Kosice Region Tourism

What Kosice Region Tourism does

Košice Región Turizmus (KOCR) is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the Košice Self-Governing Region (Košický kraj) in eastern Slovakia, founded in 2012/2013 and headquartered in Košice. It operates a multilingual digital tourism platform — including the kosiceregion.com website in Slovak, English, Hungarian, German, and Polish, plus iOS and Android mobile applications — that aggregates regional destinations, UNESCO sites, Gothic Route heritage, cycling routes, Nordic walking trails, film-location walks, and bucket-list experiences. The organization runs a curated ambassador program of 14+ local personalities across food, adventure, culture, wine, and art, and integrates with third-party platforms such as smart-guide.org, Booking.com, Airbnb, and Hauzi.sk via referral rather than direct booking. As a public-interest regional entity, Košice Región Turizmus is funded through membership contributions from Košický samosprávny kraj, VisitKošice, OOCR Spiš, and Dolný Zemplín, supplemented by national government budget allocations from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports SR and EU cross-border programme funding (Interreg HUSKROUA, Interreg Danube). Its GTM is event-driven and community-led, anchored by participation in ITB Berlin, Routes Europe, Utazás Budapest, and Caravan Bike Travel Nitra, plus airline partnerships with Wizz Air and LOT Polish Airlines that have driven new inbound routes from Košice to Rome, Málaga, and Vienna. The organization serves as a coordinating DMO across four member institutions and a broader network of tourism stakeholders, NGOs (KST, Hikemates), and cultural-route projects (Gothic Route, Via Carpatia, GO52).

Name

Kosice Region Tourism

Legal name

Košice Región Turizmus

Website

https://kosiceregion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Košice Región Turizmus is the official regional DMO for eastern Slovakia, operating a multilingual digital tourism platform and mobile app that aggregate UNESCO sites, hiking trails, film walks, and gastronomy experiences across the Košice Region, funded by government membership fees and EU grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination & Venue Reservation Systems (DMO/MICE) (THALADAI), National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Regional tourism promotion
• Destination marketing
• Travel information
• Cultural heritage tourism
• Adventure tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Kosice

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and organizational contributions: Košice Región Turizmus is a Destination Management Organization (DMO) funded primarily through membership contributions from Košický samosprávny kraj, VisitKošice, OOCR Spiš, and Dolný Zemplín. As a public-interest regional organization, it also receives government and cohesion policy funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Košice Region Tourism (Košice Región Turizmus, KOCR) is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the Košice Self-Governing Region in eastern Slovakia. It promotes regional tourism through a multilingual digital platform (website in SK, EN, HU, DE, PL), a mobile app for iOS and Android, curated bucket-list experiences, film location walking tours, cycling routes, and marketing campaigns at international trade fairs. The organization coordinates destination marketing efforts across sub-regions including Spiš, Gemer, Košice city, Lower Zemplín, and Tokaj.

Product overview

Košice Region Tourism operates a comprehensive digital tourism promotion ecosystem consisting of an official tourism website (kosiceregion.com), mobile applications for iOS and Android, and integrated third-party platforms. The platform serves as a regional destination management organization (DMO) for Košice Region in eastern Slovakia, offering visitors trip planning tools, destination information, and curated experiences including Smart Guide Film Walks, Bucket List adventures, and cycling routes. The offering combines informational content with connections to external booking platforms rather than direct booking capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kraj sveta (Edge of the World): Tourism brand for the Košice Region, referring to the region as the 'Edge of the World' in marketing materials.
• VÝCHOD
• Terra Incognita

