SLOVAKIA TOURISM ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION

Since 1 November 2010 responsibility for tourism has rested with the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic.

The Tourism Section of the Ministry is divided into two departments – the Tourism Strategy and Policy Department and the Tourism Co-operation and Co-ordination Department with responsibilities including:

• Creation of conditions for the development of tourism;
• Formulation, implementation and monitoring of state tourism development policy;
• Elaboration of national tourism development concepts and strategies;
• Preparation of legislative regulations concerning tourism;
• Provision of required incentives and aid for investments of the private sector in tourism;
• Provision of comprehensive statistical data on the development of tourism in Slovakia;
• Cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic in the support of the application of international standards and in the development of education in tourism;
• Cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic in the harmonization of the interests of the development of tourism and the protection of nature;
• Administration of the Register of regional tourism organizations;
• Representing the country's interests in international tourism organizations;
• Implementation of tasks of cross-border cooperation in the field of tourism;
• Preparation and implementation of international bilateral and multilateral agreements in tourism;
• Methodical guidance and monitoring of the fulfilment of tasks of the Slovak Tourist Board.

The Slovak Tourist Board (STB) is a government agency established in 1995 and funded from the state budget and responsible for promoting and marketing Slovakia as a tourism destination. The STB markets tourism at the national level, provides information on travel opportunities in Slovakia, promotes a positive image of the country as a tourism destination abroad, supports the sale of tourism products. The STB has eight regional branch offices and six foreign offices located in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Austria, the Russian Federation and Hungary.

The Slovak Convention Bureau (SCB) was established in 2010 on the initiative of the STB as a non-profit entity working as an organizational unit of the STB. The STB is based on the private-public partnership and its main task is to promote the country as a congress destination.

At the regional level, tourism responsibilities were devolved in 2001 from a local civil service (district and regional offices) to eight self-governing bodies in the regional governments (Bratislava, Trnava, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Prešov and Košice) and municipalities.

Local self-government in municipalities and towns also play an important role in the development of tourism in their areas.

By adopting the amendment to the Act on Support of Tourism in October 2011, the Ministry builds a system of destination management organizations (DMOs) in Slovakia, whereby local and regional tourism organizations are created on the basis of voluntary public-private partnership (PPP), with financial support from the government. Currently there are 32 local and 4 regional tourism organizations created under the above-mentioned Act and responsible for the development of tourism and creation and promotion of competitive tourist products within a respective region or defined territory.

 Tourism associations as professional entities also contribute to the development of tourism at local and regional levels, primarily in the fields of quality improvement, expanding the range of tourism products and services, professional training, the application of quality standards, and communication of best practices.

In 2011, the representatives of the seven most important nationwide tourism associations founded The Slovak Tourism Association as a voluntary non-political and professionally oriented organization of employers in tourism. The founding members are the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Association of Travel Agents, Bratislava Hotel Association, LAVEX – cableways and ski lifts, Historical Hotels of Slovakia, Slovak Association of Rural Tourism and Agro Tourism and the Slovak Tourist Guides Association. The priorities of the Association are the unification of the tourism branch, active approach to legislative changes in the area of tourism, more intense co-operation with the Slovak Tourist Board in promoting Slovakia and supporting the domestic tourism