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Development of tourism in accommodation establishments of the SR in 2020
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Development of tourism in accommodation establishments of the SR in 2020

Last update: 24.11.2021
Ilustratívny obrázok/Illustrative image
Publisher: Statistical Office of the SR
Topic: Sectoral statistics
Domain: Tourism
Publish Date: 24.02.2021

In 2020, the coronacrisis cut the number of the hotelier's guests to the level of twenty years ago, their turnover fell almost by half

In 2020, the number of guests of accommodation establishments in the SR dropped by half, to 3,2 million due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was the lowest in the last twenty years. A slump came after the  record tourist year of 2019 with 6,4 million visitors.

For the whole calendar year 2020, 3,2 million visitors were accommodated in the tourism establishments in Slovakia, which was the worst result since 2001. Extensive travel restrictions due to Covid-19 thus led to a record decrease in the year-long number of visitors by 50,1 %. The fact that the previous year 2019 was a year of record growths in the number of visits in all regions of Slovakia also contributed to the high rate of a decrease.

The number of foreign visitors decreased by two thirds year-on-year, to 854 thousand, which was and is the lowest number of foreigners accommodated in the SR since 1998. The number of domestic visitors decreased more moderately in the summer months due to restrictions by 40,5 %. The accommodation providers registered 2,4 million domestic guests.

In total, guests spent 9,8 million nights in accommodation establishments in the SR, which represented a year-on-year decrease of 44,7 %. The only indicator, which recorded an increase in 2020, was the increase in the average number of overnight stays from 2,8 to 3,1 nights.

In 2020, the highest decrease in the number of visitors was recorded by Bratislavský kraj, i.e.by 68,5 %, but it remained the third most visited region in the SR. Compared to the previous year, it was visited by only less than a quarter of foreign visitors (a decrease by 75,9 %) and less than a half of domestic visitors (a year-on-year decrease of 54,5 %). This was followed by Trenčiansky kraj and Nitrianskykraj with a year-on-year decrease in visitors of more than 50 %. The lowest year-round decrease in guests was recorded in the most important tourist regions Žilinský kraj, by 38 % and Prešovský kraj by 40,9 %.

Visitors in accommodation establishments of the SR - Graph

Guests from the surrounding countries prevailed in the structure of foreign visitors. The most foreign visitors came from the Czech Republic (378 thousand) and Poland (116 thousand), but their number was almost by a half lower than in 2019. This was followed by foreign visitors from Germany (63 thousand), Hungary (43 thousand), Ukraine (33 thousand) and Austria (31 thousand), but their number  in Slovakia decreased by up to two thirds compared to 2019. The most significant drop, by more than 80 %, was recorded by visitors from overseas destinations, from the USA and countries of Asia.

In 2020, accommodation establishments reached the turnover in the amount of almost EUR 277 million, compared to the previous year, it decreased by almost a half (by 46,4 %). As for the regions, the highest turnover were recorded by accommodation establishments in the most important tourist regions, in Žilinský kraj (EUR 74 million) and Prešovský kraj (EUR 63 million). Accommodation establishments recorded the lowest turnover in Nitriansky kraj (EUR 14 million) and Košický kraj  (EUR 15 million).

While accommodation establishments in Bratislavský kraj recorded only a quarter of the turnover from the previous year; in Žilinský kraj,  it was the opposite. A quarter of turnover was short of the level of the record year 2019. In Bratislavský kraj, more than a half from the value of turnovers, EUR 35,7 million, were recorded from foreigners.

Turnover from foreign visitors accounted for only 29,3 % of the total turnover of accommodation providers in the SR in 2020. In summary, foreigners brought turnover in the amount of EUR 81,1 mil., compared to last year, it decreased by 64,5 %. Thanks to the summer season, which maintained domestic tourism, domestic visitors recorded turnover in the amount of EUR 195,8 mil., which accounted for 70,7 % of the total turnover. Domestic turnover decreased by 31,9 % year-on-year, there was a slighter decrease than in case of foreign visitors.


Note: Statistics of accommodation establishments contain data from all legal entities and natural persons with assigned ID numbers, which are kept in the Register of Accommodation Establishments of the SR and provide temporary accommodation to tourists.


  • Issued by :

  • Statistical Office of the SR
  • Lamačská cesta 3/C
  • 840 05 Bratislava 45
  • Slovak Republic
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  • +421 2 50 236 335
  • e-mail: info@statistics.sk

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