In Ruzyně, they divide support investments into three parts. The first has elevated tourism from the market with a long-term strong demand for travel to or from Prague. He sees potential in arrivals from France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Great Britain and Israel, for example. The airport cooperates with the Prague City Tourism and CzechTourism agencies to attract tourists not only from these countries.

“In the future, and depending on the epidemiological situation, we are also planning to plan joint B2B marketing activities, such as conferences, congresses or roadshows,” said Klára Divíšková, a spokeswoman for Prague Airport.

The last – on Tuesday, October 12 – the new online campaign was launched by the Prague City Hall together with Prague City Tourism, the event will last until the end of the year. The city spends forty million on it and wants to attract tourists aged 30 to 55. “It will target creditworthy clients who come to Prague for culture, monuments or gastronomy, and ideally will also return,” said councilor Hana Třeštíková (Prague herself).

Another of the supports is to make Czechs travel warm in autumn, winter and spring. “We will focus on holiday destinations, such as the Canary Islands or Egypt, exotic holiday destinations – including the Maldives, Mauritius and the Dominican Republic – and a European destination for extended weekends,” Divíšková explains.

From Prague, it is now possible to take a direct long-distance flight to Dubai, with Emirates, Flydubai and Smartwings carriers, and to Doha, Qatar, with Qatar Airways. In winter, for example, the Čedok travel agency will offer trips with a direct long-haul flight to Mexico, Kenya or the Maldives. The direct connection between the Czech Republic and the USA will also be restored. Delta Air Lines was the first to announce the renewal of direct flights from Prague to New York. The first planes are scheduled to take off at the end of May next year.

Before the summer pandemic between Prague and New York, more than 70,000 passengers a year, and others headed to Philadelphia or New Jersey. “Very creditworthy tourists from the United States are welcome clients of entrepreneurs in tourism not only in Prague, but also in other regions,” said Jan Herget, director of CzechTourism.

In addition to inbound and outbound tourism, Prague Airport will also focus on the incentive program for transport. It will support those who operate direct flights from Prague and their destinations in terms of marketing.

Investments by the airport and related agencies are expected to gradually return tourism to pre-pandemic volumes. However, it is still a long way off. By the end of August, the airport had handled less than 2.1 million passengers. By the end of the year, he estimates that less than four million can “pass through” it. Compared to last year, the airport must grow, but compared to 2019, it still loses two thirds of passengers. It handled 3.66 million last year, none in the last 25 years.

“European airports are choosing cost-saving and high-flexibility strategies to support the recovery of air traffic as quickly as possible. Routes to recreational destinations are reviving the fastest, and the operation of network airlines within Europe is also growing, ”says Petr Kováč, an aviation expert and EY partner. Long-distance transport is recovering the slowest.

“For Prague, the traffic of domestic tourists traveling for recreation is absolutely key, which represents more than half of the total number of passengers handled. Prague can reach the pre-Eidid numbers before 2026, “Kováč estimates. Even in winter, according to him, travel for tourism should account for more than half of the number of passengers from Ruzyně.

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