Expectations among companies in Hungary’s tourism sector remained stronger than the national average in April, outperforming all other industries despite a slight decline in sentiment, according to a new survey.

The research, conducted by The Hungarian Hospitality Employers’ Association (VIMOSZ) in cooperation with GKI Gazdaságkutató, found that the tourism business climate index stood at minus 5 points on a scale from minus 100 to plus 100. While this indicates a mildly negative perception overall, the sector still performed better than the broader economy.

The index declined slightly after notable increases in the previous two months, but remained one point higher than a year earlier. Within the sector, accommodation services saw a six-point drop, while hospitality and other tourism-related activities recorded modest improvements.

Despite the overall negative reading, tourism outperformed other sectors measured in the GKI survey. The service sector index stood at minus 7 points, while the overall business confidence index was at minus 9. Industry and construction recorded minus 7 and minus 22 points, respectively, with retail at minus 13.

Performance expectations in tourism also remained comparatively strong. The sector’s performance expectations index fell by one point to plus 6 in April, slightly below last year’s level but still well above the national average of minus 20. It also exceeded indicators for retail, construction and industry.

Analysts said the data suggests tourism businesses are currently in a more favourable position than companies in other sectors, even as broader economic sentiment remains subdued.

Employment expectations further underline this relative strength. The tourism employment index rose to plus 10 points, significantly higher than the service sector average of minus 2 and the overall economic average of minus 3. It also surpassed figures for industry, retail and construction.

Looking ahead to the next three months, 25 per cent of accommodation providers expect growth in guest nights, while 43 per cent foresee stable demand and 32 per cent anticipate a decline. In hospitality, 42 per cent of businesses expect increased customer numbers, compared with 46 per cent predicting stagnation and 12 per cent a decrease.

In other tourism segments, 30 per cent expect growth in customer traffic, while just over half anticipate no change and 18 per cent forecast a decline.

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