Czech Republic expecting to welcome one lakh Indian visitors

The Czech Republic popularly referred to as the 'land of stories', is expecting to welcome more than one lakh Indian visitors by 2019-20.

In 2017, 85,680 Indians visited the Czech Republic, according to data of the Czech Tourist Authority. "We have experienced a significant rise in the volume of Indian visitors since 2012 and 2013.

Looking at the current growth trend, we expect to host more than one lakh Indian travelers in our country by 2019-20," CzechTourism India head Arzan Khambatta told PTI here.

He said Indians often combine the Czech Republic, which is an affordable premium destination, with other central European countries like Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia as part of their travel itinerary for an average length of three to four days.

Mostly, Indians visit the capital city of Prague, part of popular Central Europe 'Golden Triangle' that also includes Vienna and Budapest, he said. According to CzechTourism, Indian tourists spend 30 percent more than the average visitor with over CZK (Czech Koruna) 4,000 per person per day (approximately 160 Euros).

The Czech Republic is primarily eyeing to be a popular destination for families and other travelers in the age group of 25 to 45 years, who aspire for a customized yet different holiday experience, Khambatta said.

However, he said, there is huge potential in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and Bollywood and the Czech Republic with VFS Global Tourism Services, the official tourism partner representative of CzechTourism since 2016, will focus on promoting these two segments.

"Moving forward, we will also focus on the MICE segment, which has a huge potential in India, as well as collaborate with more movie productions from the Indian film industry," Khambatta said.

"As a matter of fact, many Bollywood movies have been shot in the Czech Republic, which has showcased the natural beauty of this central European country and will now be a prominent medium for us to promote tourism," he said.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, which had promoted the country as a tourist destination in metro cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru through roadshow, will add Ahmedabad to the list of cities this year, Khambatta said. "In 2019, we plan to expand promotions to locations like Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai to showcase the Czech Republic as an experience to remember," he added.