Tourism direct GDP (2023) | Employment in tourism industries (2023) | Travel exports (2024) |
|---|---|---|
2.4% of total GDP (up 0.4 percentage points since 2022) | 7.0% of total employment (equal to share in 2022) | 12.2% of total service exports (up 0.2 percentage points since 2023) |
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026
National tourism strategy: National Sustainable Tourism Strategy in Slovakia for 2035
Responsible government agency: Ministry of Tourism and Sports
National tourism budget: EUR 41.7 million (tourism support) and EUR 17.2 million (promotion) (2026)
Key tourism policy priorities and actions:
Tourism sustainability and climate resilience – Promoting sustainability and climate resilience in tourism with targeted funding, awareness and planning tools, including the introduction of sustainability criteria for public tourism funding evaluations.
Improving tourism skills and quality of service – Creating education programmes in co-operation with employers to better align skills with real-world needs and undertaking skills forecasting to help identify future workforce demands.
Developing digital data tools to modernise tourism management and planning – Building national tourism data platforms (e.g. e-Visitor, Passportisation) integrating mobile data, accommodation statistics and online booking systems.
Tourism is an important strategic sector for the Slovak Republic. In 2023, tourism directly generated EUR 2.9 billion in GDP, or 2.4% of the national GDP, representing a 36% increase in nominal terms compared to 2022. Tourism industries accounted for 169 500 jobs in the economy, remaining stable compared to the previous year. Travel exports were EUR 1.6 billion in 2024 and represented 12.2% of total service exports, which is similar to 2023.
International tourism continued to recover in 2025, with 2.4 million international tourists recorded in commercial accommodation establishments, representing an increase of 11.8% compared to 2024. Record numbers of visitors were observed particularly in January, February, August and December. The increase in international arrivals towards the end of the year can be partly attributed to the launch of new air routes. The main source markets remained neighbouring countries, with Czechia (29%), Poland (16%) and Germany (7%) of total international arrivals.
Domestic tourism continues to play a key role in the Slovak Republic, although its growth is slower compared to the international segment. In 2025, 3.9 million domestic tourists were recorded in commercial accommodation establishments, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.6%.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic was established in February 2024, shifting tourism responsibilities from the Ministry of Transport. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports participates in various ministerial 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.
Slovakia Travel was established in 2021 as the National Tourism Organisation responsible for tourism marketing and promotion as well as a tourism data centre. The Slovak Tourism Association includes representatives from the main tourism organisations and 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 for the development of tourism products and promotion to self‑governing local and regional DMOs in eight regions and municipalities. There are 39 local and 8 regional DMOs in the Slovak Republic.
The Ministerial budget for direct support of the tourism sector is EUR 21.7 million in 2026, which includes EUR 19.3 million allocated for subsidies to the 47 local and regional DMOs, mainly for marketing, product development and tourism infrastructure. The Tourism Support Fund provides an additional EUR 20 million. The budget for Slovakia Travel is EUR 17.2 million in 2026 for marketing campaigns aimed at domestic and international markets and promotional activities.
Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2026.
The Slovak Republic is finalising the National Sustainable Tourism Strategy in Slovakia for 2035. The new Strategy aligns with the European Commission’s Transition Pathway for Tourism. It aims to increase the competitiveness of tourism and better use its potential to balance regional disparities and create new jobs. The Strategy sets priorities and goals to improve digitalisation, social sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector and will focus on important areas for sustainable development, including:
A competitive tourism sector that is ready for green and digital transformation.
Resilient destinations that provide quality stays for visitors and quality of life for residents.
A functional and flexible tourism management model.
Sustainability, climate resilience and the green transformation remain key priorities for the Slovak Republic. The upcoming national tourism strategy will align with EU climate goals, promoting nature-based tourism, circular economy principles, and sustainable infrastructure, helping destinations and businesses adapt to climate change while preserving natural and cultural assets.
The Slovak Republic is promoting sustainability and climate resilience in tourism through targeted funding, awareness, and planning tools. This includes support for adaptive infrastructure, strategic product diversification, and better integration of tourism into climate adaptation and regional development policies. Sustainability criteria will also be included as part of public tourism funding evaluations. Support is shifting away from snow-dependent infrastructure in low-altitude mountain areas toward year-round, climate-resilient products like hiking, wellness, and cultural tourism. The government is also working to raise awareness among stakeholders about climate risks and to encourage long-term planning that accounts for changing weather patterns, natural hazards, and ecosystem limits.
