Summer is traditionally synonymous with vacations, trips, concerts, collecting experiences and getting to know new places. And how was this summer in the Trenčín region? In one word – successful. The statistics on the number of visitors to accommodation facilities show an increase compared to last year. Some monuments or cultural facilities even report record attendance. If we were to single out the most popular tourist spots in the Trenčín Region, they would certainly be the castles. The spa is also very popular and visited. Cycling tourism in the region is not lagging behind, which is devoted to an increasing number of visitors and local residents.

The Trenčín region is traditionally dominated by domestic visitors. The number of visitors to the region in the summer months of June, July and August increased by 7.5% compared to the summer of 2022. A total of 119,024 vacationers visited the Trenčín Region. The number of overnight stays also increased compared to last year. We are talking about an increase of more than 25 thousand. Accommodation establishments in the region registered 445,617 overnight stays. What hasn't changed is the fact that the month of August dominates in terms of the intensity of visits during the year, when up to 40,629 tourists discovered the Trenčín region.

"The main goal of the regional tourism organization (KOCR) Trenčín region is to present the region as an ideal destination for vacations or trips. Therefore, the increasing number of visitors to the region makes us very happy and motivates us in our work. We will continue to try to develop activities to support domestic tourism, one of which was the recently completed summer project called In the footsteps of the Trenčan elf, which inspired families with children to get to know the Trenčín region and earned very positive reactions," expressed satisfaction Pavol Štefčík, representing the executive director of KOCR Trenčín region.

The summer at the castles was marked by a record number of visitors, interesting events and construction activity

This year's summer season was described as a record by the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín, which also manages the Trenčín Castle. Almost 100,000 visitors visited its branches only during the summer months of June and August. The castle of Matúš Čáka enjoyed the highest number of visitors, which was visited by 83,222 visitors in the summer. Several factors contributed to this above-average interest. "This year, we prepared several novelties for the visitors, which resonated very positively with them. Common entrance fees to all museum branches, a big summer competition for a night in Matúšová vež, a mini-farm, a summer cinema, several concerts, a fairy-tale exhibition or a varied and attractive program with high-quality dramaturgy," explained the summer program Katarína Špačková, head of the marketing and communication department of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín.

One of the most popular monuments in Slovakia, Bojnický Castle, attracted almost 96,000 visitors during the summer months, which is comparable to the best seasons in the pre-covid period. Positive statistics were achieved not only thanks to regular tours, but also popular night tours and legendary ghosts in the castle.

Every holiday weekend was colorful at Beckov Castle. During the summer tourist season, visitors could choose from a wide range of themed events, which were enjoyed by 60,542 visitors by the end of the summer. These numbers represent an increase of 20% compared to last year. However, the program is not the only thing that they devoted themselves to at the castle. The summer of 2023 was also marked by construction work and extensive reconstruction at the castle. The result is the recently opened western palace, which currently represents the largest covered part of the castle.

Not only the reputation of Čachtice Castle, but also several interesting events bringing the history of this castle closer, such as "Life at the Court of Elizabeth Báthory" or "Night tours with Count František Nádasdy" attracted almost 29,300 visitors to the castle during the summer.

The priority of most ruins is rescue and remedial work, an example of which is Tematín Castle. With the help of volunteers and foreign students in the field of monuments, they devoted the summer mainly to finishing work on the Northern Palace, where the exhibition spaces are being prepared.

Active rest and relaxation

A popular summer activity in the Trenčín region is cycling, which is boosted by the growing network of cycle paths in the Trenčín region. The popularity of this sport is also proven by the statistics of one of the most beautiful and popular sections of cycle routes, leading around the Veľká Skalka monastery near Trenčín. During the summer months alone, 114,208 cyclists rode this route. The most frequented section was in August, when 43,420 cyclists or skaters crossed it.

Even in the three spas of Trenčianske Teplice, Bojnice and Nimnica, they consider the past summer season to be successful. In Trenčianske Teplice, they prepared a novelty during the summer called "Wellness in the region", which is similar to the winter version of the "Spa in the region" project. In the months of July and August, visitors had a 50% discount on entry to the WELLMED center. It was the first year of this project and a total of 60 municipalities and cities from the Trenčín region were involved in it. In July, they recorded 512 entries within the project and 1,211 entries in August.

The oldest Slovak ZOO in Bojnice, which was visited by more than 134,000 visitors during the summer holidays, was also a popular destination for trips. The attraction was a butterfly garden, educational activities, a petting zoo or the opportunity to stop "for a chat" with the nurses.

Text: PG

Source: ŠÚ SR SR

23.10.2023