Regional Tourism Policy in Slovakia

Regional tourism policy is a necessary precondition for tourism development in Slovak regions and their competitiveness at the international tourism market. It is based on the set of necessary preconditions. They include attractive tourism potential such as supply, integrated marketing and management, correct and honest co-operation between private and public sector, existing organizational structure of tourism from national to regional and local levels, regional information system and of course also positive attitude of inhabitants to tourism development. The regional tourism policy is a system with interconnected subsystems - subsystem of objectives, instruments and incentives and stakeholders, which are organizations and entities responsible for creation, and implementation of regional tourism policy. The objective of this paper is to present results of the secondary and field research, which has been conducted in Slovakia in 2005/2006. Its scientific goal was investigate the conditions for development of methodology of creation and implementation of regional tourism policy applicable in conditions of economic praxis of the Slovak Republic. Research sample created 302 representatives of public sector and 302 representatives of private sector engaged in tourism development in Slovakia. The results demonstrate the fact, that objectives, instruments and stakeholders as subsystem of regional tourism policy are influenced by existing state of tourism development in Slovakia. Slovakian respondents are not satisfied with regional tourism policy and expect systematic solution. Based on the analysis of basic aspects of regional tourism policy in Slovakia we have proposed the methodology of creation and implementation of regional tourism policy in Slovakia for self-governing regions. We formulate set of practical recommendations and also methodical issues, which can be divided into three main fields - objectives, instruments and main stakeholders.