Ten Slovak towns offer free guided tours

Guides will provide free tours to residents of ten Slovak towns and cities this weekend, chairman of the Slovak Association of Tourist Guides (SSSCR) Marián Bilačič told TASR in Bratislava on Tuesday. The event is taking place to mark the 13th International Tourist Guide Day. Guides attempt to pay off their debts towards the locals at least once a year. This year, the list of towns and cities features Banská Bystrica, Bardejov (Prešov region), Bratislava, Košice, Liptovský Mikuláš (Žilina region), Martin (Žilina region), Nitra, Skalica (Trnava region), Poprad (Prešov region) and Spišská Nová Ves (Košice region). The main group of weekend tours will start on Saturday (February 20), while Liptovský Mikuláš residents can go on a new tour of the town centre on Friday (February 19). "Guides spend most of their working time with foreign visitors or tourists, as if they were forgetting about the residents of towns and the people working in them. They'll provide their services free of charge to anyone who arrives at a set place at a set time. We also want to present the work of qualified tourist guides in this way", said Bilačič. The association's role is to present the cultural heritage of Slovakia and its natural beauties. It also brings together individuals involved in the tourism industry. Last year, the event took place in 50 countries. In Slovakia, it started in 2004 with guided tours in four cities - Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Martin and Prešov. The event was attended by 423 people at that time, but the number had grown to 2,658 last year. A total of 631 guides and 19,608 locals took part in the free tours in a period of twelve years.