Prague sinks CZK 8.25m into campaign to attract culture tourists, not drinkers

Prague City Hall approved an increase in the budget to support sustainable tourism and attract more visitors looking for cultural events who will spend an above-average amount of time in the city. The campaigns will also aim at countering the negative effects of tourists on everyday life in Prague.

The additional CZK 8.25 million brings this year’s tourism budget to CZK 30.85 million for campaigns, events, congress tourism promotion, and the Prague Audiovisual Fund, which supports film production.

Prague City Tourism, which will administer the new funds, will continue to try to boost domestic tourism this year. Its long-term goal is to increase the number of domestic visitors and tourists in Prague. Counting the new funds, the budgets for their campaigns reach CZK 15.40 million.

In 2022, almost 6 million tourists came to Prague. This was about three-quarters of the figure for 2019.

Prague Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil, responsible for culture and tourism, said that people should enjoy the city but behave responsibly. “Prague should not be a destination where people go for alcoholic parties,” Pospíšil said in a press release.

An ongoing campaign called Enjoy Respect Prague, aimed at educating incoming tourists about cultural behavior and mitigating the negative effects of tourism on everyday life, will be extended.

Another campaign called Stay in Prague presents the city as a cultural destination for tourists from Czechia and around the world.

Pospíšil added that the campaigns can be financed thanks to the higher collection of fees for overnight stays, which in 2022 alone amounted to CZK 420 million.

“We want to return the greater part of the funds to the development of tourism and motivate tourists from all over the world to visit Prague and perceive it as a cultural and a modern destination where they will want to spend more time thanks to the quality program and various events," Pospíšil said.