Abstract
Every region has its unique natural, cultural, and historical wealth, as well as infrastructure, a range of attractions, and business opportunities that can attract a large number of visitors. Developing the potential of tourism in regions is important for stimulating economic growth, job creation, and improving the quality of life for local residents. Its development in regions involves mapping and analyzing available resources, opportunities, and competitive environments. The purpose of this article is to quantify the level of regional tourism development, assess its potential in Slovak regions, and identify their current disparities. For the purposes of this study, we will evaluate the potential of Slovak tourism regions using commonly used indexes - indicators of tourism intensity. The results of the analyses have demonstrated significant disparities among the individual tourism regions. We see that the development in different tourism regions varies greatly, and in some cases, there are pronounced disparities in terms of their development, visitor interest intensity in each region, and the economic benefits of tourism in the regions. These findings have served as the basis for proposing solutions that address the development issues in regions through the impacts of tourism.