The decline in the income generated by Slovakia's tourist sector continued in 1998, falling 10.4% to 17.2 billion crowns from 1997. Michal Ševčik, the general director of the Tourism Section at the Economy Ministry, said on June 21 that the number of foreign visitors to Slovakia had paradoxically risen in 1998 to 32.7 million people, up 3.2% on 1997.
The biggest increase in visitors - 20.9% - was reported at the Slovak-Polish border, while on the other hand, visitors arriving from the Ukraine fell 23%. The biggest number of foreign visitors came from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Foreigners mostly visited the High Tatras, Bratislava and southern Slovakia.
The most common class of visitors were those issued a one-day permit to cross the country.
