Tourists in Slovenský Raj (source: TASR)
Although the number of foreign tourists coming to Slovakia in the summer were not as high as in the past due to the coronavirus pandemic, those who arrived have spent more money.
Data from the Global Payments company suggests that foreign tourists spent as much as €47 million through card payments during the summer, which is comparable to last year. The most was spent by Czech tourists, who paid €7.6 million with their payment cards, the SITA newswire reported.
Austrians came second, who paid €1.8 million, followed by the British with almost €1 million, Hungarians with €700,000 and the Dutch with €540,000. Tourists from Switzerland, Poland and Ireland paid €500,000 in Slovakia, SITA wrote.
Tatras top the ranking
The High Tatras received €1.2 million from tourists, up €100,000 annually. Slovenský Raj (Slovak Paradise) National Park received €4.6 million, quite an increase from last year's €2.8 million.
The town of Banská Bystrica was also popular, with revenues going up from €6.1 million last year to €7.6 million this year. Demänovská Dolina valley in the Low Tatras received €239,000, up €23,000 annually.
Terchová's revenues almost doubled, increasing from €222,000 last year to €404,000 this year.
Water reservoirs were also popular among tourists. Zemplínska Šírava received €1.6 million in revenues, while Liptovská Mara obtained €1.5 million.
The revenues of the Orava region went up as well, from last year's €944,000 to €1.2 million.
Tourists discouraged by stricter conditions
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Many tourists were discouraged from coming to Slovakia, citing stricter border rules as a reason, said Erik Brinkáč of the Global Payments company.
“The requirement of being vaccinated, testing or even self-isolation forced them to change their plans and either stay home or choose another destination,” Brinkáč said, as quoted by SITA.
In his opinion, this year's season would certainly have been better without the stricter rules coming into force in July.
