A total of 40 projects in two years. Prague City Tourism and its partners are gradually implementing the individual steps of the new sustainable tourism strategy
Prague, 6 June 2023 – Three years ago, Prague City Tourism and its partners introduced the Inbound Tourism Concept of the City of Prague, which all the city organisations have been systematically implementing since its approval by the Prague City Council. Over two years, the image of the Prague brand has been dramatically transformed and there are now 40 completed projects that promote a sustainable approach, premium brand concept and innovative products in tourism. Care for the lives of Prague residents is also a fundamental point. Examples worth mentioning are the Enjoy Respect Prague campaign or making historic buildings more accessible.
“The two-year evaluation of the implementation plan clearly shows that we have emphatically re-launched tourism in the metropolis and, with support from the city, are succeeding in changing its form. We evaluate and update all the projects every month from the position of the main coordinator,” comments František Cipro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prague City Tourism, adding: "We are cooperating on the implementation plan with Prague City Hall and the municipal organizations, Prague Airport, the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic and many other key partners."
Completed projects include, for example, the inclusion of a quality-of-service addendum for all city rentals, where the services offered there must not form tourist traps. Another is the launch of a unified information system in the city, the creation of alternative tourist routes beyond the historic centre, and the launch of the Prague Visitor Pass tourist card.
Another key project was the increase of the tourist tax to CZK 50, which has been in force since last year, with a view to increasing it further. Moreover, Prague is the only municipality in the country that reinvests half of the revenues from the tourist tax into tourism development, especially in the form of support for congress tourism and marketing activities. The other half is used for to develop infrastructure and cultivate public spaces. Last year, CZK 448 million was collected in tourist tax.
The Prague brand in tourism has also undergone a major transformation over the last three years. This is reflected in all the marketing activities implemented by Prague City Tourism. “Thanks to our cooperation with partners and a comprehensive analysis of current data, we are seeing success in attracting a sophisticated and creditworthy clientele interested in premium experiences to Prague by creating an offer of services that appeal to them. We have also observed that tourists are spending more outside the historic centre. For example, we relieved the intensity of tourism in the conservation area by 7% in 2022,” comments Jana Adamcová, Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of Directors.
Prague's interests come first
An important aspect of the Inbound Tourism Concept and specific projects is to maintain a high quality of life for Prague’s residents and to support their interests at the expense of the negative effects of tourism. For example, Prague City Tourism has been systematically implementing the Enjoy Respect Prague campaign since 2021, which informs visitors about the rules and culture of behaviour.
Similarly, the city presents itself by involving local artists, be it through campaigns or editions of refined souvenirs, which it supports via marketing and commercial activities. As part of making Prague's sights accessible to locals, it also offers bargain packages and discounted admission to Prague's towers. The company takes care of nine Prague heritage buildings in total, which it gradually cultivates in order to preserve them for future generations.
The implementation plan and specific projects are available on the praguecitytourism.cz website.