More and more domestic tourists are coming to Prague
9 November 2021, Prague - The capital welcomed 41.7% more visitors in the third quarter of this year (July–September), than in the same period last year. Nevertheless, this is still about 53% below 2019. According to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), a total of 1,063,788 guests visited the metropolis, of which 41.4% were domestic tourists. The progressive rise in visitor numbers is welcomed by the city, with the hope of further improvement and more tourists from non-European countries visiting Prague in due course.
According to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office, Prague did not experience as great a drop in the third quarter of this year as experts had feared. A total of 1,063,788 tourists visited Prague. Most of the visitors came from within the country, followed by tourists from neighbouring Germany, Slovakia and Poland.
‘Just like last year, thanks to the Prague Unlocked programme, we managed to attract a growing number of visitors from around the country and neighbouring countries to the capital, thus mitigating the pandemic’s drastic impact on tourism. Thanks to this we see how well-targeted campaigns can help us attract a cultured clientèle to Prague in the future, for the benefit the city,’ says Hana Třeštíková, Councillor for Culture and Tourism.
The data clearly confirms the current trend, with growing numbers of the citizenry visiting the capital. According to Prague City Tourism representatives, the second year of the Prague Unlocked benefit programme has also helped significantly. It has helped bring some 76 thousand guests to Prague during the holiday months, the majority from around the Czech Republic. This led to domestic guest numbers rising by 45.4% compared to July and August 2019.
‘The very positive news is that the data was up on last year. I can also give my thumbs-up to the number of domestic visitors.’ That is how František Cipro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prague City Tourism commented on the fresh data, adding: ‘This is a target group we are keen to see staying over in the metropolis, and the Prague Unlocked programme has helped Prague become an attractive destination for Czech clients, too.
Prague City Tourism, together with City Hall, continues to monitor these changing times, aligning marketing campaigns accordingly, to attract potential visitors to Prague. The current autumn and winter campaign focuses primarily on a more upmarket international clientèle. ‘Prague cannot afford to compete with other European capitals on low prices. That would be a backward step. The metropolis must offer quality services, to encourage tourists to never tire of coming back to Prague. That is why we are engaged in raising the profile of Prague tourism for the long term,’ concludes Cipro.