Prague, [Date] – As businesses in Prague eagerly await the official July numbers, the city is witnessing a solid tourist season despite the lingering effects of the pandemic. Visitors are flocking to explore the city’s pubs, hotels, towers, and bike rental shops, enjoying the attractions that Prague has to offer. The city’s tourism authorities invested in an extensive campaign to attract both domestic and international tourists, with Prague City Tourism promoting popular landmarks like Petřín Tower and the Mirror Maze, among other alluring destinations.

Queues have been forming early on weekends, particularly for the 60-meter-high Eiffel Tower replica, where the number of visitors has increased compared to last year. However, tourism has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, according to Roman, an employee at the tourist information center. Nonetheless, Valerie, a maze guide, notes a significant increase in visitors to the Mirror Maze, with long queues sometimes extending to St. Lawrence’s Church.

Petřín Hill’s cable car has also been highly sought after, with long queues forming at Újezd on Saturday mornings and persisting throughout the day. The hourly procession of apostles at the Old Town Astronomical Clock also attracts crowds of tourists.

Surprisingly, businesses renting out bikes have not suffered despite the pandemic’s challenges. Three bike rental shops adjacent to Žofín have been doing well, with young people, especially high school students, contributing to their success. Many young individuals see bike rentals as an enjoyable outdoor sport and have continued to support these businesses during the pandemic.

During the day, the city bustles with a medley of languages, but at night, English and German tend to dominate as pub crawls and young people wandering from bar to bar become popular nighttime activities. However, the lively nightlife also brings challenges, as the city government grapples with alcohol tourism, particularly disruptive behavior at night. The city councilor, Adam Zábranský, outlined a strict policy against pubs that fail to cooperate with the city and disturb the peace at night. Those establishments could lose their outdoor garden privileges, and fines can be imposed by the police and trade department.

While Prague enjoys a successful tourist season, other regions in the country have not fared as well. Reports from Czech Radio indicate that tourism in the Šumava and Broumov regions fell significantly below expectations, with a reported drop of around 30% in the number of visitors compared to last year. The disparity highlights the varying impact of the pandemic on tourism across different regions of the Czech Republic.

Article by Prague Forum