Number of Hotel and Guest House Visitors Set New Record in April

Bratislava, 11 June (TASR) - The number of visitors staying in tourist accommodation facilities in Slovakia reached 464,000 in April 2026, exceeding the record set in April 2019 by 5 percent, the Statistics Office reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, the number of overnight stays was 2-percent lower than the record set in April 2019. Domestic visitors accounted for the majority of accommodated guests in Slovakia, with their number increasing by 9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 284,000, thus surpassing the previous record-breaking April of 2019 by almost 5 percent. Foreign clientele continued the upward trend as well, with 180,000 foreign guests staying in Slovakia in April, up by 14 percent y-o-y, breaking the previous record set in April 2019 by nearly 6 percent. The Czech Republic had the largest, 26.4-percent share of the number of foreign tourists in April, while Poland was second with 9.7 percent. Visitors spent more than 1.1 million nights in hotels, guest houses and other accommodation facilities in Slovakia. This was an increase of nearly 10 percent y-o-y, but it fell short of the record set in April 2019 by 2 percent, with the average length of stay coming in at 2.4 nights. Seven of Slovakia's eight regions saw y-o-y increases in the number of visitors, ranging from 0.9 percent in Nitra region to 16.2 percent in Zilina region. Conversely, Trnava was the only region to record fewer guests y-o-y, by 2 percent. The most-frequently visited region was Bratislava region, attracting 133,000 guests, with Zilina region next on 94,000 guests. These two regions accounted for half of the total visitor numbers in Slovakia in April, and they also registered their highest-ever figures for that month, both in terms of domestic and foreign clientele. Presov region followed with 71,000 guests while Kosice region came in fourth at 33,000 visitors, with both regions breaking their records for April. Furthermore, these four regions, i.e. Bratislava, Zilina, Presov and Kosice, all posted new records for the number of overnight stays for the same month. In the first four months of 2026 almost 1.8 million tourists were accommodated in tourism facilities in Slovakia, up by 10 percent y-o-y and also 9-percent higher when compared to the same period before the pandemic (in 2019). The number of foreign clientele rose by 15 percent y-o-y, outpacing the 6-percent increase posted by domestic guests. jrg/df