As the year draws to a close, Prague once again fills with visitors from all over the world. Up to 100,000 tourists are expected in the Czech capital on New Year’s Eve alone.
Advent atmosphere and New Year celebrations are once again drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists to Prague this year. Overall, the city expects around 750,000 visitors from home and abroad in December, a level comparable to last year. The greatest influx is traditionally expected around the turn of the year.
“According to our estimates, around 80,000 to 100,000 people are likely to come to Prague for the New Year’s Eve celebrations,” says František Cipro, Chairman of the Board of Prague City Tourism. This year, the rules governing the use of pyrotechnics have been tightened once again in order to reduce the impact on animals, people and the environment.
Most foreign visitors continue to arrive from Germany, the USA and the UK. At the same time, the number of guests from Asia is increasing noticeably. For the period from Christmas Eve to 31 December alone, the total number of visitors to Prague is estimated at around 200,000. While overall figures have changed little year on year, the composition of visitors and their travel behaviour are shifting significantly in the long term.
“Prague is increasingly welcoming a more affluent clientele. Travellers value high-quality hotels and restaurants and are focusing more strongly on experience-oriented tourism,” Cipro adds. According to the Czech Statistical Office, around two thirds of guests stay in four- and five-star hotels. Hotel occupancy in Prague has stood at around 85 per cent in December for several years, according to analyses by the STR Report, which monitors the hotel market.
Among the most important attractions in December remain the city’s festive atmosphere and its Christmas markets. In addition, many visitors are interested in the historic sights managed by Prague City Tourism. Last year, these were visited by around 170,000 people, and similar figures are expected this year. At the top of the list once again is the Old Town Hall. Also proving very popular are rides on the festively decorated trams, as well as the ice-skating rink on Wenceslas Square, which will be available to visitors until mid-February.
