Tourism is a sector that has from the long-term aspect a strong perspective and in the future can be one of the key sectors to ensure the country's economic growth. Today, the object of tourist’s interest is not only to learn about the cultural-historical specifics, but also the way of life and cultural traditions of the inhabitants in individual regions. The aim of this work was to determine the recreational potential of the Kysuce region based on natural, cultural-historical and infrastructural conditions. This area is specific by dispersed settlements, which, especially in the past, fulfilled the role of settling on distant and rather unavailable parts of villages. Today most of them serve as holiday cottages or are uninhabited. Based on the established methodology, individual villages were divided into three categories: territories with low potential, territories with medium potential and territories with high potential for development of tourism. These categories were mainly considered according to the scores of hiking, cycling and rural tourism, which were the determining factors in assessing the potential in the monitored territory. Eight villages have the highest potential for tourism in the monitored area: Horný Vadičov (149 points), Raková (143 points), Oščadnica (138 points), Čierne (134 points), Nová Bystrica, Klokočov, Stará Bystrica (132 points) and Zákopčie (125 points). The agrotourism in this territory is the least developed, although the location of this region is very favorable for this activity. Its development could reduce unemployment, moving-out of the population, but also maintain the character of the country with all necessary functions for the environment, culture and financial security of the population's incomes.