Survey: 80 Percent of Slovaks Plan to Spend Winter Holiday in Slovakia

Bratislava, 1 February (TASR) - Some 80 percent of Slovaks plan to spend their winter holiday in Slovakia, while one in five respondents intend to travel abroad, according to a survey carried out by Visa. Among those opting for a stay outside Slovakia, the respondents most frequently mentioned Austria or Poland. When choosing a foreign destination, the respondents cited ease of travel (56 percent) and comfort (51 percent) as the decisive factors, while 39 percent also viewed the quality of resorts as important. "Those who decide to stay in Slovakia do so primarily for comfort, proximity and easy travel," said Visa regional manager for Slovakia Lubica Gubova. Concerning winter activities, 44 percent of the respondents plan to go skiing, 39 percent plan ice skating and 18 percent snowboarding. The most common winter sport practised by Slovaks over the past five years is ice skating (36 percent). This is followed by downhill skiing (26 percent), ice hockey (24 percent) and cross-country skiing (13 percent). Some 69 percent of the respondents have purchased winter sports equipment in the past year, with 46 percent investing in sportswear. More than a third of the respondents said that they've rented equipment (39 percent), with one in five renting skis or snowboards (21 percent). The respondents also stated that they prefer cashless forms of payment at mountain resorts. Eight out of ten respondents want to pay by payment card or mobile phone. Four in ten respondents also stated that if cashless payments weren't available, they would spend less (13 percent), choose another merchant (19 percent) or never return to the outlet (11 percent). ko/df/jrg