Small and medium enterprises in Slovakia focusing on tourism

The small and medium enterprise (SME) development is one of the assumes of favourable economic development in SR. It belongs, along with reclassification of the Slovak economy, to its main priorities. Despite favourable trends, the SME share of the most important indexes has been lower than in the EU countries. Due to barrier elimination on macro- and micro level, as well as, a significant state support and an effective support of the European Union and in context with other countries in the Middle and Eastern Europe, we can expect convergence towards the target values of SME in EU, considering this as a whole, as well as, within particular sector-branch segments of SME. Small and medium entrepreneurs achieve 51% of the GDP formation, over 62 employment share and 45% export share, however, SME in Slovakia have got many reserves despite the relatively good shares. The SME are worth in difficult conditions of a new economy too, supposing they are markedly active and the state creates adequate business environment for them. They cannot stagnate in the new economy. They can follow one of two strategies: offensive or defensive, where both of them have got their strengths. The SME support in the Slovak conditions is very actual. Revaluation of the present forms of the SME support leads to the need of redirection from the tools bringing only a short-term effect towards the use of long-term character tools with a striking motivational effect. We should consider SME in Slovakia from its perspective effect point of view within the united European market too. Identification of SME in Slovakia, as well as, in other countries, can be done by comparison with analogue SME partners in other countries which are interesting for us from a particular point of view. These are the countries of Middle and Eastern Europe and some developed countries (EU). But the simple fact faces big barriers related to the "soft" market environment which is the result of present reform economic processes and their interpretation, as well as, with different objective index contents. The most of the legislative barriers within SME are represented by increased financial duties of the entrepreneurs which often have got a de-motivational character. It is necessary to support the creditor legal status, to apply the right of lien, to recover the capital market, to gain foreign investments, to support SME, to make the interest rates real and to reduce the tax duties of the entrepreneurs. The business environment problems mentioned above refer to tourism too, despite it has got its strengths, as follows: dynamics, low investment and import intensity (three times lower in tourism than in industry), a high share of direct labor there functions as the tool of unemployment reduction and the region development, minimized dead assets, exchange effect for the country etc. We can expect the principal changes after realization of the measures, as follows: working-out the Tourism Development Program for the sake of the region development, Tourism Fund formation, working-out and approval of the tourism legislative support, significant financial advertising support etc. The business success or failure reflects the financial situation of an enterprise in tourism. Thus the managers, as well as, the external subjects can discover many strengths or weaknesses of the enterprise, their causes and reasons by the analysis of the business financial situation,. of the company and, upon this, to make decisions or accept proper arrangements. We cannot be satisfied with the development results and trends of particular financial indexes in the analyzed tourism enterprises-travel agencies, hotels and restaurants in Slovakia. The failure of the financial health is seen in a low profitability, often negative, relatively low liquidity, high indebtedness and long liability maturity periods. The short-term resources of the net operating capital are missing and the long-term financial resources formation is complicated too. Prevention can be found by respecting the need of the financial planning, within the flow management of the company and by change of the approach of the financial managers towards the formation of the financial resources of the company capital.