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Lake Balaton belongs to Hungary’s leading tourist regions owing to its attractive beaches, resort towns, and volcanic hills. Héviz, one of the country’s most popular spa towns, recorded approximately * guest nights in December 2023, making it the most visited settlement in the Balaton tourist region. Over the same period, Zalakaros ranked second based on the number of guest nights, totaling nearly *.

Foreign visitors at Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is not only popular with domestic tourists, but it also welcomes numerous international visitors each year. In the , Balaton became a meeting place for friends and families separated by the Berlin Wall as both residents of the Eastern and Western Bloc could visit the lake. The region’s popularity with foreign tourists hasn’t ceased over time as in June 2022, approximately *** thousand inbound guest nights were recorded in the most visited settlements of the region. The spa town Héviz accounted for the highest number, measuring at ** thousand guest nights.

Public beaches in Hungary

Hungary is home to numerous rivers and lakes, however, according to the findings of a survey conducted among the Hungarian population in 2021, a significant proportion of the respondents felt that the share of public beaches on natural waters had decreased in the country. Moreover, the findings of the same survey revealed that the majority of Hungarians found entry fees to beaches rather expensive.