Tourism is an important asset in the bilateral economic relations between Greece and Hungary.
In 2024, according to the Hungarian Statistical Office, the arrivals of Hungarian visitors to our country amounted to 569,000, showing a slight decrease compared to 2023 by 1.2%. However, it is worth noting that in 2023, the increase in tourist flows from Hungary to our country was around 58% compared to 2022 and covering a share of about 3% of all Hungarian visitors abroad (21.1 million). It is noted that our country is, according to statistics, the first most popular air and the second most popular road destination worldwide for Hungarian tourists, after Croatia, most of whom stay in our country for leisure, for more than 5 days. In conclusion, it is reported that, in addition to cyclical changes, tourist flows from Hungary to our country have prospects of continuous growth in the coming years.
Our country has a satisfactory air connection with regular flights from Budapest to Athens and Thessaloniki, of three airlines (Aegean, Ryan Air, Wizz Air), covering all days of the week, with additional charter flights during the summer months to multiple tourist destinations in Greece.
It should be noted that tourism is a constantly growing source of revenue for the Hungarian economy. The tourism sector contributes around 13% to GDP and ensured almost 80% of the surplus in the trade balance for 2024. In particular, in 2024 the Hungarian tourism market welcomed 18 million visitors, an increase of 11% compared to 2023. Of these, 9.3 million were domestic and 8.7 million foreign visitors. Overnight stays reached 44.2 million, up 5.8% year-on-year – with around 22.2 million involving international tourists. Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport served around 17 million passengers (+17% annual increase). Budapest was the main destination, welcoming 6 million foreign visitors (+24%), representing 60% of international tourist overnight stays. Other popular areas include thermal baths and resorts (Si?fok, H?v?z, Balatonf?red, Zalakaros), with Lake Balaton attracting over 3 million visitors (+7%). Revenue from tourist accommodation increased by 16%, reaching EUR 2.5 billion. Revenue from catering and entertainment increased by 11%, reaching EUR 4.8 billion.
In 2024, all previous records in the history of Budapest Airport were broken: 17.6 million passengers and almost 300,000 tons of air cargo passed through Ferenc Liszt International Airport in 2024, presaging strong passenger growth in the coming years and consolidating the airport’s role as a regional hub. With 20 million passengers expected by 2030, the new management has started preparations for the construction of Terminal 3, which will ensure a high quality of service for passengers in the long term. At Budapest Airport, 141 destinations were available from 43 airlines in 2024, with London, Istanbul, Milan and Paris being the most popular destinations. Passenger traffic to and from China almost tripled, while there was also a record increase to Italy, Spain and Germany, supported by a number of new destinations and frequency increases on existing routes.
The information comes from the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs in Budapest.
