OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2024

Slovak Republic

Tourism in the economy and outlook 

Tourism is an important lever for regional development in the Slovak Republic and has become a strategic sector to the national economy. In 2021, tourism directly generated EUR 1.4 billion in GDP, or 1,4% of the national GDP, down from 2.8% in 2019. Tourism accounted for 165 000 jobs in the economy (down from 185 000 in 2019). Travel exports were EUR 1.3 billion in 2022 and represented 10.7% of total service exports but remain significantly lower than the pre‑pandemic level of 26%.

Post-pandemic, the number of visitors to the Slovak Republic is recovering. In 2023, total visitors are 11% below pre-pandemic levels, totaling 5.7 million domestic and international tourists in commercial accommodation. In 2023, the Slovak Republic recorded 2.1 million international tourists in commercial accommodation, which corresponds to a 31% increase compared with 2022 but is still 16% below 2019 figures. The key markets are the Czechia (34%), followed by Poland (13%) and Germany (7%). As for domestic tourism, 3.6 million domestic tourists were recorded in commercial accommodation in 2023, 8.0% below 2019 levels. 

The Slovak Republic predicts that in 2024 international visitor numbers will slightly increase. Tourism demand is expected to return to 2019 levels by 2026.  

Tourism governance 

The new Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic was established in February 2024, shifting tourism responsibilities from the Ministry of Transport. Tourism responsibilities have been split into two sections, state policy and destination management. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports co-operates with other ministries through participation in various committees dealing with issues impacting tourism, including the Working Group to Co-ordinate the Presentation of Slovakia Abroad, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Geo Parks Network, the Impact and Adaptation Steering Group, and the Working Group of the Government Council for Vocational Education and Training.  

The Ministry established Slovakia Travel in 2021 as the National Tourism Organisation responsible for tourism marketing and promotion as well as a tourism data centre. The Slovak Tourism Association, composed of representatives of the main tourism organisations, promotes co-operation in the sector and advises on legislative changes.

At local and regional levels, tourism associations contribute to quality improvement, professional training, and the sharing of best practices. The Slovak Republic also delegates tourism responsibilities to self‑governing bodies in eight regions and municipalities. Local and regional destination management organisations (DMOs) are responsible for developing tourism products and promotion. There are 39 local and 8 regional DMOs in the Slovak Republic.

The ministerial budget for direct support of the tourism sector was EUR 9.2 million in 2023, an increase from EUR 8.6 million in 2022. This budget is allocated for subsidies to local and regional DMOs, mainly for marketing, product development and tourism infrastructure, and has steadily increased since 2018. Additional funding for the tourism sector includes the budget for Slovakia Travel, which amounted to EUR 21 million in 2023 for marketing campaigns aimed at domestic and international markets and promotional activities.

Slovak Republic: Organisational chart of tourism bodies

Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2024

Tourism policies and programmes

In 2024, the Slovak Republic is finalising the National Sustainable Tourism Strategy for 2035. The new Strategy aims to increase the competitiveness of tourism, better use its potential, balance regional disparities and create new jobs. It sets priorities and goals to improve digitalisation, social sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector. The new Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic will focus on important areas for sustainable development across the tourism sector, including:

• A competitive tourism sector that is ready for green and digital transformation.

• Durable destinations which can provide quality stays for visitors and quality of life for residents.

• A functional and flexible tourism management model.

The Slovak Republic will launch new information channels nationwide, through regional tourism offices, the national tourism board, municipalities and private entities. Under the 2035 strategy, the Slovak Republic will also set new tourism communication channels between national and international stakeholders, especially in EU countries. 

Key tourism programmes and initiatives recently implemented in the Slovak Republic include:

• Lowering the Value Added Tax (VAT) for gastronomy and selected leisure services such as wellness centres, aqua parks and ski resorts from 20% to 10% in January 2023.

• Creating a tourism fund to support all tourism stakeholders.

• Implementing an eVisitor system to improve data collection and data sharing. This initiative will provide better access to accommodation providers’ registrar and guest data to enhance national security and enforce effective tax collection, while also helping enhance the digitalisation of the tourism sector and collecting real time data to support governance and decision making at the local and national level. It is a large-scale project with several stages of implementation being undertaken in collaboration with partner countries who have successfully implemented similar initiatives (see box below).

Implementing an e-Visitor monitoring system in the Slovak Republic

The e-Visitor initiative will create a database system that can publish visitor data in an external environment with export capabilities. It will be designed to integrate with Central Registry of Public Administration Reference Data Information System and provide a portal solution (extensive identity management) and an analytical layer.

Advantages of the e-Visitor system include:

• Contributing to the digitalisation of the collection of accommodation fees and making their collection and reporting more efficient;

• Reducing the administrative burden on accommodation providers;

• Providing unified data collection and relevant information on visitation in the Slovak Republic with the required granularity (e.g. gender, nationality, age);

• Integrating the required data into various institutions through existing databases;

• Creating online reports to understand tourism in the country with real-time data.

