From: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies Access the complete publication at:

Transcription

1 From: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2014 Access the complete publication at: Slovak Republic Please cite this chapter as: OECD (2014), Slovak Republic, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2014, OECD Publishing.

2 This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries or those of the European Union. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

3 Slovak Republic Tourism in the economy In 2012, the Slovak Republic s international tourism receipts reached EUR million, up 2.5% on the previous year and contributing 2.5% of GDP (the same share as in 2011). Expenditure by Slovak citizens travelling abroad in 2012 totalled EUR million, 6.4% more than in The balance of payments in international tourism therefore remained positive in 2012, but declined by 31% to EUR 123 million. The total number of domestic and foreign tourists staying in accommodation establishments increased by 5.7% in 2012 to 3.8 million, of whom 1.5 million came from abroad. The five leading foreign markets were the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Austria and Hungary, together accounting for 60% of foreign arrivals in In 2012, enterprises provided accommodation services, offering rooms with beds. In the same year, legal entities offering accommodation and food services operated in the Slovak Republic, 1.3% fewer than in The number of employees in accommodation and catering establishments was in 2012, about 4.2% of the total employed workforce. Tourism organisation and governance Since 1 November 2010 responsibility for tourism has rested with the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development (Figure 1). The tourism section of the ministry is divided into two departments the Tourism Strategy and Policy Department and the Tourism Co-operation and Co-ordination Department with responsibilities including: creation of conditions for the development of tourism; formulation, implementation and monitoring of policy; preparation of legislative regulations concerning tourism; provision of comprehensive statistical data on the development of tourism; and representing the country s interests in international tourism organisations. The Slovak Tourist Board (STB) is a government agency funded from the state budget and responsible for promoting and marketing the Slovak Republic as a tourism destination. It markets tourism at the national level, provides information on travel opportunities in the Slovak Republic, promotes a positive image of the country as a tourism destination abroad, supports the sale of tourism products, and implements the EU Structural Funds in the tourism industry. The STB has eight national branch offices and six foreign offices located in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Austria, the Russian Federation and Hungary. At the regional level, tourism responsibilities were devolved in 2001 to eight self-governing bodies in the regional governments Bratislava, Trnava, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Prešov and Košice and municipalities. Local governments in municipalities and towns also play an important role in the development of tourism in 279

4 Figure 1. Slovak Republic: Organisational chart of tourism bodies Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development National level Tourism Section Slovak Tourist Board Tourism Strategy and Policy Department Tourism Co-operation and Co-ordination Department Regional level 8 self-governing regions Regional Tourism Organisations (Regional DMOs) Tourism Industry and Tourism Associations Local level Municipalities Local Tourism Organisations (Local DMOs) Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development, their areas. Tourism associations as professional entities also contribute at local and regional levels, primarily in the fields of quality improvement, expanding the range of tourism products and services, professional training, the application of quality standards, and the communication of best practices. By adopting the amendment to the Act on Support of Tourism in October 2011, the ministry is seeking to build a system of destination management organisations (DMOs), whereby local and regional tourism organisations are created on the basis of voluntary public-private partnerships (PPPs), with financial support from the government. In 2012, 29 local and 2 regional tourism organisations were created, increasing to 34 local and 4 regional organisations in The Slovak Convention Bureau (SCB) was established in 2010 as a non-profit organisation to facilitate public-private partnership opportunities between the STB and industry. The SCB promotes the country as a congress destination. Tourism budgets In 2012 the ministerial budget for tourism was EUR 3.32 million, of which EUR represented the administrative budget of the tourism section and EUR 3.29 million were distributed in the form of subsidies to the regional and local tourism organisations. In addition, the budget of the Slovak Tourist Board (STB) was EUR 3.86 million. The Slovak Republic has access to EU Structural Funds through the National Strategic Reference Framework During this programming period, it was able to use funds totalling EUR million for the support of business activities in tourism, the development of tourism information services, and the presentation of the regions and the country within the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Economic Growth. 280

