Asia Most Popular among Exotic Destinations for Slovak Travellers in 2024

Bratislava, December 25 (TASR) - The travel hit among Slovak holidaymakers in 2024 was Asia, seeing the biggest increase in demand for exotic destinations this year. However, Italy and Spain are still the most popular holiday destinations of Slovaks, according to data published by air-ticket seller Pelikan.sk. Slovaks traditionally opted for Italy and Spain as place of their holiday, with almost a third of travellers heading to these countries this year. Nevertheless, Albania saw the most significant growth compared to last year, as 410 percent more Slovaks travelled there this year. Demand for Croatia, so much popular among Slovaks, increased by 13 percent this year, with Zadar posting the most significant growth after the new route there from Kosice was launched this summer. New routes from Bratislava to Istanbul and to Antalya were reflected in the increased interest in destinations in Turkey, going up by 41 percent from 2023. Concerning exotic destinations, chiefly Southeast Asia and the Far East posted an increased demand. Vietnam saw the biggest increase in the number of Slovak holidaymakers, going up by 77 percent, followed by Japan (76 percent), Indonesia (34 percent) and Thailand (27 percent). In addition to the offer of new direct flights, Pelikan sees lower air-ticket prices to these destinations behind the higher demand for them, falling by 10 percent in case of Southeast Asia and by almost 20 percent to destinations in the Far East. Prices of air tickets to Australia and Oceania were 13 percent cheaper than a year ago, while those to South America declined by 18 percent. However, the biggest drop in air-ticket prices was reported for Egypt (down almost 30 percent). Conversely, the price of air tickets to destinations in the Indian Ocean, with the exception of the island of Mauritius, have increased. ko