UP TO 224 Slovaks died abroad during their summer holidays, most of whom perished in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia. In addition to this, 167 people were injured, mostly on holidays in Croatia, Italy and Austria, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry data.
Despite the negative statistics, the number of Slovaks travelling abroad is increasing.
“More and more of our citizens travel to destinations that can be described as exotic and even dangerous,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Worsening security situations in some holiday destinations, like Egypt, Tunisia and Greece negatively affected this year’s summer season. Among other factors were the bankruptcies of some travel agencies and the terrorist attack on Slovak mountain climbers, Lajčák added. On the other hand, Croatia’s accession to the European Union, which made travelling to the country much easier, had a positive impact on the season.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry issued more than 1,700 copies of personal documents, i.e. documents like passports and IDs which allowed Slovaks to return home, this summer. Altogether 250 Slovaks were victims of crimes abroad, while 487 people committed a crime, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
