Tourism in Slovakia
Tourism in Slovakia offers natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.
Slovakia’s forests contain a wide biodiversity and animals include brown bears, wolves, foxes, wild boars, muskrats, chamois and lynxes.
They feature many rare plant and animal species and offer numerous skiing, hiking and mountaineering opportunities.
Recently built parks include Tatralandia in Liptovský Mikuláš, Aquacity in Poprad and Aquathermal in Senec.
Slovakia's karst areas offer an extremely high number of caves and their list is being expanded every year owing to new discoveries.
Čachtice Castle was once the home of the world's most prolific female serial killer, the 'Bloody Lady', Elizabeth Báthory.
Complete historical villages were preserved only in some cases, such as in Čičmany, Vlkolínec (UNESCO site), Brhlovce, Špania Dolina, Osturňa, Podbiel, Stará Hora in Sebechleby, Plavecký Peter, Veľké Leváre, and Ždiar.
Souvenirs can be bought in the shops run by the state organization ÚĽUV (Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby - Center of Folk Art Production).
Other popular Slovak distilled beverages include slivovica (plum brandy) and borovička, made of juniper berries.
It is voluntary, that if you are satisfied with services in restaurant or in a pub, you can give staff tips, as these are not included in the final bill.
After the introduction of the Communist regime in 1948, Westerners were no longer welcomed in Czechoslovakia, which naturally caused material losses to the tourism industry.
On the other hand, however, since most Czechoslovakian citizens were virtually prohibited from travelling abroad (especially to the West), the regime had to provide more recreational facilities for the population in its own country: In 1989 (at the end of the Communist regime), there were 988 accommodation facilities (389 hotels, 17 motels, 200 hostels, 82 camping sites, 130 cottage camps and other) with 145,822 beds in Slovakia.
Dozens of new travel agencies have been established, and the number of tourists from abroad and income from tourism increased considerably.
[9] Slovakia's government stated the film damaged the image of Slovakia and could be harmful to the tourism industry,[10] an idea perpetuated in the opening paragraph of The Denver Post's announcement in 2007 of a sequel with a tongue-in-cheek claim that the U.S. State Department might add the former Soviet nation to the list of travel advisories for Americans abroad.
[11] This image of Slovakia had not been helped by David Edelstein's 2006 review of the original in New York Magazine, which he opened by blithely commenting on the "nonstop naked sauna party" in the Slovakian village that serves as a backdrop.
