Vast Tourism Opportunities

"Europe’s mature destinations such as Spain, France and the UK are dragging their feet over the growing consumer demand for sustainable and more socially aware travel products. They have much to learn from the passion and enthusiasm of emerging destinations such as Slovakia.”

Gragam Cook, CEO and founder of World Travel Awards

Slovakia has much to offer tourists. It boast Europe’s most compact and some say most dramatic alpine mountain range, the Tatras (78km long and 17 km wide), as well as picturesque medieval old town of its capital, Bratislava. Looking further, Slovakia offers beautiful landscapes with colorful meadows, virgin forests, cultivated fields, villages almost untouched by modern civilization, popular lakes, beautiful dams, medieval towns, curative health spas, historical castles, numerous caves, pristine hills, gorgeous clouds, and absolutely stunning mountains. Slovakia possesses treasures to attract visitors from all around the world. Interested investors can craft, advance, cultivate, and effectively promote them to those interested in unconventional experiences.

Foreign Visitors in Slovakia - Quick Facts

  • 80% have visited Slovakia before
  • 45,8% come to Slovakia for winter-sports related stay
  • 58,3% were EXTREMELY satisfied with their stay in Slovakia
  • 75% organize their trip to Slovakia on an individual basis
  • 8% come to Slovakia using foreign travel agent services less than 1% come to Slovakia using Slovak travel agent services
  • 1.3 nights spent per capita in Accommodation facilities in Slovakia (in Austria it was 12.4.)

Despite the countless Slovak natural and cultural treasures, poor promotion remains one of the biggest issues facing Slovak Tourism. But when Slovakia does get noticed it earns outstanding reviews. For instance, Lonely Planet’s top 10 bargains overseas in 2006 included skiing in Slovakia along with turtle-watching in Costa Rica and scuba diving in Thailand.

AquaCity Poprad, one of the newly established modern wellness and spa resorts close to the Tatras, picked up the prestigious World Travel Awards trophies for ‘Europe’s Leading Green Resort‘ and ‚‘World’s Leading Green Award‘ in 2008. According to the Guardian “Aquacity is by no means your average spa... for cutting-edge spa treatments at bargain prices you need look no further“. Cunovo is a another tourism facility that has not been suitably promoted. It is a whitewater canal built on the Danube River that helped four Slovaks preparing to win their gold medals in the last Summer Olympic games in 2008, in Beijing, China.

Slovakia in Numbers

  • 1 200 mineral springs with curative and drinking water sources
  • 350 skiing sites equipped with over 1 000 ski lifts and cable cars
  • 21 spas and over 40 natural thermal water parks
  • 4 000 caves (12 open for public)
  • 14 000 kilometers of marked hiking trails
  • 6 000 kilometers of biking roads
  • 19 municipal heritage sites
  • 7 cultural and natural UNESCO heritage sites (15 are on the Tenta tive List)

Siemens entered the Slovak market in 1993. Since then it invested SKK 18 bil. (EUR 600mil.), created 11,000 jobs and became one of the largest foreign investors and employers in the country. Its revenues reached EUR 1 bil. in the fiscal year of 2006/07. Today, the company manages a dozen firms and employs almost 6,000 people. If there are companies that perfectly know the local business landscape and space for opportunities Siemens is certainly among those on the top of the list. Their commitment to Development in Slovakia is significant. More than a quarter of Siemens local workforce is busy developing software applications for Healthcare, Energy, and Telecommunication sectors. Siemens PSE (Program & System Engineering) Slovakia is Siemens’s largest single software development house in Eastern Europe.

The examples above present enormous tourism potential in Slovakia, if promoted properly.

For instance, very few people know that Spa Smrdaky has waters with the highest concentration of Sulphur in Europe, in fact many Slovaks do not know that Spa Smrdaky exists. The spa treats the skin for diseases such as Psoriasis, Eczemas, Dermatitis, Acne, but also diseases of locomotive apparatus. Numerous Slovak spas, largely undercapitalized and located across the country, are known to heal everything from mobility apparatus to nervous disorders at excellent value for the money.

As of 2008, there were only 5 functioning golf courses in Slovakia. While expected to triple by 2010, this is still well behind the Czech Republic with 73 golf resorts. The unique landscape of the Slovak countryside within the region is capable of attracting golf players and offers great potential for prospective investors.

Slovakia can proudly present a mountain range Slovensky Raj (Slovak Paradise) which more than deserves its name. Chris Togneri from The Slovak Spectator described the National Park as a place where “a healthy variety of wild animals roam the quiet valleys, and where meadows teem with more plant species per square meter than anywhere else in Europe.”

Slovakia also offers very quick access to untouched nature. Even from the center of its capital, the beautiful countryside can be reached within 20 minutes drive, providing picturesque walks and splendid views of nature. And most of the areas do not offer maintained facilities which could provide enhanced outdoor experiences such as huts, parks for kids, animal farms, etc. Those that do (even though just limited) such as Zelezna Studnicka or Koliba enjoy an enormous influx of urban dwellers during weekends.

Some resorts would benefit from upgrades and facelifts which could be attained by companies with experience and capital. For instance ski-resorts may benefit from building tracks for downhill bike rides and thus take advantage of increased use of the resorts.

Clearly, Slovakia still possesses many treasures to be discovered. Smart investors may generate attractive profits while gently presenting nature to cost-conscious travelers and to those that look for pristine and authentic beauty.