Slovakia tourism hits record highs in July

Slovakia experienced a record-breaking tourism season this July, with both visitor numbers and cashless spending reaching historic highs. According to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, nearly 780,000 guests were accommodated in July, a 17% year-on-year increase that surpassed the previous July record set in 2019.

Foreign tourism saw a significant surge, growing by 23% to approximately 330,000 visitors. This figure exceeded the 2019 record by 11%. The largest groups of international visitors originated from the Czech Republic, followed by Poland. Total overnight stays reached approximately 2.3 million, a 14.3% increase compared to the previous year.

Parallel to the rise in visitors, cashless transactions by foreign tourists also hit record levels. Data from Global Payments indicates that cashless payments by foreign visitors rose by 29.71% to 104.21 million euros. The number of transactions increased by 27.30% to 3.25 million. This growth is attributed to increased terminal availability, particularly in mountain regions, and the rising popularity of mobile and card payments. Visitors from Israel showed the most dramatic increase in spending, with a 248.26% rise in payment volume.