The number of Russian tourists visiting Hungary has increased by 30%. Budapest has remained the most popular city of this destination.

According to the results of 2012 Russia ranks first in terms of the average length of stay of Russian guests in the Hungarian hotels; it amounted to 3.9 days, this is 4.1% more than in the previous year.
At present Russia ranks second in terms of the average length of stay of Russian visitors in Hungarian spa hotels. In the period from January to December 2012 total number of Russian tourists’ overnight stays in spa hotels in Hungary amounted to 201.1 thousand, this 16.1% more than in the same period last year.

Budapest remains one of the favorite destinations for Russians in Hungary. In 2012, the total number of nights spent by Russian tourists in hotels of this city was almost 331,700 (+23.2%). For comparison, in 2012 the total number of nights spent by international visitors in Budapest was over 6.670 million (+12.5%). During 2012 year Budapest was visited by nearly 109 thousand of our fellow citizens, this is a 22.1% increase over the previous year. Statistics show that the average length of stay of our fellow citizens in Budapest was 3 days, so the growth is 1%.

“Majority of tourists consider Budapest as an excursion destination. So, the average tour is about 4 days. We see also a growing number of people willing to spend their holidays in spa hotels. These people often have already been to Budapest several times, “- the head of the Hungarian direction of “Russian Express” Iryna Marchuk said. According to her, tourists prefer to visit Budapest in spring and autumn.

Hotels near Lake Hévíz welcome tourists all year round. There our fellow citizens prefer to choose tours for about two weeks, more often during the holidays in Russia and children’s holidays. Meanwhile, the winter accommodation on Lake Hévíz is cheaper than at other times of the year, experts say. Treatment with the water and mud from the Hévíz Lake our tourists often combine with a visit to Budapest, they prefer to see the country and improve their health in one trip.

In 2012, number of nights spent by Russian guests at Lake Balaton was 212 thousand (+40.2%). According to this indicator, Russia ranks second. The number of Russian tourists visiting Lake Balaton was 25,900 in 2012, this is an increase of 28.3% compared to 2011. The average length of stay of Russians at Lake Balaton was about 8.2 days, this is 9.2% more than last year.

Statistics of Russian tour operators correspond with the Hungarian data. On average, the increase in the number of tourists visiting the country in 2012 is about 30%. At the same time, market participants note a good start in 2013, which means that Hungary can reach record figures again. However, Hungary still lacks the second regular carrier.