expenditure. As a result of the pandemic, international tourists fell
to 6.6 million (down 58.5%) in 2020 before rebounding to 6.9 million in 2021. The decline in tourists
saw international receipts fall to HUF 1 738 billion in 2021 (down 41.6% compared to 2019).
Domestic tourism began to rebound in 2021. Domestic overnight tourists increased by 14.2% in 2021
but remained 28.5% under pre-pandemic levels.

Tourism governance and funding

Overall responsibility for tourism is with the Minister leading the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister.
The Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for religious tourism, while the Minister for Agricultural Policy,
in co-operation with the Minister for Tourism, is responsible for the development of rural tourism.
The Hungarian Tourism Agency carries out the management of the Hungarian tourism sector on the
basis of a mandate from the government. The responsibilities for destination management are divided
into local, regional and central activities. The Agency and its subsidiaries carry out central tasks at the
national and regional levels. Roles include the management of the tourism sector, strategy
development, development and management of tourism products, central marketing, international
sales, communication campaigns and the co-ordination of specific tourism developments.
The Agency co-ordinates and manages professional and other tasks related to destination
management and plays a role in the professional co-ordination of Tourinform and the destination
management organisation network. The role of Tourinform is to support local marketing and ensure the
bilateral flow of information. Clear identification of tourist areas allows for planning, implementation,
co-ordination and communication tasks for each destination.
The Agency is creating a new destination management services network. The new model will implement
unified management and support the co-operation of local stakeholders to achieve a shared vision for
the destination. The aim is for the destination management services, as key players in the tourism
ecosystem, to ensure effective communication between local and central levels and within the
destination to promote a destination-based approach to product development and successful market
entry.
The central budget available to the Hungarian Tourism Agency for the period 2021-30 is HUF 90 billion
in 2021, decreasing to HUF 45.9 billion by 2024 and staying at HUF 45.9 billion until 2030.

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Hungary: Organisational chart of tourism bodies

Cabinet Office of the Prime

Ministry of Agriculture
Minister Prime Minister’s Office
(Rural tourism) (Minister leading the Cabinet (Active and eco-tourism and wine
has the responsibility for tourism)
Deputy Prime Minister Tourism and Hospitality)
(Religious tourism) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(bilateral, regional and multilateral
coordination)
Hungarian Tourism Hungarian Tourism Ministry of Defence
Association Fund Agency (Sport tourism)

Tourism associations Ministry of Construction and

Investment
(Heritage tourism)

Source: OECD, adapted from the Hungarian Tourism Agency, 2022.

Tourism policies and programmes

In 2021, Hungary developed a revised Tourism 2.0 Strategy which incorporates the impacts of
COVID-19 and the lessons learned through the first three years of the National Tourism Development
Strategy 2030. COVID-19 created a new context for tourism, with new objectives being set and related
activities defined:
 Complement the previous supply and product-based approach with a strong demand and
needs-based approach. The focus of the Strategy is shifting from development to marketing,
with a well-developed understanding of international and domestic market segment needs, used
for marketing, sales and future development.
 Define a new model of governance whereby sectoral governance is complemented at the
destination level. The new network of destination management organisations links central
management with the tourism regions.
 Strengthen the role of the Hungarian Tourism Agency in education and career-path shaping to
help improve the quality of the workforce.
 Utilise digital solutions to accompany and support the travel process. In addition to the Agency’s
role, sectoral interests also need to play an active role in developing and connecting digital
solutions to improve the guest experience and understanding the opportunities of big data by
looking in detail at sub-sectors, such as hospitality and the labour market.
 Promote sustainability as a strategic objective, channelled through sector-based interests to
involve actors across all sectors. Sustainability considerations are reflected in product
development at the destination level through the introduction of a sustainability trademark and
priority development for sustainable and ecotourism attractions (e.g. national park visitor
centres and water recreation sites). This will help lay the foundations for a sustainable profile
for tourism in Hungary.
The timeframe of the updated Strategy remains unchanged and sets out the direction and priorities until
2030. Tourism 2.0 aims for a 20% increase in guest nights by 2030 compared to 2019. The goal is to
increase the number of nights to 50 million per year. These 50 million nights will be generated by
20 million tourists, with an equal distribution of domestic and international tourists. For sustainable
growth, it is aimed to share increases between Budapest and rural destinations.

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The Strategy identifies areas for development to attract international visitors, especially in the realms
of nature, culture and active tourism. Health tourism is also attractive at the regional level from
neighbouring source markets. For example, Hungary features 12 internationally important spa towns
that account for one-fifth of overnight stays. Consequently, cultural and active tourism attractions,
complementary services and the upgrading of spas to an internationally attractive level could be the
most important breakthrough for Hungary and individual destinations.
Hungary’s Strategy identifies a range of other issues that will complement the structural changes. These
include unified destination branding, the use of targeted and personalised marketing channels and
quality improvement. Relatively small-scale improvements to quality can strengthen the wider offer.
Education and training remain a core theme, as does sector financing. Tailored funding solutions and
familiarisation with the needs and performance of the sector are necessary to ensure the continued
availability of capital. It is also proposed to alleviate the administrative burden of complex regulation
through the interconnection and re-regulation of data services and improved co-operation between
sectoral interests, ensuring a clear division of roles and responsibilities between public and other
stakeholders.
In terms of the recovery from COVID-19, domestic tourism is expected to be a significant driver of
demand. Hungary expects that car-friendly and nature destinations will be popular with visitors,
especially those from neighbouring countries.

