Prague attracts tourism for Advent. Around half a million people visit the metropolis, less than before covid
“We have been watching the numbers of travelers with anticipation this year, who will visit the metropolis in view of the ongoing pandemic and the war conflict in Ukraine. According to current data, we are at 70 to 75% of 2019 – this is an ideal state for the city, given the overtourism (excess of tourists, editor’s note) in previous years. In addition, it can be seen that by targeting other source markets, we were able to successfully replace the presence of tourists from Russia,” said PCT Council Chairman Petr Zeman (Prague Sobě).
According to the PCT, thanks to targeted campaigns, it is possible to replace the drop in tourists from Russia, who formed a large group of foreign visitors before the war in Ukraine. The prepared Christmas campaign is adapted to this, which attracts visitors to the magical atmosphere of Prague in December and a program promoting Czech Christmas.
Campaign
“When setting up the Christmas campaign, we used data from the Stay in Prague summer campaign, that’s why we are targeting the neighboring countries together with the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, where the campaign recorded the best results. We also launched a Christmas page prague.eu/christmas, where interested parties can find all the information related to Christmas Prague, markets or individual events,” said PCT Board Chairman František Cipro. The mentioned website works for domestic visitors to Prague.
For the Christmas season, PCT has also expanded its range of services with the Prague Visitor Pass city tourist card. In addition to classic monuments, public transport or guided walks, it has newly included hockey matches of HC Sparta Praha or a festive mixed drink in Manifesto Anděl.
Last year, 945,392 domestic tourists arrived in Prague, which was almost a 30 percent increase. Compared to 2019, i.e. the period before the covid-19 pandemic, it was significantly less. In total, 2.36 million people stayed in Prague hotels, guesthouses and campsites last year, an increase of 8.1 percent.
A Christmas tree lighting test took place on the Old Town Square. David Malik
Christmas markets on the Old Town Square in all their glory. (November 26, 2022)
Author: Mária Rušinová