Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Slovakia’s accommodation sector recorded one of its strongest Novembers on record in 2025, supported by a surge in international visitors and broad-based growth across all regions of the country, according to the latest figures released by the Statistical Office of the SR.
Hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers welcomed more than 467,000 guests during the month, representing an 8.4% increase compared with November 2024. This marked the best November performance for the sector since the pandemic and brought overall visitor numbers close to pre-crisis highs, remaining only slightly below the level recorded in November 2019.
Guests spent almost 1.1 million nights in Slovak accommodation establishments, up 7.1% year on year. The average stay length remained stable at 2.3 nights, indicating steady travel patterns rather than shorter or more fragmented visits.
Domestic travellers continued to form the backbone of the market, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all guests. Around 307,000 residents stayed in accommodation establishments in November, an increase of 4.6% compared with the same month last year. While strong by historical standards, domestic visitor numbers were marginally lower than the peak achieved in the final pre-pandemic year.
The strongest growth momentum came from abroad. The number of foreign visitors rose by 16.6% year on year, reaching approximately 160,000 guests. This figure slightly exceeded the previous November record set in 2019, confirming a full recovery of international tourism and highlighting Slovakia’s renewed appeal among foreign travellers.
All eight Slovak regions recorded year-on-year growth in visitor numbers during November. The most dynamic increase was reported in Žilinský kraj, where arrivals jumped by more than 18%, while Trnavský kraj saw more moderate growth of around 2%.
In absolute terms, Bratislavský kraj remained the most visited region, hosting over 126,000 guests during the month. Žilinský kraj followed closely, approaching the 100,000-visitor threshold, while Prešovský kraj also ranked among the leading destinations with more than 76,000 guests. Together, these three regions accounted for nearly two-thirds of all visitors staying in Slovakia in November.
From a longer-term perspective, Žilinský, Košický and Prešovský regions each achieved their highest November visitor figures ever recorded, surpassing even pre-pandemic benchmarks.
For the first eleven months of 2025, Slovak accommodation establishments hosted nearly 5.9 million guests, representing a 6.8% increase compared with the same period in 2024. Growth was driven primarily by foreign tourism, although domestic travel also continued to expand. The total number of overnight stays rose by 6.1% year on year.
Despite this strong performance, overall visitor numbers for January–November remained slightly below the record levels of 2019, trailing by roughly 2%, or around 118,000 guests.
The latest data underline the continued recovery and growing resilience of Slovakia’s tourism sector, with international demand playing an increasingly important role in driving growth as the industry enters 2026.