5 Tourism-related policies and programmes The key challenge in the field of tourism in the Slovak Republic is the implementation of a destination management approach to tourism development, in compliance with the Tourism Support Act. An amendment to the Act on Investment Aid No. 561/2007 Coll. came into force on 1 August This amendment entitles the tourism section of the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development to provide investment assistance to tourism projects. In October 2011, Parliament approved an amendment to the Act No. 91/2010 Coll. in Support of Tourism. The act regulates tourism support, the rights and obligations of natural and legal persons operating in the tourism sector, the drafting of policy documents, and tourism development funding. It is the first systemic, legislative framework for the creation and operation of local and regional tourism organisations. The aim is to boost co-operation and partnership in the tourism sector by creating local and regional tourism organisations, which are responsible for the creation and development of tourism within their defined territories. The funding of these organisations consists of membership fees and matching subsidies from the state budget. In its Manifesto, the government is committed to fostering the competitiveness of tourism and better using its potential to eliminate regional disparities and create new jobs. To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to: Reform the institutionalisation of the management and co-ordination of activities related to the development of tourism at all levels. Develop a new strategy to revive tourism, increase quality and competitiveness. Foster a better use of the tourism potential of the Slovak Republic. Improve effectiveness and transparency in the use of public resources for the support of tourism, including a more effective use of EU funds. Provide programmes to foster the development of air transport (including airports and airlines) as an essential component of the tourism industry. To this end, the government of the Slovak Republic approved in July 2013 the Tourism Development Strategy until The strategy focuses on two key areas: the quality of the tourism offer; and the presentation and promotion of the Slovak Republic as a tourism destination. At the same time, the Slovak Tourist Board has drawn up a new marketing strategy for this period. On 7 May 2013, the government approved a national strategy for the development of cycling transportation and cycling tourism in the Slovak Republic. Promotion of cycling is now, therefore, one of the priorities of the ministry, as it is a healthy and environmentally friendly means of transport, which supports the development of tourism and can contribute to reducing traffic congestion in towns. The strategy will promote cycling as an important segment of tourism with great potential to support the sustainable development of rural areas. The strategy has set a target for cycling to achieve a 10% share of total traffic by In June 2013, the ministry signed an agreement on co-operation with the Statistics Office of the Slovak Republic to improve statistics relating to inbound tourism and to establish Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSAs). The ministry has also financially supported the Statistics Office in this work. 281

6 Statistical profile Table 1. Slovak Republic: Domestic tourism Unit Total domestic trips Thousand p.. Overnight visitors (tourists) Thousand p.. Same-day visitors (excursionists) Thousand p.. Trips by main purpose of visit Business and professional Holiday, leisure and recreation Nights in all means of accommodation Thousand p.. Hotels and similar establishments Other collective establishments Domestic travel receipts Million EUR Table 2. Slovak Republic: Inbound tourism Unit Total international arrivals Thousand Overnight visitors (tourists) 1 Thousand Same-day visitors (excursionists) 2 Thousand p p Top markets Czech Republic Thousand Poland Thousand Germany Thousand Austria Thousand Hungary Thousand Nights in all means of accommodation Thousand Hotels and similar establishments Other collective establishments Total international receipts Million EUR International travel receipts 3 Million EUR International passenger transport receipts Million EUR Accommodation establishments (collective and private). 2. Excludes transit. 3. Includes same-day visitor receipts. Source: Statistical Office, National Bank Table 3. Slovak Republic: Outbound tourism Unit Total international departures Thousand p.. Overnight visitors (tourists) Thousand p.. Same-day visitors (excursionists) Thousand p.. Total international expenditure Million EUR International travel expenditure 1 Million EUR International passenger transport expenditure Million EUR Excludes same-day visitor expenditure. Source: Statistical Office, Tourism Satellite Account and National Bank

7 Table 4. Slovak Republic: Enterprises in tourism Number of enterprises Total tourism enterprises Tourism industries Accommodation services for visitors Hotels and similar establishments Food and beverage serving industry Passenger transport Air passenger transport Railways passenger transport Road passenger transport Water passenger transport Passenger transport supporting services Transport equipment rental Travel agencies and other reservation services industry Cultural industry Sports and recreation industry Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods Other country-specific tourism industries Other industries Table 5. Slovak Republic: Employment in tourism Number of jobs Total tourism employment (direct) Tourism industries Accommodation services for visitors Hotels and similar establishments Food and beverage serving industry Passenger transport Air passenger transport Railways passenger transport Road passenger transport Water passenger transport Passenger transport supporting services Transport equipment rental Travel agencies and other reservation services industry Cultural industry Sports and recreation industry Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods Other country-specific tourism industries Other industries Gender breakdown Male (% of total tourism employment) Female (% of total tourism employment) Note: Full-time equivalent. Excludes self-employed. 1. Tourism characteristic industries

8 Table 6. Slovak Republic: Internal tourism consumption Million EUR, 2008 Domestic tourism consumption Inbound tourism consumption Internal tourism consumption Total Consumption products Tourism characteristic products Accommodation services for visitors Food and beverage serving services Passenger transport services Air passenger transport services Railways passenger transport services Road passenger transport services Water passenger transport services Passenger transport supporting services Transport equipment rental services Travel agencies and other reservation services Cultural services Sports and recreation services Country-specific tourism characteristic goods Country-specific tourism characteristic services Other consumption products Tourism connected products Non-tourism related consumption products Non-consumption products Table 7. Slovak Republic: Key economic indicators Percentage Tourism GDP (direct) as % of total GDP Total tourism employment (direct) as % of total employment Tourism characteristic employment For more information Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic Slovak Tourist Board Official Slovak National Tourism Portal Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic