On 4 December 2025, representatives of the Rural Youth Parliament in Slovakia (VPMS) and the Slovak Rural Parliament met with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic to discuss how key elements of the Vision for an Attractive Countryside 2040 can be used as input to the upcoming National Tourism Strategy of the Slovak Republic up to 2035.

The meeting was hosted by State Secretary Jana Štilichová and attended by:

  • Jakub Dvorský, Chair of the Rural Youth Parliament in Slovakia (VPMS) and coordinator of the Vision for an Attractive Countryside,
  • Monika Slaninová, Vice-Chair of VPMS and lead for the European Youth Village concept,
  • Mária Behanovská, representing the Slovak Rural Parliament, with long-term experience in rural development.

A Vision Rooted in the Slovak PoliRural Pilot

The Vision for an Attractive Countryside 2040 was developed in Slovakia during 2019–2022 within the Vision for a More Attractive Countryside in Slovakia 2040 within the PoliRural project. As a national vision for rural areas, it aims to provide long-term stability and clear direction for rural development, to reduce uncertainty and to better coordinate policies across sectors and support schemes.

In PoliRuralPlus (launched in early 2024), the Slovak team is building on this vision by:

  • continuing the consultation process with stakeholders,
  • strengthening cooperation between municipalities, the state and civil society,
  • and developing new digital and AI-based tools to support evidence-based decision-making.

These tools help analyse rural needs and potentials, model future development scenarios and explore how tourism, services and community life can evolve in different parts of rural Slovakia.

Connecting the Vision with the National Tourism Strategy 2035

The discussion at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport focused on how selected elements of the Vision for a More Attractive Countryside in Slovakia 2040 within the PoliRural project can directly inform the National Tourism Strategy up to 2035.

Several core messages emerged:

  • Rural areas should be seen as living territories, not just tourism backdrops. Tourism development needs to be aligned with quality of life, services and local economic opportunities.
  • Young people in rural areas should be treated as partners and co-creators of tourism development – as local leaders, entrepreneurs and initiators of community projects.
  • Tourism policy must reflect regional diversity and different rural profiles, from agrotourism and nature-based tourism to cultural heritage and community-led initiatives.

The Ministry expressed interest in using specific outputs from the Slovak PoliRural vision work – such as identified priorities, scenarios and recommendations – as part of the expert and stakeholder input to the drafting process of the National Tourism Strategy 2035. In this way, the outcomes of PoliRural and PoliRuralPlus in Slovakia will directly support a key national policy document, rather than remaining at project level only.

European Youth Village and Community-Based Development

During the meeting, Monika Slaninová presented the European Youth Village concept implemented by VPMS as a practical example of how rural youth engagement and tourism can mutually reinforce each other.

The concept demonstrates how:

  • youth participation,
  • volunteering,
  • cultural and community events,
  • and local initiatives

can make villages more attractive for residents while also creating distinctive, community-based tourism offers. This approach is fully in line with the PoliRuralPlus focus on people-centred rural development, where tourism is a means to strengthen communities and not an end in itself.

At the same time, Mária Behanovská underlined the importance of joined-up cooperation between the state, municipalities, civil society and young people. Such cooperation is essential for building resilient and vibrant rural communities that are attractive places to live, work and visit.

Next Steps under PoliRuralPlus

The meeting, held within the framework of PoliRuralPlus, confirmed a shared ambition: that the Slovak “Vision for an Attractive Countryside 2040”, created in the PoliRural pilot and further developed in PoliRuralPlus, will be meaningfully reflected in the National Tourism Strategy of the Slovak Republic up to 2035.

Next steps include:

  • continued expert dialogue between the Ministry, project partners and rural stakeholders,
  • sharing of AI-supported analyses and scenarios developed in PoliRuralPlus,
  • and ongoing involvement of rural youth representatives in the strategy preparation process.

Through these activities, PoliRuralPlus aims to ensure that evidence-based, participatory rural visioning directly contributes to national tourism policy-making in Slovakia and supports a form of tourism that genuinely strengthens rural communities and their long-term future.

Team

Team