A feasibility study is currently being prepared for the e-Visitor initiative, with the financing, scheduling and materials still being discussed. The goal of the study is to provide an independent assessment of the project, examining all attributes of the proposed project including the economic, financial, and legal aspects of the implementation. This information will provide the foundation of the project documentation for the next phases in accordance with Decree No. 401/2023. A Steering Committee is being formed to support the initiative. Communication is also being undertaken regarding the placement of the public administration information system into cloud environments accessible to the state.

Statistical Profile

Slovak Republic: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND
Domestic tourism
Total domestic trips	3 340	3 958	2 356	2 149	3 541
Overnight visitors (tourists)	3 340	3 958	2 356	2 149	3 541
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	..	..	..	..	..
Nights in all types of accommodation	9 819	11 453	7 443	6 704	9 984
Hotels and similar establishments	9 501	11 047	7 054	6 340	..
Other collective establishments	128	131	140	151	..
Private accommodation	189	275	249	213	..
Inbound tourism
Total international arrivals	2 256	2 475	854	576	1 757
Overnight visitors (tourists)	2 256	2 475	854	576	1 757
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	..	..	..	..	..
Top markets
Czech Republic	702	777	378	230	..
Poland	226	240	116	59	..
Germany	178	182	63	53	..
Hungary	112	124	43	28	..
Austria	100	97	31	26	..
Nights in all types of accommodation	5 696	6 251	2 348	1 465	4 237
Hotels and similar establishments	5 345	5 855	2 121	1 358	..
Other collective establishments	214	193	123	67	..
Private accommodation	138	203	104	41	..
Outbound tourism
Total international departures	8 321	9 669	1 996	..	..
Overnight visitors (tourists)	5 313	5 971	1 180	..	..
Same-day visitors (excursionists)	3 008	3 699	815	..	..
Top destinations
Czech Republic	1 060	1 281	323	384	..
Croatia	440	423	122	309	..
Italy	257	295	..	46	..
Austria	309	351	82	99	..
Hungary	308	240	52	101	..
TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, MILLION EUR
Inbound tourism
Total international receipts	2 817	2 996	1 162	1 001	1 427
International travel receipts	2 710	2 861	1 132	941	1 291
International passenger transport receipts	107	134	31	59	135
Outbound tourism
Total international expenditure	2 403	2 501	1 171	1 313	2 278
International travel expenditure	2 225	2 313	1 111	1 257	2 135
International passenger transport expenditure	178	188	61	56	143

.. Not available

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink

Slovak Republic: Enterprises and employment in tourism

	Number of establishments1	Number of persons employed
	2021	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Total	..	..	..	..	..	..
Tourism industries	45 388	177 638	184 891	170 510	164 622	..
Accommodation services for visitors	3 721	17 998	18 384	15 709	15 281	..
Hotels and similar establishments	..	..	..	..	..	..
Food and beverage serving industry	14 221	70 032	74 540	70 237	66 848	..
Passenger transport	2 853	26 476	26 635	25 317	24 748	..
Air passenger transport	..	..	..	..	..	..
Railways passenger transport	..	..	..	..	..	..
Road passenger transport	..	..	..	..	..	..
Water passenger transport	..	..	..	..	..	..
Passenger transport supporting services	..	..	..	..	..	..
Transport equipment rental	570	1 402	1 501	1 488	1 452	..
Travel agencies and other reservation services industry	1 386	3 327	3 386	2 538	2 296	..
Cultural industry	2 573	10 152	10 475	10 122	10 104	..
Sports and recreation industry	5 054	18 932	19 844	17 090	16 377	..
Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods	..	..	..	..	..	..
Other country-specific tourism industries	15 010	29 319	30 126	28 009	27 516	..
Other industries	..	..	..	..	..	..

.. Not available

1. Data refer to number of enterprises.

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink

Slovak Republic: Internal tourism consumption

Million EUR

	2021
	Domestic tourism expenditure	Inbound tourism expenditure	Internal tourism consumption
Total	..	..	..
Consumption products	1 383	565	3 028
Tourism characteristic products	922	366	2 368
Accommodation services for visitors	242	129	511
Food and beverage serving services	311	126	441
Passenger transport services	185	21	722
Air passenger transport services	..	..	..
Railways passenger transport services	..	..	..
Road passenger transport services	..	..	..
Water passenger transport services	..	..	..
Passenger transport supporting services	..	..	..
Transport equipment rental services	13	15	28
Travel agencies and other reservation services industry	51	3	55
Cultural services	10	6	180
Sports and recreation services	50	27	161
Country-specific tourism characteristic goods	28	19	47
Country-specific tourism characteristic services	34	22	225
Other consumption products	461	199	660
Tourism connected products	..	..	..
Non-tourism related consumption products	..	..	..
Non-consumption products	..	..	..

.. Not available

Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database).

Statlink