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Statistical Profile

Hungary: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND
Domestic tourism1
Total domestic trips 46 816 48 310 47 923 29 932 38 810
Overnight visitors (tourists) 14 374 14 386 14 249 8 919 10 183
Same-day visitors (excursionists) 32 442 33 924 33 674 21 013 28 628
Nights in all types of accommodation 20 790 22 053 22 445 15 736 17 996
Hotels and similar establishments 11 553 12 302 12 394 7 877 8 701
Other collective establishments 5 114 5 188 5 054 2 948 3 599
Private accommodation 4 123 4 563 4 997 4 911 5 696
Inbound tourism2
Total international arrivals 22 371 55 462 | 58 619 29 057 33 050
Overnight visitors (tourists) 14 102 16 766 | 15 949 6 624 6 973
Same-day visitors (excursionists) 8 270 38 696 | 42 670 22 433 26 077
Top markets
Romania 2 076 11 898 | 13 249 6 733 8 026
Slovak Republic 1 562 10 000 | 10 072 5 606 5 216
Austria 1 254 8 523 | 9 053 5 167 5 140
Germany 1 865 3 202 | 3 075 1 371 2 269
Poland 427 2 425 | 2 435 1 193 1 438
Nights in all types of accommodation 19 077 20 162 20 794 5 035 7 200
Hotels and similar establishments 12 754 13 094 13 413 3 126 4 139
Other collective establishments 2 188 2 246 2 339 648 932
Private accommodation 4 135 4 822 5 042 1 261 2 129
Outbound tourism
Total international departures 10 874 19 248 | 20 722 8 782 8 753
Overnight visitors (tourists) 6 707 7 771 | 8 318 2 762 3 101
Same-day visitors (excursionists) 4 167 11 477 | 12 404 6 019 5 653
Top destinations
Germany 1 007 943 | 938 356 394
Austria 897 840 | 701 356 364
Croatia 344 523 | 470 216 268
Romania 705 788 | 941 272 244
Slovak Republic 769 883 | 841 416 213
TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE,
MILLION HUF
Inbound tourism
Total international receipts 2 299 013 2 608 871 2 979 032 1 291 019 1 738 388
International travel receipts 1 694 330 1 870 832 2 123 363 987 013 1 243 701
International passenger transport receipts 604 683 738 039 855 669 304 007 494 687
Outbound tourism
Total international expenditure 831 196 877 872 976 583 410 014 519 438
International travel expenditure 672 179 715 494 799 100 356 203 440 144
International passenger transport expenditure 159 016 162 379 177 484 53 812 79 294
| Break in series
1. Trips from demand side surveys; Nights from supply side surveys.
2. Arrivals from demand side surveys; Nights from supply side surveys.
Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

StatLink 2 https://stat.link/jlu47e

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Hungary: Enterprises and employment in tourism

Number of
Number of persons employed
establishments1
2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Total .. .. .. .. .. ..
Tourism industries 194 333 418 017 412 674 421 036 .. ..
Accommodation services for visitors 39 741 35 838 41 486 44 305 .. ..
Hotels and similar establishments 1 968 30 588 35 201 .. .. ..
Food and beverage serving industry 33 806 146 097 131 214 134 382 .. ..
Passenger transport 10 828 98 840 91 674 104 111 .. ..
Air passenger transport 124 .. .. .. .. ..
Railways passenger transport 4 33 138 29 386 37 236 .. ..
Road passenger transport 10 519 60 186 55 229 55 980 .. ..
Water passenger transport 181 .. .. .. .. ..
Passenger transport supporting services 5 480 25 163 30 772 24 753 .. ..
Transport equipment rental 4 986 .. .. .. .. ..
Travel agencies and other reservation services 3 293 8 087 6 298 6 683 .. ..
industry
Cultural industry 46 386 39 466 43 468 41 673 .. ..
Sports and recreation industry 21 051 27 339 33 598 36 361 .. ..
Retail trade of country-specific tourism .. .. .. .. .. ..
characteristic goods
Other country-specific tourism industries 28 762 29 546 31 837 26 778 .. ..
Other industries .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Not available
1. Data refer to number of enterprises.
Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

StatLink 2 https://stat.link/3yh20r

Hungary: Internal tourism consumption

Million HUF
2019
Domestic tourism expenditure Inbound tourism expenditure Internal tourism consumption
Total .. .. ..
Consumption products 723 466 2 247 976 2 971 441
Tourism characteristic products 426 434 1 339 993 1 766 427
Accommodation services for visitors 146 771 359 885 506 656
Food and beverage serving services 142 551 287 457 430 008
Passenger transport services 61 016 273 349 334 366
Air passenger transport services 48 796 227 696 276 492
Railways passenger transport services 6 180 4 458 10 638
Road passenger transport services 6 035 38 998 45 032
Water passenger transport services 6 2 197 2 203
Passenger transport supporting services 6 653 30 372 37 025
Transport equipment rental services 89 5 363 5 452
Travel agencies and other reservation 26 162 7 759 33 921
services industry
Cultural services 8 375 77 484 85 859
Sports and recreation services 28 057 150 531 178 588
Country-specific tourism characteristic goods .. .. ..
Country-specific tourism characteristic 6 760 147 792 154 552
services
Other consumption products 297 031 907 982 1 205 014
Tourism connected products 279 775 791 420 1 071 195
Non-tourism related consumption products 17 257 116 563 133 819
Non-consumption products .. .. ..
.. Not available
Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

StatLink 2 https://stat.link/2d8if0

OECD TOURISM TRENDS AND POLICIES 2022 © OECD 2022

 From:
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2022

Access the complete publication at:

https://doi.org/10.1787/a8dd3019-en

Please cite this chapter as:

OECD (2022), “Hungary”, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2022, OECD Publishing, Paris.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/414879f2-en

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