Huliak: Ministry Announces €4.5-million Tourism Development Call for Small Towns

Bratislava, 29 May (TASR) - The Tourism and Sport Ministry has allocated €4.5 million from its budget for developing tourism in small municipalities, with towns and villages with populations of up to 5,000 eligible to apply for a contribution as of next Monday (2 June), Tourism and Sport Minister Rudolf Huliak (Independent) announced at a news conference on Thursday. "We have good news for smaller towns and villages once again: we'll announce a tourism development-related call on 2 June. We want municipalities to be able to develop sites that have tourism potential but often lack support and basic infrastructure. The call is aimed at the construction, reconstruction and renewal of tourism infrastructure in line the ministry's priorities of enabling even the smallest regions to draw money for tourism infrastructure," stated Huliak. Municipalities will be able to use the money to build and modernise hiking trails and tourism signs, on water-sport tourism, or to build or renovate tourist shelters. They can also build or modernise gazebos on tourist routes, erect observation towers, restore educational hiking trails or build carparks at tourist attractions with this contribution. The minimum sum of the contribution is €10,000, and the ceiling is €100,000. Applicants must finance 10 percent of the total eligible expenditures. The ministry plans to evaluate the applications in July-August. ko/df