BRATISLAVA, June 23, (WEBNOVINY) — In first three months of 2011, the number of foreign tourists visiting Slovakia grew by 7 percent from a year ago. As Slovak Tourist Board (SACR) Director General Brano Belinsky informed, this is the highest increase since the financial crisis started in 2009. According to the Slovak Statistics Office, from January to March 2011 some 278,000 foreign visitors came to Slovakia. They spent 836,000 nights in the country. The average foreign tourist spent three nights in Slovakia; the number of nights spent increased by 2.4 percent.
The largest increase (21.2 percent y/y) was recorded for Ukrainian tourists, followed by Russians (18.8 percent increase). Slovakia has lost tourists from two important markets: the number of Germans visiting dropped by 6.7 percent and Polish by 2.4 percent. According to Belinsky, more Russians and Ukrainians came thanks to faster visa procedures; in addition to them, the Czechs and Hungarians were also influenced by a targeted winter campaign.
Belinsky also praised the fact that the number of domestic tourists grew in the first quarter of 2011 by 2 percent. 455,000 Slovaks spent their holidays in the country, spending 1.3 million nights.
SITA
