More Hungarians travel abroad: should we be happy?

Increased household spending on travel abroad signals strengthening consumer confidence, the National Economy Ministry said in a press release on Friday.

Around 250,000 more Hungarians travelled abroad in December than in the same period a year earlier, the ministry said, while noting a longer than usual holiday. About 212,000 Hungarians took flights abroad from Liszt Ferenc International in December, up 19pc from the base period. The most popular destinations were London, Istanbul and Dubai.

Trips abroad by car rose 5pc year-on-year to 107,000 in December. The biggest increase in cross-border traffic was in the direction of Austria and Slovakia. The ministry said the increase in trips abroad was supported by dynamic real wage growth over a period of more than a year.

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