International music icons Guns N’ Roses, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Lopez brought more than just hits to Budapest last week; they delivered a significant bump in the city’s tourism, with visitor numbers rising by 10 per cent compared to the previous week.
According to Visit Hungary, the surge was especially visible among domestic travellers. On the day of the Guns N’ Roses concert, the number of Hungarian guests in the capital was one-third higher than a week earlier, signalling the strong pull of musical legends on local audiences.
Data from the National Tourism Data Supply Centre (NTAK) showed that between 14 and 20 July, Budapest’s accommodations welcomed 175,000 guests, registering 347,000 nights. These figures represent a 10 per cent rise in visitors and an 8 per cent increase in overnight stays compared to the week before the concerts.
Visit Hungary emphasized that concerts of this scale are more than short-term tourist magnets; they also generate widespread digital exposure. ‘When global stars and their fans share their experiences in Budapest on social media, millions more get inspired to visit, or return,’ said Olivér Csendes, CEO of Visit Hungary.
Foreign tourists made up 86 per cent of the overall traffic, with the largest numbers arriving from the UK (8 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), the US (6 per cent), Poland (6 per cent), and Spain (5 per cent). Certain performances triggered spikes from neighbouring countries: four times as many Croatians visited Budapest during the Guns N’ Roses concert, while Jennifer Lopez’s show drew triple the usual number of Slovak tourists.
Still, the most dramatic increase was among Hungarian visitors, whose numbers rose by 15 per cent compared to the previous week. Jennifer Lopez’s Sunday performance alone led to a 20 per cent jump in local guests at Budapest hotels.
This influx was a boon for the hotel industry as well. Occupancy rates climbed over 70 per cent during the concert nights, up by 8 percentage points from the week before. Hotels were also able to apply higher rates in response to the strong demand.
The data highlights the growing role of major entertainment events in driving tourism to Hungary’s capital—not just through ticket sales, but by turning Budapest into a must-visit destination for fans from home and abroad.
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