During the summer holidays, Prague’s tourist sites and monuments saw an increase in visitors compared to last year. According to Prague City Tourism, approximately 358,000 tourists visited the city’s towers in July and August, about 22,000 more than last year. The number of visitors to other popular tourist destinations, such as the Troja Botanical Garden and the Prague Zoo, remained stable compared to the previous year, as reported by a survey conducted by the Czech News Agency.
The weather also played a role in the number of visitors. The most visited monument in Prague, Petřín Lookout Tower, received 136,000 visitors this year, compared to approximately 128,000 visitors last year. About 71,500 people visited the Old Town Hall, and the Petřín Maze attracted about 91,000 visitors. About 23,000 tourists visited the Old Town Bridge Tower, and about 16,500 people visited the Powder Tower.
The Prague City Tourism spokesperson, Klára Janderová, pointed out that the number of tower visitors is also influenced by the weather, especially on hot days. The weather also affected the number of visitors to the Prague Zoo. According to the zoo’s spokesperson, Filip Mašek, potential visitors’ decisions to go to the zoo depend heavily on the weather.
Despite the fluctuating numbers, Prague saw a significant increase in the number of tourists compared to last year, although it still falls short of pre-pandemic numbers. Last year, approximately 5.98 million tourists stayed in Prague’s hotels, guesthouses, and campsites, about 2.5 times more than in 2021 but nearly two million less than in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in tourist numbers was mainly due to foreign tourists.
Prague has many famous landmarks like St. Vitus Cathedral, the Charles Bridge, and the Prague Astronomical Clock. These iconic tourist destinations remain popular among visitors, but the increase in visitors to other lesser-known sites shows that Prague has much to offer beyond its most famous monuments.
Visitors can also enjoy the Troja Botanical Garden, which saw a similar number of visitors as last year. The garden director, Bohumil Černý, described this year’s holiday attendance as average. Nearby, the Prague Zoo received 106,608 visitors in July, and its spokesperson noted that the holiday season can be characterized as “sporadic” or “fluctuating” due to the weather.
The surge in tourist numbers is a positive sign for Prague’s tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. With the continued vaccination efforts and the gradual easing of travel restrictions, Prague expects to see a further increase in tourist numbers in the coming months.