Products and services

• Košice Region Tourism Website Official tourism promotion website for Košice Region providing destination information, trip planning tools, accommodation booking redirects, and travel inspiration for visitors.
• Košice Region Tourism Mobile Application Official mobile application for iOS and Android providing access to tourism information, destination guides, and travel planning tools for Košice Region visitors.
• Smart Guide Film Walks Self-guided walking tour experience featuring film locations throughout Košice Region, available through smart-guide.org platform with 10+ themed routes.
• Bucket List Experiences Curated collection of adventure experiences and activities in Košice Region including cross-country skiing, Nordic walking, winter swimming, and nature exploration.
• Cycling Route Platform Interactive platform featuring cycling routes throughout Košice Region with difficulty levels, distances, and estimated completion times.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Košický samosprávny kraj (KSK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKošický samosprávny kraj (Košice Self-Governing Region) is the primary institutional member and funder of Košice Región Turizmus. The regional government co-governs the DMO and jointly launches initiatives such as the Terra Incognita grant program and the Umenie na mieste X (Art in Place X) land art initiative.
• VisitKošicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisitKošice is the official Convention Bureau and city-level tourism organization for Košice city. As a member of KOCR, it coordinates city-level tourism promotion with the broader regional DMO.
• OOCR Spiš (Organizácia cestovného ruchu Spiš)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spiš Tourism Organization is a member organization within KOCR, representing the Spiš sub-region which includes UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Spiš Castle and the Slovak Paradise.
• Dolný ZemplíncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDolný Zemplín is a member organization of KOCR, representing the Lower Zemplín sub-region including the Zemplínska Šírava water reservoir and other regional attractions.
• Ministerstvo cestovného ruchu a športu SR (Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Ministry of Tourism and Sports SR is a national-level partner providing strategic direction and funding alignment for Slovak tourism promotion, including support for KOCR's international marketing activities.
• Slovakia.travelmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe national Slovak tourism marketing platform distributes regional content and links to Košice Region tourism offerings as part of the national tourism promotion network.
• Letisko Košice (Košice Airport)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKošice Airport is a key partner for expanding international air connectivity. Joint initiatives have promoted new Wizz Air routes (to Rome, Málaga) and LOT Polish Airlines connections, driving inbound tourism to the region.
• KST (Klub slovenských turistov / Slovak Tourist Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKST is the historic Slovak hiking and mountaineering organization providing trail expertise, maintenance of marked hiking trails, and promotion of hiking culture within the region.
• HikematesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHikemates is a hiking community and trail platform that partners with the DMO to promote hiking trails and outdoor experiences in the Košice Region.
• LOT Polish AirlinesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLOT Polish Airlines has established a long-term strategic partnership enabling new international routes to Eastern Slovakia, with joint promotional missions in Sweden (Gothenburg) and Copenhagen to open new foreign markets.
• Wizz AirmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerWizz Air launched new direct routes from Košice to Rome and Málaga, significantly improving the region's international accessibility and enabling new tourism market segments.
• Interreg HUSKROUA (Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine Cross-border Programme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOCR participates in the EU Interreg Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine cross-border cooperation program, which funds joint tourism development and marketing projects across the border region.
• Interreg Danube (Ecovelotour)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ecovelotour project under the Interreg Danube programme focuses on developing and promoting cycling tourism infrastructure across the Danube region, including the Košice Region.
• GO52 – 52 Experiences in the Carpathian RegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGO52 is a cross-border project developing a network of 52 curated experiential tourism products across the Carpathian Region, in which KOCR participates as a content provider.
• Terra Incognita Grant ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerra Incognita is a grant programme operated jointly by Košický samosprávny kraj and Košice Región Turizmus, providing funding for tourism projects in the region. In 2026, the program made significant investments in regional tourism development through approved project grants.
• Gotická cesta (Gothic Route)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Gothic Route in Gemer is a themed European heritage corridor featuring Gothic churches and cultural monuments. Košice Region Tourism promotes this route as part of its cultural heritage tourism portfolio.
• Via CarpatiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVia Carpatia is a tourism route connecting Carpathian regions across Central and Eastern Europe. KOCR partners to promote the route's passage through the Košice Region.
• SOPK Košice (Slovenská obchodná a priemyselná komora)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Košice collaborates with KOCR on business and tourism event promotion, including participation in trade fairs and caravan/bike travel exhibitions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KosiceRegion
• Facebookfacebook.com/kosiceregion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kosiceregion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kosice Region Tourism