Embassy Events
Slovakia and U.S. Mark Six Months of Visa-Free Travel for Slovaks -- and an Increase in Visits to U.S.
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| Photo: Vladimír Švec. |
Chargé d’Affaires Keith Eddins on May 19 joined Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Secretary Diana Strofova at a press conference called by the Slovak MFA to celebrate six months of visa-free travel between Slovakia and the United States. Ms. Strofova opened the briefing with her positive evaluation of the visa waiver program and the new ESTA on-line traveler registration system, providing recommendations to Slovak citizens on applying through ESTA. Mr. Eddins also emphasized the success of the visa waiver program for Slovaks and its financial advantages during an economic recession. He said: “While statistics are still preliminary, we’ve seen roughly a 10 percent increase in travel by Slovaks to the United States. About 1,000 Slovaks are traveling visa-free to the U.S. each month and they’re saving more than 100,000 Euros a month. These numbers are particularly impressive given the economic recession that both our countries are experiencing.” He later took questions from Slovak media. The press conference was covered by almost all main media outlets, and Slovak news channel TA3 broadcast the event live.