The Tourism Support Fund was established with the main objective of developing and modernising tourism infrastructure. In 2025, a funding call was issued to support the development of sustainable and competitive tourism in the regions of up to EUR 500 000 (total allocation of EUR 19 million). Eligible activities included the development of tourism infrastructure (cultural, recreational, natural and sports infrastructure), improvement of local visitor infrastructure, development of tourism routes, support for health tourism, and water-based recreational infrastructure. The call applied to tourism projects well aligned with the Tourism Support Fund Act to support the economic, environmental and social sustainability of tourism, and/or to construct, modernise or reconstruct sustainable and resilient tourism infrastructure.
Green transition efforts in tourism focus on reducing environmental impacts at the operational level and encouraging sustainable business practices. This includes support for energy efficiency upgrades and incentives for waste reduction and water-saving technologies. Low-emission transport options, such as cycling infrastructure and improved public transit to tourist sites, are being supported. Tourism businesses will be supported through awareness campaigns and technical guidance to help them adopt greener practices and public funding will prioritise projects that demonstrate measurable environmental benefits. These initiatives aim to embed sustainability into everyday tourism operations and contribute to the broader shift toward a low-carbon economy.
To address labour shortages and improve service quality, the Slovak Republic is updating its tourism education and training system by revising vocational education and training programmes in co-operation with employers to better align skills, expanding dual learning opportunities to provide on-the-job experience, improving career guidance and developing campaigns to attract young people. Efforts also include employer engagement and targeted support for upskilling and reskilling the workforce, and skills forecasting to help identify future workforce demands. Skills forecasting is supported through an analysis of occupational changes carried out within the national Sector-Driven Innovations for an Efficient Labour Market project, the use of graduate forecasting models developed using data from the national Centre for Scientific and Technical Information – to predict the number and structure of graduates entering the labour market in fields relevant to tourism – and trend analysis related to sustainability and digital transformation to identify emerging job roles and the need for new skill sets (e.g., sustainability management, environmentally responsible supply chains, digital operations). These mechanisms provide a structured approach to identifying future workforce needs and informing updates to curricula and policy planning.
The Slovak Republic also recognises that the development of digital tools can help to modernise tourism management and planning. Efforts aim to support data-driven decision making, improve visitor services, and strengthen the capabilities of regional and local tourism actors include:
Short-term rentals register, which will improve oversight and transparency of accommodation services via increased regulation on the provision of data by hosts.
eVisitor platform to digitise visitor registration and enhance the quality of tourism statistics, building on the short-term rentals register.
Passportisation project, which is creating a detailed digital map of all tourism points of interest across the country to help inform the allocation of financial support, plan the development of tourism infrastructure, and identify the untapped potential of specific areas.
To reduce regional disparities, support is being provided to develop tourism in under-visited and rural areas through targeted grant schemes and infrastructure investments. Funding is focused on developing cultural, nature-based, and wellness tourism products that attract visitors beyond traditional destinations and peak seasons. Strengthened co-operation with regional and local tourism organisations is working to improve destination branding, co-ordination, and marketing capacity. Special attention is given to promoting year-round tourism offers, such as hiking, cycling, gastronomy, and local heritage experiences. These efforts aim to diversify the national tourism offer, support local economies, and reduce pressure on overcrowded destinations – ultimately contributing to more balanced and inclusive tourism growth across the country.
Slovakia launched the national project "People & Castles – a step towards a social economy", jointly co-ordinated by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family and the Ministry of Culture to address the underutilisation and poor condition of many historic castles and cultural monuments, particularly in rural regions. Many of these sites suffer from deteriorated infrastructure, limited accessibility and lack of visitor services, which hinders their tourism potential. High unemployment in these regions further exacerbates social and economic disparities. The project aims to preserve cultural heritage while supporting local employment and stimulating regional tourism.
The project provides jobs to a potential 141 043 jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than one year by engaging them in the restoration and maintenance of approximately 30 castles and historical sites across the country. Participants are employed in roles such as apprentice, co-ordinator, and foreperson. Their wages and materials are co-financed through EU funds under Programme Slovakia. The initiative fosters collaboration between municipalities, NGOs, church organisations, and other local stakeholders. The initiative created approximately 450 new job positions, with 418 people employed in the first implementation phase, helping to revitalise around 30 castles.
This initiative not only contributes to the restoration of neglected heritage sites but also enhances their value for tourism, supports seasonal tourism employment, and strengthens local engagement. It provides an example of a way to connect heritage conservation, social inclusion, and regional tourism development through targeted policy interventions.