Hotels demand tourism strategy

A sharp decline in visitors to Prague has ignited calls for tourism officials to promote the city more effectively.

Some 11.64 million passengers passed through Ruyzně Airport last year, a fall of about 1 million visitors on the previous year.

"Prague is not pushing or marketing itself adequately," said Richard Stára, general manager of Hotel Chvalská Tvrz.

"Unfortunately, it's the same old things: Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square. Other cities such as Vienna, or Paris, also have historic sites, but they offer visitors more than just the sites. They have momentum. Prague needs momentum."

There is no doubting Prague's popularity with British stag and hen party groups, but more needs to be done to attract other visitors. For instance, more British tourists are taken to the hospital in the Czech Republic than in Germany, which receives more than three times the number of British visitors, British Foreign Office figures show. These are obviously not the type of visitors who spend money, especially if they are in the hospital, said one tourist official.

But there are growing fears that, without a clear goal, Prague will lose out to other European capitals that are aggressively chasing tourist dollars, pounds and euros, and this requires greater international advertising.

Long-term planning is needed, said Václav Stárek, general secretary the Czech Association of Restaurants and Hotels.

"Generally speaking, the city started to communicate with tourist experts last year. But the results have yet to show. What we need, however, is a long-term strategic plan that would target specific groups. Also, there must be an online operation; the Internet seems underestimated. We must have spots on CNN and other international networks."

Prague's efforts at publicizing its charms online have been less than successful. A Web site, Prague Events Calendar, under the umbrella of the tourist board, has questionable if not misleading English. One event it wanted to publicize was described as "a bomb" - a phrase that, in English, means total failure.

"Definitely, a long-term plan is missing," said Petra Kazdová, spokeswoman for the Hotel InterContinental Prague.  

"Prague is an incredible city, with great services and a lot of options but it is not getting consistent support."

- Petr Cibulka Jr. contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com