Illustrative stock photo (source: dovolenka.sme.sk)
Tourism in Slovakia has experienced some of its hardest times. The data of the Statistics Office confirms that travel agencies in Slovakia lost 88 percent of their clients due to the pandemic last year.
While in 2019, 1.1 million people travelled abroad from Slovakia using the services of tour operators, only 128,000 people did so last year. Sales of travel agencies decreased by almost 90 percent y-o-y.
Travel agencies needed to deal with the postponed package holidays purchased for the 2020 summer season. Holiday vouchers were implemented last year as the government's reaction to the first wave of Covid. If the agencies do not agree with clients on replacement, they have to refund them by September 14.
People in the tourism business are now optimistic about the upcoming summer season. They report an increased interest among holiday-makers in their services and admit that it will be crucial for many. They are also aware that the situation with the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading in Europe may change the situation any time.
Where Slovaks go
Some holiday-makers purchased first minute holidays in the winter, though in the first quarter of the year, the second wave of the pandemic was peaking in Slovakia and severe restrictions were in place.
