My Prediction: 2008 will be the year of Kosice

I am extremely bullish on Kosice - have been for years. The Google Trends screenshot shows clearly what's going on - more and more people are looking for info on Kosice on Google.

If I had the cash to spare or goodwill to borrow I would buy a nice place in the centre of Kosice, banking on its finiteness and the Skyeurope flight from London. My guess would be about 50% appreciation over the next two years.

There are real estate investment opportunities galore right now. The market is somewhat illiquid, I believe, but that may open opportunities for a buyer ready to pay in cash.

It wasn't easy to find English-language blogs in Kosice but in the end I came across a fellow internet entrepreneur, a Peter Soltes.

Košice Rejoice - Londoners Are Coming

Kosice is Slovakia's second city. Located near the country's far east end, over 5 hours by car from the capital of Bratislava, Kosice often got the short schrift over recent years.

I have long believed that what Kosice needed was a direct flight to London and now, SkyEurope is giving it to us later in 2007. Seeing what SkyEurope has done for the development of tourism in Bratislava and for our freedom to travel, I fully expect to see the magic again.

Young people from Kosice are a migratory lot, often bypassing Bratislava for Prague and London. This will make migration easier but also facilitate contact with the home. Hopefully, the positive effects of what Kosice residents bring back (in material terms and know-how) outweigh the greater ease of departure.

Tourists are coming too, no doubt and in great numbers. It will drive development in the hospitality industry - both for lodging and services. The hotel market in Kosice has been stale to say the least and this should shake it up a little. I would not be surprised if English stag parties discover Kosice - the bear is cheaper than in Bratislava and residents will be friendlier before they find out what stag tourism is all about.

Investment both in business ventures and real estate will very likely increase too, with the added ease of flying from London to Kosice direct in a few hours.