The Ministry of Tourism and Sport will support the development and promotion of tourism in the regions with almost EUR 9.5 million

Representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports today signed subsidy agreements with 8 regional and 39 regional tourism organizations. Subsidies for the development of tourism in the regions are in the amount of EUR 9,411,138.99.

"The support of almost 9.5 million euros, which we will provide to regional and regional tourism organizations (KOCR and OOCR), is an investment in the future of our regions. These organizations know best what their areas need in order to develop and thrive. They know the unique features and potential of their regions, and therefore they are able to use the provided funds for the promotion and development of tourism in an effective and targeted manner. Our investment will enable them to increase the attractiveness of tourist destinations and strengthen local economies, which will ultimately contribute to the overall development of Slovakia," said Dušan Keketi, Minister of Tourism and Sport.

Subsidies are used to finance development activities aimed at creating products for tourism, which are based on the specifics of individual regions, respect cultural and historical conditions and are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Subsidies are provided by the Ministry in accordance with Act No. 91/2010 Coll. on the Promotion of Tourism, as amended. "Last year, these subsidies were used to support, for example, the Living City in Košice project, focused on the presentation of local and regional artists (concerts, exhibitions, lectures, etc.). Another interesting project was the Horehronie Cycle Railways, which are bicycles on rails running on the railway line of the Čiernohronská Railway, which is no longer used for train transport. The From Fairy Tale to Fairy Tale project focused on saving the old school, while the old classrooms were converted into fairytale rooms. The regional organization in Orava has been dealing with the topic of social inclusion for a long time and has decided to support only projects that include accessibility for the disabled (haptic maps of regions, barrier-free access, etc.). In the High Tatras, the subsidies were used for marketing activities related to supporting the introduction of the London – Poprad air route, the most visited attraction such as the Ice House, but also marketing campaigns to attract more foreign tourists to the region," added Minister Dušan Keketi.

The subsidy to support destination management is a unique opportunity for destinations, but also self-governing regions, to develop regions through the collected accommodation tax paid by tourists. The ministry will contribute the same amount to each euro of tax invested by the municipality or VÚC in the tourism organization, after meeting the legal conditions and submitting applications that include the project. However, the level of use of this instrument is not sufficient. Municipalities use only about a quarter of the collected tax for further development in the field of tourism. However, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic is looking for solutions in communication with the affected entities that would increase the level of use of this tool.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sport prioritizes activities aimed at digitization, improving the content of websites available in several languages, strengthening individual tourist destinations and regions in the form of marketing campaigns, creating local and regional products, UNESCO – communication of natural and cultural heritage, for the development of smart tourism, support for green and sustainable tourism, barrier reduction, data collection necessary for the further development of activities in the locality, or to increase the quality of HoReCa services provided.