Slovaks Took Over 11 Million Overnight Trips in 2024, Travel Abroad Up 11%

Bratislava, 3 July (TASR) - In 2024, Slovaks undertook more than 11 million private overnight trips, marking a slight year-on-year increase, although the figure remained 7 percent lower than in the record pre-pandemic year of 2019, it follows from an annual travel survey conducted by the Statistics Office The shift in travel habits continued, with international travel showing stronger growth in both absolute numbers and share. Most of the trips were domestic, with 6.9 million journeys made within Slovakia, representing a 3-percent decline compared to the previous year. The number of domestic trips was still more than 10 percent (790,000 trips) below 2019 levels. Short stays of 1 to 3 nights were the most common form of domestic travel, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all domestic trips (over 5 million). Compared to 2023, these short-term holidays saw a slight drop of 1.5 percent, but came closest to recovering to pre-pandemic levels, missing the 2019 numbers by just 4 percent. Paid accommodation, such as hotels, guesthouses, or private rentals, remained the preferred choice for domestic travelers. The number of trips involving paid lodging increased by nearly 4 percent year-on-year to almost 4 million, slightly surpassing 2019 figures—largely due to the growing popularity of private accommodation. More than half of all trips were made for vacation, leisure, or recreation purposes, with their number increasing by nearly 4 percent compared to the previous year. Fewer people traveled for family visits, social reasons, or other personal purposes than in 2023. Cars remained the dominant mode of transport for domestic travel, accounting for nearly 82 percent of all trips within Slovakia. Bus travel, on the other hand, saw a sharp decline of almost 21 percent year-on-year. Despite a 7 percent annual drop, Bratislava remained the most visited domestic destination, followed by the High Tatras and the districts of Liptovsky Mikulas, Kosice, and Zilina. Slovak residents made a total of 4.4 million trips abroad in 2024, meaning one in four trips went beyond Slovakia’s borders. Foreign travel saw the most dynamic growth—up by 11 percent year-on-year. Both long stays (4 nights or more) and short stays (1 to 3 nights) contributed to the increase. Nearly half of all foreign travelers used a car (more than 2 million people), while air travel accounted for one-third of trips abroad. The number of air travelers rose by 13 percent compared to the pre-COVID travel peak. The most significant year-on-year increase was seen in bus travel, which jumped by almost 38 percent. The Czech Republic remained the most visited foreign destination, accounting for over one-fifth of all outbound trips. Croatia was the second most popular destination, followed by Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Turkey. Austria and Greece—traditionally popular summer destinations—also ranked high on the list. mf