Good season: The number of visitors to the swimming pools is equal to 2019 despite the higher entrance fee
Lhotka swimming pool. Photo: archive
More people have visited the swimming pool in Prague so far this year than last year. At that time, however, restrictions related to the covid-19 epidemic affected attendance. People go to the water even though the entrance fee has gone up. Adults will now pay ten to 15 percent more for a visit to a swimming pool than in 2021. The reason for the price increase was the increase in energy prices, swimming pool operators in the metropolis said when asked by ČTK.
“We increased the price by approximately 15 percent. For example, the all-day entrance fee (for an adult) cost 160 CZK last year, this year it costs 180 CZK,” said Václav Bartásek, director of the Sports and Recreation Area of Prague 3 (SARAP3). The company SARAP3, which is a contributory organization of the third district of Prague, manages the Sports and Recreation Area Prague woman.
According to Bartásek, the main reason for the increase in the entrance fee is the increase in the price of energy. The Pražačka swimming pool was hit by a particularly significant increase in gas prices, as the outdoor pools in the complex are also heated. Prices have also increased for pool chemicals. according to the director, they increased by 50 to 70 percent.
For Anelis, the operation of the Ládví swimming pool in Prague 8 is 40 percent more expensive this year, company representatives said. That’s why I have to expect a higher entrance fee there.
This year, adults will pay 180 crowns for an all-day ticket. Therefore, according to representatives of the swimming pool, regular customers come less often. While they used to be at the swimming pool every other day, now they come to get wet twice a week.
Due to rising operating costs, visitors to the Petynka swimming pool in Střešovice and the Lhotka biotope in Prague 4 also pay a higher entrance fee this year. Adult visitors to Petynka will now pay 180 crowns instead of last year’s 160 crowns, and children or groups will also pay.
Payments for the use of sports grounds and the rental of sports equipment are the same amount as last year, Lukáš Vesecký informed on behalf of SNEO, which operates the swimming pool.
A family of four now buys a ticket to the Lhotka swimming pool for 400 crowns. Last year, she would have paid 320 crowns. Seniors continue to pay the same price as last year, the Lhotka swimming pool Jakub Ott said.
Overall, the operators of the swimming pools in the metropolis are rather pleased with the attendance. People are walking more than last year, in some places the number of visitors is more comparable to the period before the pandemic.
This applies, for example, to the swimming pool on Pražačka. According to Bartásek, about 40,000 people usually visit during the summer season, last year it was half as many. About 12,000 people visited the swimming pool in Žižkov this July, the same as a month earlier.
More visitors also came to Petynka. In June and July, over 70,000 people gathered in the 50-meter pool, in 2021 it was about 30,000 less.
The head of the Lhotka swimming pool praises the attendance. “The weather and the forecast offer the most visitors to the outdoor swimming pool. To a certain extent, it interferes with people’s decision whether to go to the swimming pool or not. And this summer was above average in temperature,” said Ott.