Kalinak: Spa Municipalities Need Special Status

Bratislava, 8 April (TASR) - The importance of spas in Slovakia goes beyond the boundaries of the towns and villages in which they operate, as they are located in 21 local-governing areas with a combined population of nearly 97,000, but their activities are not focused exclusively on services for residents; they serve visitors and spa guests as well, so recognising their special status must be a legitimate topic, said Deputy Interior Ministry Michal Kalinak after meeting representatives of the tourism sector and local authorities on Wednesday. These stakeholders are expected to participate in shaping support mechanisms that will subsequently be submitted to the government for discussion. "The spa sector is a specific segment of the economy, combining natural resources, medical treatments and local uniqueness. These specifics were also dealt with at a special government session, where several concrete tasks were adopted. So, we've joined forces with the Health Ministry, the tourism and spa section of the Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) and the Slovak Spa Association. We must cooperate to create a sustainable framework for supporting spa municipalities as well as the spas themselves. The modernisation of local government must also address this," said Kalinak in a statement sent to TASR by the press department of the Interior Ministry. According to the ministry, there are 24 spas in Slovakia. The largest spa town is Bardejov (Presov region), while the smallest spa municipality is the village of Kovacova (Banska Bystrica region). mf/df