Asian Destinations Gaining on Popularity among Hungarian Travelers

There is more interest in Asian destinations, according to Kiwi.com booking data, with more Hungarians flying to faraway destinations this year. Not only are we traveling further afield, but we are also spending more days in our chosen destination and, on average, buying flights earlier than last year, writes Turizmus.com.

Based on bookings made via the aforementioned site until January 10 2024, Spain, Italy and the UK could remain the most popular destinations for our fellow countrymen and women, while the share of travels in Europe could fall slightly and Asia could increase in popularity.

While last year 4 out of 5 bookings were to Europe in the period under review, this year they account for three quarters of all air ticket sales.

By contrast, Asian destinations have increased their share to 18% from 14% last year,

the company said in a statement.

The Maldives. Photo via Pixabay

Overall, bookings for long-haul destinations were well down on the same period last year. While Thailand, whose government recently tried to curb marijuana tourism, which boomed a year and a half ago, was 8th on last year’s list, it is ranked 5th this year. Bangkok and Phuket have also made the top 30 list of cities, the former ranking 7th and the latter 25th.

Bankok, Thailand. Photo via Pixabay

Thus, according to Kiwi.com data so far, longer flights could account for a larger share of bookings this year. However, not only are Hungarians traveling further, they are also likely to stay longer, as the average trip length has risen to nearly 6 days.

The proportion of people choosing to travel for 3 days is significantly lower, and the number of people spending 4-6 days in their chosen destination has increased.

Based on booking data from the Czech travel technology company, our compatriots bought their flights around 2.5 months before their trip, while last year they did not plan so far ahead, with an average booking window of almost 2 months.

Fact

The increasing popularity of remote destinations is also shown by the fact that Zanzibar and Oman were among the top places for Hungarian tourists last year, especially in the New Year period. Three times as many people welcomed the New Year in Zanzibar than in 2022, and many people booked trips to Oman as well, which is accessible by direct flights from Budapest. Both countries are mainly visited by adults and couples.

Wizz Air to Increase Seat Capacity on Hungarian Flights for the Summer Season