Tourism Up 9% in Record Breaking Year

Prague, Feb 8 (CTK) – A record amount of 20 million tourists stayed at Czech accommodation facilities last year, which was 9.1 percent more in annual terms, the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) said today.

 

The number of foreigners was 9.2 percent higher at 10.2 million and the number of Czechs guests rose by 9 percent to 9.9 million, the CSU said.

 

The biggest growth in tourist numbers was recorded in the South Moravia Region, the CSU said.

 

All Czech regions report positive results, with the growth in five regions exceeding 10 percent, according to the Association of Travel Agencies.

 

Guest numbers registered by Czech accommodation facilities exceeded 20 million for the first time, and the number of overnight stays was record-breaking as well, amounting to more than 50 million for the first time, said Pavel Vancura of the CSU’s tourism statistics unit.

 

The development of incoming tourists was, apart from global trends, impacted mainly by the Czech Republic’s growing attractiveness as a safe destination, according to CzechTourism agency.

 

The Czech Republic’s being assessed as very safe provided a significant strategic advantage over some competitors mainly for Asian markets, CzechTourism spokeswoman Renata Kasalova said.

 

The largest number of foreign tourists was recorded from Germany, totalling nearly two million, which is 3.9 percent more year on year. Slovakia ranked second with 688,000 tourists, and Poland was third with 578,000 guests.

 

Czech accommodation facilities registered a 35.3 percent increase in the number of Russian tourists, ranking fourth in foreign tourist numbers, the CSU said.

 

The interest of Asian tourists, coming from China, South Korea and Taiwan, was higher in the entire year 2017, the statisticians stated, adding that guests from Ukraine start coming back to the country, too.

 

In Q4, the number of guests staying at the Czech Republic’s accommodation facilities rose by 7.9 percent, with foreign tourists adding 8.1 percent and Czech tourists 7.7 percent.

 

Deloitte company partner Miroslav Linhart expects the tourist numbers to keep increasing in the Czech Republic in the forthcoming years.

 

To ensure economic gain, the Czech Republic should focus on wealthier clientele spending more money and time in the country, Linhart said.