Tourism Trends in Prague
– January-September 2014
Summary:
 Total guests: 4,550,210
Non-residents: 3,988,072 (87.6%)
Domestics: 562,138 (12.4%)
 Visitor numbers in Prague up 2.3%
Inbound visitors up 4.4%
Visitor numbers from CZ down 10.2%
 Most visitors came to Prague in 3Q
August was the most popular month in the period
 Source markets: Germany, Russia, USA
 A total 63.7% of all guests came from Europe, while over 12% arrived from Asia.
 Top 10 countries provide 60.1% of all arrivals
 Greatest visitor gains by country: China, Germany, Republic of Korea
Fastest-growing visitor group by continent: Europe
 Greatest decline in visitors: Russia (-8.1%). Despite this decline, Russia
remains the second largest source market
 The main negative factors associated with the decline in guest numbers:
Russia-Ukraine conflict
Long-term poor economy in France
Poor financial situation affecting a majority of Czech households and their
economic outlook
 Total nights: 11,091,628
Non-residents: 10,087,745 (90.9%)
Domestics: 1,003,883 (9.1%)
 Total overnight stays in Prague fell 0.6%
Nights by non-residents up 1.5%
17.5% decline among residents
 Average length of stay: 2.4 nights
Non-residents: 2.5 nights; Residents: 1.8 nights
 Guests from Russia stayed in Prague the longest – an average of 4 nights
Visits
Between January and September 2014 there were a total of 2,623,433 overnight trips to
Prague.
Visitor numbers rose 2.3% year-on-year (+104,367 visitors).
Whereas inbound visitors increased by 168,087 (+4.4%), trips to Prague by resident
visitors declined by 63,720 (-10.2%) compared to the same time last year.
Looking at each of the quarters separately, as in past years, most visitors travelled to the
city in peak tourism season (the third quarter), while the fewest trips were in the first
quarter. The third quarter also registered the highest gains in visitor numbers, although trips
by residents continued to decline throughout the period.
Prague hosted the most visitors in August and the fewest in February.
Overnight trips to Prague experienced the greatest growth in June, while the greatest decline
was in March. This decline is associated with the different dates for the Easter holiday in
each year.
Number of guests in collective accommodation establishments in Prague – JanuarySeptember 2014:
Quarter
Number of guests
Growth/Decline
Growth/Decline (%)
1Q
1,044,443
-30,861
-2.9
2Q
1,655,719
+51,180
+3.2
3Q
1,850,048
+84,048
+4.8
Total
4,550,210
104,367
+2.3
Nights
The total number of nights at accommodation establishments in Prague reached
11,091,628 for the period between January and September 2014, which represents a
67,238 night (-0.6%) year-on-year decline.
Whereas non-residents stayed 145,113 more nights (+1.5%) in the city, residents spent
212,351 fewer nights in Prague accommodation establishments compared to last year
(-17.5%).
For all categories, the average length of stay was 0.1 nights shorter compared to the
same time last year:
Total: 2.4 nights
Non-residents: 2.5 nights
Residents: 1.8 nights
1. Residents
Number of residents in collective accommodation establishments in Prague –
January-September 2014:
1Q
Number of
residents
175,772
2Q
Quarter
Decline
Decline (%)
-28,051
-13.8
195,011
-24,152
-11.0
3Q
191,355
-11,517
-5.7
Total
562,138
-63,720
-10.2
2. Non-residents
Number of non-residents in collective accommodation establishments in Prague –
January-September 2014:
1Q
Number of
non-residents
868,671
2Q
Quarter
Growth/Decline
Growth/Decline (%)
-2,810
-0.3
1,460,708
+75,332
+5.4
3Q
1,658,693
+95,565
+6.1
Total
3,988,072
+168,087
+4.4
Source markets
The main source market for Prague is Germany, which leads second-place Russia by over
160,000 visitors. The United States is the third largest source market.
German visitors rose by nearly 5% in the first nine months of 2014, while Russian visitors
declined by 8%.
The composition and ranking of the Top 10 source markets is marked by long-term stability
and remains absolutely identical to 2013 and 2012. If “Other Asian Countries”, a broad group
of countries from throughout Asia, were left out, tenth place this year and last would have
gone to China.
Top 10 markets with the highest total visits – January-September 2014:
Place
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Country
Germany
Russia
USA
United Kingdom
Italy
France
Slovakia
Poland
Spain
Other Asian
Countries*
Number of guests
528,085
366,401
299,809
242,869
232,820
164,590
154,239
146,464
137,427
123,927
*Note: “Other Asian Countries” do not include China, India, Israel, Japan or South Korea, which are tracked
separately by the Czech Statistical Office.
Most visitors came to Prague from Europe (63.7%), followed by Asia (12.6%) and Russia
(9.2%).
European visitor numbers experienced the sharpest increase, up 94,439 visitors. There
were 66,000 more visitors from Asia, but Russian visitors dwindled, with 32,000 fewer visitors
in the first three quarters of the year compared to the same period last year.
The percentage of Europeans among all inbound visitors has remained stable compared to
last year, while Russians lost and Asians gained one percentage point. There were
practically no changes for visitors from other parts of the world.
Absolute growth in inbound tourism to Prague
In the January-September 2014 period, the total number of inbound visitors rose by 168,087
(+4.4%).
