Prague is on its way to becoming a premium destination. New composition of tourists and higher spending by travelers

The data confirms that the vision has been fulfilled Concept of inbound tourism 2020-2023, and that tourism is moving in the right direction. One of the key tools for the development of sustainable tourism has become the residence fee. In 2023 alone, the capital city collected 801 million crowns, part of which it further reinvests in campaigns and projects, thus helping the metropolis to attract a clientele that is willing to spend higher amounts and treats the city with respect. Also thanks to this strategy, tourist spending increased by 40% compared to 2019, and demand for luxury hotels rose by a third compared to last year.

“Thanks to the residence fee, we collected 801 million last year and we are reinvesting this money back into the development of Prague and also into supporting tourism through campaigns. We aim at individual travelers and credit-worthy clientele,” says the Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism Jiří Pospíšil. “Prague is gradually getting rid of the label of a cheap destination and tourists are not coming here for cheap alcohol, but for history, monuments or culture.”

In the same way, data from STR Report, which monitors the hotel business, show that in the first quarter of this year, the occupancy of hotels in the metropolis increased most significantly in the luxury segment, by almost a third. In the first quarter of this year, hotel occupancy in Prague grew the most significantly among all monitored destinations. Hotels in the center of Warsaw, Rome or Budapest even recorded lower occupancy compared to the Czech capital than last year.

“The data for 2020-2023 shows that our strategy is going in the right direction. Thanks to brand campaigns and increasing the quality of services, we managed to reach a cultured and creditworthy clientele. On average, inbound travelers spent up to 40% more last year than in 2019, which is good news for the city.” says the vice-chairwoman of the board of Prague City Tourism Jana Adamcová.

Over the past two years, it has also been possible to stabilize tourism in Prague and change the composition of tourists heading to the metropolis. There is still an increasing trend in the number of domestic visitors, who after the pandemic steadily make up 20-25% of arriving travelers. Prague is also, for the second time in a row, the most popular destination of Czechs compared to other domestic regions.

“Thanks to our targeted campaigns, even among British tourists, monuments and culture were the top motivations for coming to Prague, while alcohol fell to 4th place. These data came from a questionnaire survey by the CzechTourism agency,” concludes Adamcová.

At the moment, a new tourism strategy for the years 2024–2027 With respect to Prague is also being prepared. It will be presented to the City Council. City of Prague and then to the City Council city ​​of Prague for their approval. The strategy includes 29 projects that mainly reflect the interests of the city and its residents.