Scholarly record

INCREASING EMPLOYMENT IN THE REGIONS VIA SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTS

E. Hvizdova

Abstract

Tourism is one of the fastest growing and largest sectors of the global economy and has important economic, social, cultural and environmental effects. Slovakia is among the countries with high rates of unemployment in Europe, but has a lot of natural and cultural wealth. Fragmented and diverse socio-cultural and environmental aspects of rural areas in Slovakia offer a variety of business and employment opportunities in the tourism and traditional folk arts and crafts to anticipate the diversity of interests of tourists. The paper shows the possibilities of tourism development in disadvantaged regions of Slovakia, analyzing them in terms of unemployment offering a creative view on the continuation of traditional folk crafts through their development, resulting in improving living standards and quality of living of residents in the regions. The qualitative research in form of narrative interviews with the freelancers operating in folk crafts offered the detailed insight into the issue and assessed the real situation in this area and this was the basis for formulation of statements that could help in efficient support of this sector and regional development.

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