Last year 20 million tourists spent their holidays in Czech hotels and other accommodation facilities, which represents a record increase of 9.1% over 2016. More than half of the guests were foreigners, according to the latest statistical data on Czech tourism.
A total of 10.2 million visitors staying in the Czech hotels last year were foreigners, which was 9.2% more than domestic tourists (9.9 million). The data exclude visitors using social platforms like Airbnb.
“Last year was a record year for our hotels. For the first time the number of guests in various accommodation facilities, including camps and guest houses, exceeded 20 million. Also, for the first time the number of overnight stays reached 50 million, which is another record for Czech tourism,” said Pavel Vancura from the tourism statistics department of the Czech Statistical Office.
The total amount of overnight stays reached 53.3 million, which was 3.6 million more than in 2016.
The most important source market for the Czech Republic is traditionally the western neighbor, Germany. Last year, Czech hotels welcomed 1.95 million German guests. The second place goes to Slovakian visitors – almost 688,490 tourists spent their holidays in the Czech hotels. Other major source markets include Poland (578,465 visitors), Russia (551,191 visitors), and USA (539,023 visitors).
The data reveal that Russian tourists are coming back to the Czech Republic, where they traditionally go for local spas as well as city tours. Last year, the number of Russian tourists increased by 35.3%. Similarly, Asian tourists, especially from China grow in importance for Czech tourism. The number of Chinese tourists increased by 25%. The same percentage of growth was also recorded for Ukrainian visitors.
Most guests opted for 4-star hotels – a total of 1.6 million visitors, which is 8.3% more than in the previous year. 3-star hotels welcomed 1.3 million tourists, which is an increase of 7.4%. Local guest houses reported 400,000 tourists last year, representing also a positive growth of 7.4%.
Top 10 Source Markets of Czechia: Number of Foreign Visitors in 2017
| Country | # of visitors |
| 1. Germany | 1 954 833 |
| 2 Slovakia | 688 490 |
| 3. Poland | 578 465 |
| 4. Russia | 551 191 |
| 5. USA | 539 023 |
| 6. China | 491 648 |
| 7. United Kingdom | 470 576 |
| 8. South Korea | 417 438 |
| 9. Italy | 392 861 |
| 10. Austria | 292 420 |