Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 2000, Slovakia (rather quickly) introduced
visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals, and
Ukraine responded in the same way. Introduc-
tion of visas had deeply negative consequences
for cross-border travel. Numbers of Ukrainians
travelling to Slovakia dropped from 1.5m in
1999 to 0.35m in 2001. Numbers of Slovak
tourists going to Ukraine dropped from 62,000
to 54,000 in the same period. In the early 2000s
Slovakia and Ukraine extended the number
of their consulates in neighbouring countries
and eased visa regulations. The cross-border
exchange increased, but was far from its 1999
heyday.
Illegal immigration from Ukraine, exten-
sive smuggling of alcohol and tobacco pro-
ducts and difficulties encountered by Slovak
authorities when returning migrants back to
Ukraine were regarded as major obstacles for
the introduction of a more liberal regime for
cross-border exchange. These issues were
discussed during a visit by the Slovak Prime
Minister Mr Dzurinda to Kiev in June 2004
(MZSR, 2004). The Ukrainian Government
gaveuptheideaoffreeofchargevisasforall
Ukrainians travelling to Slovakia and no visa
requirements for Slovaks travelling to Ukraine.
The Slovak Government, on the other hand,
was ready to follow recommendations by the
Council of Europe from September 2003 on
small cross-border exchange. These recom-
mendations included free visas issued to
inhabitants living in areas up to 50 km from
each side of the border. The visa valid for a
period of 1-5 years should enable both VFR
and leisure travel and access to local labour
markets. The Slovak government, however,
pointed out that further liberalization of the
visa regime depended on strict enforcement of
the current readmission agreement.
independent researchers can shed some light on
this issue.
The 1998-2002 tourism surveys (MHSR,
1997-2003; also PIT, 2004) indicated that most
foreign visitors came from neighbouring coun-
tries, such as Hungary, Poland, and the Czech
Republic. They dominated the day visitor and
the short-stay tourism markets. The average
length of stay was about 3 days. In contrast, lon-
ger stay (4
+
days) tourists were more likely to be
from Germany, The Netherlands and Italy. Bor-
der crossing statistics reveal a remarkable stabil-
ity in the cross-border travel patterns (Figs 8.4
and 8.5). There were no significant changes in
travel motives in the period 1996-2002. Most
visitors travelled for business, leisure and culture
purposes, followed by visiting friends and rela-
tives (VFR), shopping, and transit or one-day
visits with undeclared objectives (Table 8.1).
Relatively stable underlying factors influ-
enced these patterns. Most of the VFR travel, for
example, had an ethnic dimension. The large
Hungarian minority in Slovakia (some half a
million people or 10% of the Slovak popula-
tion), maintained strong contacts with their
friends and relatives in Hungary. Adjacent
border regions of Hungary provide them with
plenty of opportunities for culture, shopping
and small-time business, which are not always
available in Slovakia. The same can be said for
ethnic Slovaks and Hungarians living in Ukraine.
A lot of Czech-Slovak travel originated in
friendship and family ties established during the
period of a common state (1918-1991). These
ties were not broken after the 'Velvet Divorce'
and establishment of the Czech and Slovak
Republics. Ethnic and demographic composi-
tion in neighbouring countries has changed little
in recent years. Similar stability can be found in
the supply of culture and leisure destinations in
Slovakia.
The above-mentioned tourist surveys char-
acterize travel motives of foreign tourists coming
to Slovak territory. Border areas, however,
account for a rather different structure of travel
motives. Williams, Balá
y
and Bodnárová (2001)
undertook a key informant survey in September
1999. It was directed at all the municipal mayors
in Slovakia's five border regions. The survey
assumed that mayors of border municipalities
were likely to possess the most complete infor-
mation
Travel Motives and Composition
of Cross-border Flows
There are no statistics covering structure and
motives of cross-border travel and impacts of
cross-border flows on local and regional eco-
nomics in Slovakia. In the absence of reliable
secondary statistics on cross-border personal
mobility,
surveys
by
tourist
authorities
and
concerning
impacts
of
cross-border
