Spring vacation of the Czechs – domestic destinations and active rest prevail – Cysnews

A total of 56% of Czechs plan to spend their spring vacation in their own country this year. Most often in the South Bohemian and Central Bohemian regions. They then stay at the place of residence for an average of six days. They envision rest with lighter sports activities and visiting cultural monuments as the main content of their free time. On average, they are going to spend 6,713 crowns per person for the entire period. 42% of Czechs are planning to go abroad in the spring. On the contrary, roughly a third of Czechs do not plan on spring vacation at all. This follows from the current survey of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism.

The share of those who want to enjoy the spring holiday in the Czech Republic fell by two percentage points in a year-on-year comparison. The length of domestic leave was slightly shortened, by one and a half days, while planned expenses increased by 565 crowns. Almost half of those interviewed then prefer a spring vacation as part of a long weekend and in the company of family.

“The main reason why Czechs do not plan a spring vacation in their country is the fact that they are simply not in the habit of going there. And they expect more holidays in the summer. This is related to the second factor that affects the decision of Czechs to go abroad – finances. If they don’t have enough, they’d rather save up for a longer vacation in the coming season. Nevertheless, we can state that compared to last year, the share of those who decided to spend their holiday abroad in the spring has increased, from the original 37% to the current 42%,” František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, summarizes and adds: “In this regard, the new railway line is certainly worth mentioning company’s night train European Sleeper, which goes from Brussels to Prague and back without a single transfer. It connects four countries and four European capitals on one route. Of course, it is interesting not only from the point of view of the Czechs’ plans, but also as an alternative transport option for foreigners heading to the Czech Republic.”

The trend is rest with lighter sports activities

A third of people prefer a relaxing stay with lighter sports activities. A total of 17% of people head for cultural monuments and 16% of travelers are followers of passive relaxation. As part of the active nature of the holiday, hiking (68%) and easy walks (54%) are popular. Popular activities include cycling with the family (24%) or water sports (16%). More than half of respondents are inspired by tips and recommendations from friends or family, and 40% choose a destination based on a map with tourist attractions.

“Hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities actively practiced by Czechs. So it’s no surprise that they also want to spend their holidays in this way. We have the best tourist signage in the world. Among other things, over 44,000 km of hiking trails and 40,000 km of road cycling trails await travelers to and around the Czech Republic. In recent years, we have observed a growing trend in the case of long-distance walking routes, in which the Czech Republic is not lagging behind in the requested case. Domestic and foreign tourists can find quality products with us, such as hiking adventures Hřebenovce through Czech Switzerland or Lužnice trail, which is proud of the award of European quality. It is also worth noting Trail through the Czech Republic, which has already been visited by over a hundred thousand people, and its growing popularity is also confirmed by the viewing figures of the program of the same name on ČT 2. And last but not least, fans of active tourism and cultural and gastronomic experiences in the Czech Republic will also find something to do. You just have to choose from a wide range of thematic walking routes, such as Krkonoše beer traila unique glassmaking trail in northern Bohemia Crystal Valley or wine trails in South Moravia and Slovakia,” summarizes Antonín Novák, Product Manager for Active Tourism of the Czech Tourism Center CzechTourism.

Czechs will pay more for spring vacation this year, they mainly want to live in boarding houses

Czechs plan to spend 565 crowns more than last year on their spring vacation, an average of 6,713 crowns per person. The biggest part of the expenses will be for accommodation (46%), another important item is meals in restaurants (18%) and 11% of expenses they want to spend on services such as tickets, culture, museums or monuments.

Half of the people planning a spring vacation in the Czech Republic stay in a boarding house. Another often preferred type of accommodation is higher category hotels (30%) and free private accommodation (20%). When choosing accommodation for a spring holiday in the Czech Republic, the most important factors for respondents are price (90%), own experience (89%) and range and quality of services (85%). Almost a third of those surveyed will go to the same or a familiar place, and almost half will then visit a destination they have not been to before. They most often get to the place by car or motorbike. One of the guides when deciding where to go is also the places where a movie, fairy tale or series was filmed. In the last five years, half of the tourists in the Czech Republic decided to visit film locations.

More Czechs will go abroad this spring than last year

42% of Czechs are planning a spring vacation abroad, which represents a year-on-year increase of 5 percentage points. Especially younger people under 29 (54%) go abroad. With increasing age, the willingness to travel a longer distance decreases. For example, in the category over 75 years old, only 35% of respondents choose this option of spring vacation. The main reason is the fact that they simply don’t go abroad at this time of year (56%) and also the lack of finances (47%).

Most Czechs also spend Easter in the country

The above data also confirm the Czechs’ plans for this year’s Easter holidays. Most Czechs will spend it in their own country, both for financial and time reasons. According to the data currently available to CzechTourism, which are based on the DataRhymes analysis, almost 59% of accommodation is booked throughout the Czech Republic through the largest booking platform Booking.com. Most of them in Prague, in the Karlovy Vary, Zlín and South Moravian regions. For comparison, last year people booked over 70% of accommodation for Easter in the Czech Republic, but it should be noted that, on the one hand, the Easter holidays did not fall until the second weekend of April in 2023, and on the other hand, the number for this year may still change before Easter.

“If we look directly at specific destinations, people are most often heading to Easter this year Czech Switzerland, Mách regionon Broumovskogo, Pilsen region or until West Bohemian Spa. On average, they pay 2,993 crowns for accommodation during Easter. Most of it in Prague,” summarizes Petr Janeček, head of the Tourism Institute of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, and adds: “For this year, we are working with a prediction of over 66%, of which the highest occupancy during Easter should be in Prague, ÚstíkZlín and South Moravian regions.”

The travel of domestic tourists has come to the fore more and more in recent years. In 2013, the ratio of domestic and foreign tourists staying in mass accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic was almost the same. Last year, this share was almost 60 to 40 (57% and 43%) in favor of domestic tourists.