TATRAS are popular year-round.photo: Chris Togneri
THE SUMMER of 2002 was one of the best seasons in recent years for tourism companies in Slovakia's High Tatras, according to industry representatives.
Hotels in the area were filled to 82 per cent of capacity in July, rising to 93 per cent in August, according to the Vysoké Tatry Tourism Association (ZCR), an average year-on-year rise of more than 3 per cent.
Visitors from the Czech Republic were the largest group of foreign guests, accounting for more than 21 per cent of the total. Before the season started, operators had expected an increase in Czech tourists stemming from the increased value of the Czech crown.
Good weather also contributed to attendance figures in the summer season as well as through September, said ZCR representatives.
In addition to capacity rates, revenues also increased for the Vysoké Tatry municipality, thanks to higher fees for spa entry as well as income from the sale of alcohol and tobacco products.
Located in northeast Slovakia, the High Tatras are the county's most popular tourist destination for mountain hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.
- Dewey Smolka
