More Foreign Tourists Head to the Czech Republic; Reviving Its Economy

“The growing share of foreign passengers on arrival plays a significant role in the revival of Czech tourism after the coronavirus pandemic. During this summer season, we handled a total of 10.9 million passengers – on arrival and departure combined – which is 14.5% more year-on-year. We are approaching the record performance of 2019, when we handled over 12 million passengers in the summer. We expect to reach this level as early as in the next summer season,” said Jiří Vyskoč, Executive Director of Prague Airport Aviation Business Development. 

During this year's summer season, i.e., from April to the end of October, the majority of arriving passengers were foreign visitors, namely 2.8 million. In the summer, they accounted for 53% of incoming tourists; year-on-year, the share of foreign passengers on arrivals rose by four percentage points. Tourists from Great Britain, Italy, and France fly to the Czech Republic most often.  

Inbound Tourism Development Positively Affects Czech Economy

According to a study by KPMG, each million passengers handled at Prague Airport means about 325 thousand new tourists for the Czech Republic, whose total spending will bring almost 8.5 billion crowns to the local economy.

“Our goal is sustainable tourism. From the aviation business point of view, we are therefore striving to expand the existing offer of air connections, especially with direct routes from long-haul destinations. In this regard, we are focusing on markets in Asia and the USA,” said Jiří Vyskoč from Prague Airport, adding: “Satisfying future demand for air connections must go hand in hand with the planned airport development, such as increasing terminal capacities and streamlining air traffic by building a parallel runway.”

Czech Republic Attracts Visitors from Neighbouring and Distant Countries

During the third quarter of this year, 7.7 million guests visited the Czech Republic, of which 41% were foreign tourists (3.2 million). Travellers from neighbouring countries such as Germany, Poland, and Slovakia prevailed, but high numbers were also recorded by tourists from more distant destinations such as the United States and Great Britain. The total number of nights spent by tourists in the Czech Republic exceeded 20 million. Year-on-year, the number of foreign guests increased by 4.4%, while there was a slight decrease in recorded local visitors (4.6%). Total visitor numbers dropped by 1% in the third quarter of the year.

September Traditionally Means a Drop in Domestic Tourist Numbers

The decrease in the number of domestic travellers was most notable during September, when the school year begins and most families with children are already back from holiday. This is also confirmed by the monthly data. While a total of 2.8 million people stayed in domestic public accommodation facilities in July, in August, there were 2.9 million tourists. In September, the total number of visitors dropped to around 2 million. During the summer holiday months, 1.7 million Czech residents stayed in hotels, guesthouses, and other establishments in the Czech Republic in July and 1.8 million in August, but in September their number fell to 1.1 million. 

“Despite the overall drop in visitors in the third quarter, the Czech Republic remains an attractive place for foreign tourists, which is positive news, because they spend more on their trips than residents and thus contribute significantly to the local economy. If we compare the total visitor data for the period of January to September, we still see an increase – by roughly 3% compared to 2023 and 2019,” František Reismüller, Director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, summarised, adding: “It is also a plus that the country has been discovered by tourists from distant locations. We recorded the highest year-on-year increases among travellers from China, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. The direct routes from these destinations also contribute greatly to this fact. And we, in cooperation with Prague Airport, strive to launch more of them. The increased interest in our country is good news and confirms the effectiveness of our strategy aimed at attracting tourists from distant and rich markets.”

Hotels in Prague Remain the Business Leaders; Sales Outside the Capital Are Lower

The holiday months were very peculiar for Czech hotels. While the sales of Czech hotels grew by 10.2% year-on-year in July, they fell by 4.1% in August. In September, there was again a year-on-year increase in the sales of Czech hotel capacities (+2.1%), which, however, did not cover inflation. Floods had a partial effect on September hotel capacity sales. Those fell outside of Prague, while Prague – as the leader of the domestic hotel market – recorded a five percent increase.

“We have been observing deepening trends. For example, Hungary has grown by 23.7% year-on-year and achieved almost a quarter higher sales than the Czech hotel market,” evaluated Jaroslav Svoboda, owner of the largest Czech hotel group, Czech Inn Hotels, which accommodated a total of 1.5 million guests in 2023, and added: “The data show how affordable domestic accommodation services are compared to Europe. Europe was on average 42% more expensive than the Czech Republic. In addition, the Czech crown has weakened, so a holiday at home or just an overnight stay in transit is worthwhile for visitors. However, the situation in the hotel industry is not all roses. Clear proof of that is that roughly half of the huge international hotels in Prague are currently for sale.”