Tourists give high marks to ČR in survey

The three most recognizable aspects of the Czech Republic are its capital Prague, its historical landmarks and its beer, a Europe-wide survey of visitors to the country has found.

The Ipsos Tambor poll for CzechTourism sought feedback from visitors from around Europe about the Czech Republic as a tourist destination.

The poll reported mostly good news, with 93 percent of respondents calling their experience very positive and 98 percent saying it was at least fairly positive. Spaniards, Italians and Dutch spoke the most highly about the Czech Republic among the generally upbeat assessments of those surveyed.

However, a number of French people expressed what was termed "an arrogant lack of interest" in the Czech Republic. Visitors from neighbors Germany and Austria made up the highest proportion of those only fairly satisfied with their trip. 

As well as the top-rated aspects, visitors from Poland, Hungary and Germany also highlighted the country's cuisine, while respondents with a higher education level referred to cultural events, architecture and famous Czech athletes.

The French cited Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) and writer Milan Kundera, 81, both of whom have lived in France. Germans and Austrians pointed to composers Bedřich Smetana (1824-84) and Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), while Hungarians cited writer Bohumil Hrabal (1914-97).

Soldier Švejk, the main character of the novel The Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War by Jaroslav Hašek (1883-1923), is well known in Poland and Hungary, where respondents said he was a good example of a typical Czech.

Spaniards surveyed often mentioned the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, while Italians knew of the motorcycle Grand Prix in Brno. The Dutch made mention of the beautiful wildlife and great outdoor conditions for tourism. Respondents from neighboring Poland and Slovakia said they saw the Czech Republic as an accessible country quite similar to their own.

The poll was conducted in 10 European countries from May to November, by phone and in a series of group discussions.

Darren Fayne, a chemistry professor from Dublin, said he was greatly enjoying his visit Dec. 3-6 despite the bad weather.

"Prague under snow is an absolute must-see," he told The Prague Post. "Saturday's wonderful medieval market in Malešov Castle was brought to life by the hosts and capped off with some top-class meals in nearby Kutná Hora," he said, adding he was going to visit the reliquary of St. Maurus at Prague Castle on the last day of his trip.

Almost 2.1 million foreigners visited the country in the third quarter of 2010, an increase of seven percentage points over a year ago, according to the Czech Statistical Office. The increase comes after the number of both domestic and foreign overnight guests fell around 6 percent during 2009 as a whole.

Bill Lehane can be reached at
blehane@praguepost.com