Holiday in Slovakia cen be ncie, too. (source: Sme - Ján Krošlák)
The Transport Ministry has prepared a set of measures to promote tourism in Slovakia, the Pravda daily wrote on July 13. These ideas include improved marketing support for Slovakia and changes in taxes.
The department also wants to negotiate a plan to introduce holiday vouchers. Under favourable terms, employers could give their employees a holiday voucher of up to €500 per holiday spent in Slovakia.
It is questionable, though, whether the Transport Minister Árpád Érsek (of coalition partner Most – Híd) will earn enough support in the coalition.
“For the holiday vouchers proposed by the Transport Ministry, the system will enable employers to cover up to 55 percent of the cost of their employees’ holiday,” ministry spokesperson Karolína Ducká explained for the daily. The employee would pay the remaining 45 percent from their own pockets, with a total maximum value of the voucher at €500. The money used for purchasing the Slovak holiday shall not be subject to any taxes or levies.
Benefit system should be voluntary
“Based on experience from abroad, the ministry supposes the revenues from consumption connected with the vouchers to become two- to three-fold compared to the total sum invested in the vouchers, and thus, the system could generate additional benefits,” Ducká said. Currently, 67 percent of Slovaks spend their holidays abroad. Countries like Hungary, Italy and France have similar programmes.
The Association of Employers’ Unions and Associations welcomes the support for domestic tourism but points out that the vouchers should be voluntary, rather than obligatory. This has not yet been discussed with the ministry.
Other measures supporting domestic tourism proposed by the Transport Ministry include a contribution for spas, Pravda wrote.