The CSO reported that visitors from China experienced the highest growth, rising by over
30% (+28,993 visitors). The number of visitors from Germany, South Korea and Poland also
increased by over 20,000.
Fastest growing markets by volume compared to January-September 2013:
Country
1. China
2. Germany
3. Republic of
Korea
4. Poland
5. USA
6. Other
European
Countries*
7. Netherlands
8. Slovakia
9. Italy
10. Other Asian
Countries**
Growth
Growth (%)
28,993
24,151
21,579
20,960
18,628
+33.6
+4.8
+30.2
+16.7
+6.6
+21.0
13,962
10,544
10,182
9,810
+13.0
+7.1
+4.4
9,082
+7.9
*Note: “Other European Countries” includes European countries that are not tracked separately by the Czech
Statistical Office.
**”Other Asian Countries” do not include China, India, Israel, Japan or South Korea, which are tracked separately
by the Czech Statistical Office.
In contrast, inbound visitors from Russia, France and Ukraine continued to trend
downward. There were also fewer visitors from Scandinavia. Of the Asian countries,
incoming tourism from Japan also fell.
The greatest losses in inbound guests compared to January-September 2013 are from
the following countries:
Country
1. Russia
2. France
3. Ukraine
4. Denmark
5. Japan
6. Norway
7. Other
American
Countries*
8. Lithuania
9. Switzerland
10. Romania
Decline
-32,109
-15,716
-12,839
-8,926
-5,202
-4,198
-2,152
-2,063
-1,898
-519
Decline (%)
-8.1
-8.7
-18.3
-14.0
-6.7
-9.1
-4.0
-17.1
-3.6
-1.4
*Note: “Other American Countries” includes American countries that are not tracked separately by the Czech
Statistical Office.
Of the total 52 countries and territories tracked by the CSO, 38 countries experienced an
increase while just 14 a decline in the number of visitors to Prague.
Top markets by total nights:
Visitors from Russia spent the most nights in Prague. Despite the 8.1% fall in the number
of visitors from Russia, which resulted in an 11.9% decline in nights by this group (-196,919
nights), after three quarters the Russians remain 233,000 nights ahead of second-place
Germany. Visitors from the third-place country, the United States, spend approximately half
as many nights in Prague as the Russians.
Top markets by total nights:
Place
Number of overnight
stays
Country
1
Russia
1,455,820
2
Germany
1,222,835
3
USA
723,310
4
Italy
666,708
5
United Kingdom
585,612
6
France
419,390
7
Spain
368,865
8
Slovakia
291,367
9
Poland
289,206
10
Other Asian
Countries*
272,376
*Note: “Other Asian Countries” do not include China, India, Israel, Japan or South Korea, which are tracked
separately by the Czech Statistical Office.
Greatest increases in nights compared to January-September 2013
Place
Country
Growth
Growth (%)
1
China
48,785
32.2
2
Republic of Korea
45,525
37.3
3
Poland
42,340
17.2
4
USA
38,385
5.6
5
Germany
30,436
2.6
6
Italy
Other European
Countries*
29,594
4.6
7
25,817
14.3
*Note: “Other European Countries” includes European countries that are not tracked separately by the Czech
Statistical Office.
Greatest decreases in nights compared to January-September 2013
Place
Country
Decline
Decline (%)
1
Russia
-196,919
-11.9
2
France
-53,394
-11.3
3
Denmark
-41,262
-20.4
4
Ukraine
-39,467
-22.8
5
Norway
Other American
Countries*
Sweden
-9,983
-8.1
6
7
-8,811
-8,686
-6.8
-4.7
*Note: “Other American Countries” includes American countries that are not tracked separately by the Czech
Statistical Office.
Average length of inbound overnight stays
The length of stay in the first three quarters of 2014 was high above average among
visitors from the following countries:
1. Russia
2. Malta
3. Israel
4.0 nights
3.5 nights
3.1 nights
The length of stay in the first three quarters of 2014 was far below average among visitors
from the following countries:
1. China
2. Republic of Korea
3. Austria, Slovakia
1.7 nights
1.8 nights
1.9 nights
Tourism in Prague compared to national trends
In the period from January till September 2014, there were a total of 12,244,298 overnight
trips to the Czech Republic. Compared to the same period last year, there is a slight 69,785
visitor increase (+0.6%). This rise was solely due to incoming visitors, with 175,179 (+3.9%)
more coming in this period; resident visitors declined by 105,394 (-1.7%).
The trend for Prague was more positive (+2.3% = +104,367 visitors) than for the country as a
while.
Overnight trips throughout the Czech Republic spent by residents were 6,036,943.
Trips by non-residents totalled 6,207,355.
With 4,550,210 visits, Prague accounted for 37.2% of all visits to the Czech Republic.
Most visitors arrived in the Czech Republic from Germany, Russia and Slovakia.
Nights at accommodation establishments throughout the Czech Republic in the first nine
months of the year reached 34,282,807, which is down 2.1% year-on-year.
Nights fell by 0.4% for non-residents and 3.8% for residents.
With 11,091,628 nights, Prague accounts for 32.4% of all overnight stays in the country.
Based on data from the Czech Statistical Office published on 7 November 2014