Spa Enterprises in Rural and Urban Settings: Evidence from Slovakia
Lenka PEKAROVIČOVÁ – Martin SCHMIDT
https://doi.org/10.18267/pr.2026.vol.2587.26
Abstract: Spa tourism constitutes a core segment of health-related tourism in Slovakia and can play an important role in tourism development in smaller settlements and rural areas. Despite its relevance for local economies, empirical evidence on spatial differences in the economic performance of spa enterprises remains limited. This paper examines whether spa enterprises located in towns differ from those situated in villages in terms of economic scale and labor productivity. The analysis uses enterprise-level data for the year 2024 (n = 28) covering total revenues, average employment, and labor productivity expressed as revenue per employee. Group differences between town- and village-based spas were assessed using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Mann-Whitney U test. The results indicate tendencies toward higher revenues and employment levels in town-based enterprises, though these differences were not consistently confirmed across parametric and non-parametric tests. The study provides empirical evidence on spatial differences in the Slovak spa sector and highlights that observed town-village disparities relate mainly to enterprise scale rather than labor productivity.
Keywords: spa enterprises, economic performance, rural-urban differences
JEL Classification codes: Z32, R11, L25
Fulltext: PDF
Published by: Prague University of Economics and Business, Oeconomica Publishing House
Year of publication: 2026
Online publication date: 20 May 2026
Copyright: Authors of the papers
ISBN 978-80-245-2587-7
ISSN 2453-6113
Pages 311-322