The summer tourist season has begun, attendance is expected to reach record numbers from 2019

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects that this year's summer tourist season will be able to reach the record numbers of visitors from 2019 for the first time since the end of the pandemic. This should be helped by an active marketing campaign in key markets and better coordination with regional and regional tourism organizations, as well as with representatives of professional organizations, the Association of Travel Agencies and the Tourism Association, says Marek Harbuľák, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

The last time we recorded a record tourist season before the pandemic was in 2019, when Slovakia was visited by 6.4 million tourists, the number of overnight stays reached 17.7 million. A third of domestic visitors and almost half of foreigners visit one of the regions of Slovakia during the summer," explained Marek Harbuľák, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

In May, Slovakia Travel, which belongs to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, launched a summer communication campaign on the source markets in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Hungary, from where the largest share of tourists come to Slovakia. At the same time, he also actively communicates in the Nordic countries, especially Sweden and Finland, where he registers a greater interest in getting to know Slovakia.

"In order to develop the potential of tourism, it is necessary to significantly restart and support the destination management system. Regional and regional tourism organizations play a key role here, which, in addition to creating products, network entrepreneurs and municipalities and promote the destination. This year, we have streamlined the processes related to the provision of subsidies so that these organizations receive the subsidy for promotion and other activities earlier," added Marek Harbuľák.

Slovakia offers a lot of experiences and surprises, which is confirmed by the fact that there are up to 15,000 kilometers of marked hiking trails, 180 medieval castles, 9 national parks, and almost 2,000 thermal and mineral waters in our territory. "Slovakia is a unique country that has a lot to offer to domestic and foreign tourists. Our goal is to actively promote Slovakia, improve conditions for entrepreneurs in tourism, and do our best to get more tourists and resources to regions across Slovakia, concluded Tomáš Ondrčka, Director General of the Destination Management Section of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. The Tourism Support Fund, which is to be established and operated from next year, is also intended to help the development of tourism.