A total of 61% of Czechs plan to spend this summer holiday in the Czech Republic, most often in the South Bohemia and South Moravia regions. They are most likely to go with their family, partner or spouse. On average, they want to rest for 10 days. The main purpose of their time off is to do lighter sports activities, but also to visit cultural sights or attractions for the whole family. On average, they plan to spend CZK 9,284 per person over the whole period. 60% of respondents plan to spend the summer abroad. This results from the latest survey of the Czech Tourism Centre - CzechTourism.
Czechs will pay more for summer holidays this year, they want to stay mainly in guesthouses
The share of those who want to enjoy their summer holidays in the Czech Republic has not changed year-on-year. The length of domestic holidays has slightly decreased by one day, while the planned expenditure per person has increased by CZK 921. Almost a third of respondents want to spend their summer holidays in the same or a familiar place. Half of Czechs choose a destination they do not know yet. When choosing accommodation, personal experience and price play a role (88%).
"The survey showed that the most popular accommodation is guesthouses (46%) and hotels or motels with three or more stars (29%). Czechs are most likely to go on holiday by car or motorbike (70%), but also by train (18%) or bus (10%)," summarises František Reismüller, Director of the Czech Tourism Centre - CzechTourism, adding: "The current data also confirms the fact that Czechs are a nation that likes to spend their holidays actively. Most often in the form of hiking, which has long been one of the most popular outdoor activities among Czechs. After all, there is no wonder, we have the best hiking signs in the world and over 44 thousand kilometres of hiking trails. In recent years, we have also seen a growing trend in the case of long-distance hiking trails. In this respect, it is certainly worth mentioning the resources that people use extensively to plan their holidays and trips. The most popular one is the tourist portal Kudy z boredy run by CzechTourism, where almost 60 percent of the respondents look for tips. Just for the record - in the peak tourist season, this website receives over 4 million visits per month."
The trend is for relaxation with lighter sports activities, but also adrenaline
As already mentioned - Czechs prefer relaxing holidays with lighter sports activities (40%), such as hiking, walking, water sports and visiting water parks, but also cycling or water tourism. A total of 17% of people go for cultural sightseeing in the summer, 13% for family-friendly attractions and 12% are fans of passive relaxation. A tenth of the respondents want to visit some of the domestic cities. Active holidays with sports or a visit to a spa are also on the cards. More than half of the respondents are inspired by tips and recommendations from friends or family and 43% choose a destination based on a map with tourist attractions marked on it.
"Hiking is most often planned by people aged 40-49 (86%). Similarly, respondents often want to take easier walks with family and friends (69%), which is especially the case for people under 29 (91%). Plans for the summer also include stays with an exercise programme, hiking in the mountains, trail runs, mountaineering and other adrenaline sports,"
adds Petr Janeček, Head of the Institute of Tourism at the Czech Tourism Centre - CzechTourism.
Holiday spending
In terms of total holiday spending, Czechs spend the most on accommodation (48%) and meals in restaurants (18%), while a total of 11% goes on paying for services such as tickets to museums and monuments or expenses related to sports, insurance and excursions. Conversely, people are least likely to spend on transport (7%), souvenirs, food, clothing (7%) and fuel (9%).
Emphasis on sustainability and ecology
Research has shown that Czechs are increasingly concerned about sustainability when planning their holidays. Up to 41% of respondents are interested in tourist destinations that support this, 39% prefer nature-friendly accommodation and 31% plan to travel to their destination in an environmentally friendly way.
"Sustainability in travel is particularly addressed by younger generations, but also by seniors. Women are more likely to be involved in this area. Tourists are accustomed to saving water and sorting waste when travelling. But consumers are the last ones in the tourism ecosystem to address sustainability. This must primarily be addressed by the industry as a whole. Once sustainable is the default, cheapest or easiest option, demand will increase. So far in the Czech Republic, this option is set up more as a niche and optional option,"
says Tereza Kadlecová, who is responsible for sustainable tourism at CzechTourism.
More Czechs will head abroad this summer than last year
60% of Czechs are planning a summer holiday abroad, which is 3% more than last year. Students (95% of respondents) and younger people up to 29 years of age (74%) want to go abroad. For example, only 34% of respondents in the over-75 category choose this option for their summer holidays. The main reason why Czechs do not go abroad in summer is lack of finances (60%) and the fact that they simply do not go abroad at this time of year (19%).
Domestic travel has been gaining more prominence in recent years. In 2013, the proportion of domestic and foreign tourists staying in mass accommodation establishments in the country was almost equal. Last year the ratio was almost 60 to 40 (57% and 43%) in favour of domestic tourists. However, this proportion is gradually changing again. The data for the first quarter of this year showed, among other things, that while the share of foreign tourists in the total number of travellers is slowly but steadily increasing, the number of visitors from distant markets has also increased. Almost 53% (2 174 thousand) were domestic tourists, while 47% (1 942 thousand) were visitors from abroad.
Source: czechtourism.cz
