The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic continues to historically strengthen the support of tourism. While before the establishment of a separate ministry, about 10 million euros a year were directed to the sector, today it
December 11, 2025
Tourism | Media | Ministry | CRS Ministry
The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic continues to historically strengthen the support of tourism. While before the establishment of a separate ministry, about 10 million euros a year were directed to the sector, today it is almost four times. In 2025, a total of €39.4 million will go to the development of Slovak tourism, which allows regions to build infrastructure, increase the quality of services and improve the attractiveness of Slovakia at home and abroad.
"We invest in projects that have a real impact on people in the regions and visitors. And we can see that it is working – domestic tourists are growing steadily and the number of foreign visitors is already catching up with the record year 2019," said Minister of Tourism and Sports Rudolf Huliak.
In 2025, the Tourism Support Fund was established – a new public institution financing projects with environmental, economic and social benefits. The first call with an allocation of €19 million attracted a record 884 applications with a total volume of €205 million. After a transparent evaluation, 81 successful projects were selected.
The second key call, announced on 2 June 2025, focused on infrastructure in the regions – connecting tourist points of interest, improving routes or restoring rest areas. 336 projects were submitted, of which 71 successful applications will receive support of EUR 4.53 million.
Systematic support of OOCR and KOCR
In 2025, the ministry provided subsidies of €15.87 million to tourism organizations.
€10.6 million for the organisations' own projects;
EUR 5.26 million for cooperation projects, which were also supported for the first time by the so-called cooperating entities – this is a 59% year-on-year increase.
These funds support the development of cycling tourism, joint marketing lines and the development of inbound tourism.
The upcoming Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy 2035 will strengthen innovation in enterprises, support infrastructure in the regions and set up modern management of the entire industry. The document is in the process of environmental impact assessment and, once approved by the government, will become a key framework for development for the next decade.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, a new framework for the development of the Slovak spa industry is being prepared. The aim is to modernise services, protect medicinal resources and strengthen the sector's export performance. Spa as a unique combination of treatment, culture and
regional traditions have the potential to significantly boost revenues from inbound tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic thus confirms that by systematically supporting infrastructure, tourism organizations and the spa industry, it creates the basis for the long-term growth of the sector, which already today visibly brings higher attendance and economic benefits for the whole of Slovakia.
SLOVAKIA TRAVEL, as a national organization for the promotion of tourism in Slovakia, provides a comprehensive presentation of Slovakia on the domestic and foreign markets. Its primary task is to build a positive image of the country as an attractive tourist destination through targeted marketing campaigns, PR communication and presentation of a wide range of tourism. The organization regularly participates in major international fairs and workshops, where it represents Slovakia in cooperation with regions, business entities and the professional public.
An important part of the activity is the support of inbound tourism in the form of information and press trips for tour operators and journalists, who have the opportunity to get to know the potential of individual regions on the spot.
At the same time, SLOVAKIA TRAVEL intensively cooperates with regional and regional tourism organizations, municipalities and partners on the creation and development of tourist products with an emphasis on thematic areas such as spas, culture and monuments, active recreation, gastronomy, UNESCO monuments or MICE and congress tourism.
"The year 2025 has confirmed that the systematic support of tourism brings concrete results. Thanks to effective marketing and communication activities, targeted cooperation with regions and our partners, we managed to increase interest in Slovakia at home and abroad. For example, this August, hotels and guesthouses in Slovakia had the most successful month in their entire history, and the segment rewrote records. For the first time, the number of accommodated guests in Slovakia exceeded the magical threshold of 800 thousand in one month. The high year-on-year increase in foreigners also helped to break the record this month. I would like to thank everyone who participates in the development of tourism. Together, we prove that Slovakia has the potential to be one of the sought-after and attractive destinations in Central Europe," said Matej Fekete, CEO of SLOVAKIA TRAVEL.
The organization is also engaged in analytical activities – it monitors attendance, evaluates trends in tourism and prepares professional documents for strategic decision-making. Last but not least, it develops international cooperation with partner institutions and actively represents the Slovak Republic at professional events and forums abroad. The aim of all SLOVAKIA TRAVEL activities is to systematically increase the competitiveness of Slovakia in the field of tourism and to support the sustainable development of destinations across the country.
In addition to active communication on the domestic and foreign markets, it has 5 permanent foreign offices in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, the Nordic countries of Europe and Israel.