Despite the COVID epidemic, Hungary's hospitality sector had a great year. According to online cash register data, revenue was almost 26 percent higher than a year earlier and less than 3 percent lower than in 2019.
Budapest's role in the national hospitality sector is returning to its previous level, which is expected to further strengthen with the recovery of international traffic, the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) said on Monday.
According to NAV data, the revenue from catering establishments between January and December 2021 was HUF 1,030.7 billion, 25.9 percent more than in 2020 (HUF 819 billion) and only 2.6 percent less than in 2019 (HUF 1,058 billion). Catering accounted for 7.8 percent of total online receipts.
33.8 percent of the revenues were related to Budapest, but Pest (9.7 percent), Győr-Moson-Sopron (5.1 percent) and Veszprém (4.6 percent) counties were also outstanding, while at the district level, the largest turnover was generated in the Debrecen and Szeged districts. In terms of specific revenues, the most successful units are located in Budapest and its surrounding areas (Budakeszi, Dunakeszi, Tatabánya).
In terms of tourist areas, the Budapest area showed the strongest growth at the beginning of the year, which remained high even after the summer. In the Balaton region, the summer months were the most notable, while the Sopron-Fertő, Győr-Pannonhalma and Debrecen and its region recorded the biggest increases compared to May, the MTÜ said.
Budapest's hospitality revenue was HUF 347 billion last year, an increase of 28.4% compared to 2020. The data also shows that since September, the monthly results are almost identical to 2019.
source: MTI
