MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

Hungary: MICE & Tourism Statistics for 2018

Hungary: MICE & Tourism Statistics for 2018

Hungary: MICE  & Tourism Statistics for 2018
August 18
22:28 2019

 MICE STATISTICS

 

MICE and business tourism is one of the most dynamically developing industries and this has also been reflected by the dramatic increase of MICE events throughout the past decade.

 

When considering the past, in 2017, there was an 18.5% increase in MICE events and conferences in comparison with 2016. The total number of conferences and congresses organised in Hungary in 2018 represented an increase of 13% in comparison with 2017, and there were a total of 4,816 MICE conferences and congresses. The number of international participants was 221,640, and the average length of MICE events was 2.6 days. The average number of delegates participating in an event was 165.

 

In Hungary, data collection for the meetings industry depends on voluntary contributions. Statistics from the Hungarian Convention Bureau show that year-on-year, more companies are sharing their data to help establish these statistics. In 2018 in Hungary, the largest number of events were organised by corporations (2,774), then by associations (1,378), and then “other” which includes organisations such as the state, churches, foundations, and universities (664).

 

Concerning Hungarian cities, 46.4% of MICE events took place in Budapest. By comparison, in 2016 it was more than 62% and in 2017 almost 50%. We can interpret that event organisers are “discovering” other Hungarian regions. After Budapest, other increasingly popular cities for MICE events are Szeged (16.2% increase in events in comparison with 2017) and Pécs (9.2% increase).

 

TRAVEL & TOURISM STATISTICS

 

2018 was a record year for Hungarian tourism. According to Zoltán Guller, Director of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the number of nights tourists spent in commercial accommodation went up by one million to nearly 31 million compared with the previous year. Domestic tourism increased by 5%.

 

The number of foreign tourists arriving from the United States, Romania, and the Czech Republic, countries among the TOP 10 countries of origin, increased dynamically, while arrivals from China increased by over 10%.

Based on numbers from the Hungarian Statistical Office, in 2018 tourists spent more than 519 billion Hungarian Forint (HUF), on average HUF 12,900 per person.

 

THE MOST VISITED HUNGARIAN TOURIST DESTINATIONS

 

According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), the top three accommodation sites of 2018 were in Budapest, Hévíz, and Hajdúszoboszló.

Among Hungarian citizens, Budapest and Hajdúszoboszló are the most popular, with Zalakaros in third place. Foreigners prefer the areas around Balaton after Budapest because of the spas. In 2018, the ten most-visited settlements registered a total of 16,646,635 overnight stays – some 53.5% of the whole total amount in Hungary. After the three most visited locations in Hungary came Bük in fourth and Balatonfüred in fifth. Next came Zalakaros, Siófok, and Sárvár.

 

Compared to the previous year (2017), this list changed a lot. We can see that spas and country seats are the most favoured destinations for tourists. The locations with spas that stay open throughout the year have made considerable progress on this list.

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