Slovakia lacks competitive tourism

Slovakia lacks competitive tourism

Neither Slovakia nor the Czech Republic are countries in which tourism could be viewed as the bedrock of their economies, according to an analysis by UniCredit Bank released on Wednesday.
"With tourism accounting for just over 6 percent of Slovakia's GDP, the figure is the eighth lowest in the EU in this respect," said the bank's analyst Lubomir Koršňak. The EU average is 10 percent, according to figures by the World Travel & Tourism Council. "The low contribution of tourism to GDP in Slovakia and the Czech Republic boils down to their low competitiveness in the sector," said the analyst. The areas in which Slovakia was found lagging behind have to do with how effective the country's legal framework is in resolving disputes, the length of procedures regarding construction permits and the effect of taxation on motivation to work. In addition, deficiencies were also detected in the importance, or lack of importance, that government policies attribute to tourism, including public expenditures, how effectively the country is promoted, the development of air transport, the availability of a qualified labour force, and the flexibility of the labour law.


The World Economic Forum has also placed the two countries in the bottom half when it comes to how competitive their tourism industries are. In fact, among EU countries, only Romania did worse than Slovakia in this particular ranking. The Czech Republic took 19th place. Four components make up the competitiveness index - a country's (un)favourable business and other conditions, policies, infrastructure and natural and cultural resources. "While countries hold some sway over the first three areas, natural and cultural resources are more or less given and determine the natural potential of a country in tourism," said Koršňak. Interestingly, Slovakia was ranked as 12th best in the EU in terms of natural potential. By contrast, it took a lowly 115th place among all 136 countries under review in the business environment in tourism.
Anca Dragu Foto: TASR

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