Prague is close to Western European cities such as Berlin and Vienna in terms of average price per hotel room, with an even higher percentage increase. In June, Prague increased the price by more than 19 percent year-on-year to an average of 126 euros (about 3,000 crowns) per room.

 

Klára Janderová, spokeswoman for Prague City Tourism (PCT), told ČTK today. The findings are based on the latest data from Smith Travel Research (STR). PCT is the city company in charge of tourism in the capital. In the first half of this year, more than three million people came to Prague.

 

 

The Czech capital reached a similar price level per hotel room as historically more expensive European destinations, and in turn outperformed eastern neighbouring capitals such as Bratislava and Warsaw. For comparison, while in Prague tourists pay an average of 126 euros for a room, in Berlin and Vienna it is around 140 euros (about 3,400 CZK). In the aforementioned Bratislava and Warsaw, it is 100 euros (about 2,430 CZK) and 108 euros (about 2,624 CZK) respectively.

 

"Prague has set a good trend and we need to continue it. We want to gradually erase the label of Prague as a cheap party destination and compete with other cities such as Berlin or Vienna in the future. We must not ask for less than other destinations for quality services, it does not pay off in the long run and we need to continue to invest in the development of tourism," Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09) said.

 

 

In June, Prague overtook cities such as Berlin and Vienna in the year-on-year increase in the average price per room. Compared to the same period last year, it increased the price by 19.4 percent. By contrast, Berlin saw a 14 percent price increase and Vienna a 13.4 percent rise, the data shows.

 

"It is clear that the gradual change in the nature of tourism in Prague is paying off, but it requires systematic and long-term work. This conceptual work can be seen in the current data, and it is also true that Prague is losing its label as a cheap destination," said František Cipro, chairman of the PCT board of directors.

 

 

In the first half of this year, over 3.3 million travellers came to Prague, of which 776,823 were domestic tourists. The largest number of foreign visitors came from Germany, at 472,583, followed by tourists from the UK and Slovakia. After the covid-19 pandemic, tourists from Asia, mostly from South Korea, have gradually returned to Prague. Domestic guests account for 23.5 percent of the total number of visitors, with a 31 percent increase compared to the pre-Covid year 2019.

GastroJobs.cz editorial team

Source: ČTK

Photos: Canva, illustration photos under CC0 license