Almost 30 million travelers visit the Czech Republic every year for tourism, business, medical or transit purposes. The central European country, which is celebrating a hundred of independence in 2018, is ranked the 6^th safest country on earth.

Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism in collaboration with VFS Global, successfully presented umpteen tourist attractions and products to trade, tourism and business partners in the Middle East through road shows in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, where

The ‘Czech Republic – Land of Stories’, the official promotion campaign of the Czech Republic, commenced the road shows in Kuwait on 19 November and concluded in Dubai on 23 November. These roadshows are part of CzechTourism’s efforts to promote the Czech Republic as a favored tourist destination in the Middle East.

At a press conference in Dubai, H. E. Alexandr Sporýš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Arab Emirates expressed his gratitude for the continuous efforts that CzechTourism is putting to regularly promote Czech Republic as a tourism destination in the UAE and other countries in the Middle East. “For a long time, I have supported the strengthening of the Czech presence in the Middle East, which is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, and I am glad to see the vast development of the business relations between Czech and Emirati companies in the tourism sector. VFS Global is a reliable partner in the visa area and I am convinced that the partnership of CzechTourism with this company will lead to a further increase of interest in the Czech Republic.”

CzechTourism has been presenting annual roadshows in the Middle East since 2009. UAE is the number one tourism source market for the Czech Republic in the Middle East followed by Saudi Arabia. In 2016 Czech Republic received 23,831 and 18,180 visitors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia respectively, amounting to more than 171,000 room nights.

“The country is already known in the Middle East as a Spa and Medical destination,” said Monika Palatková, Managing Director, CzechTourism. “However, our objective through this roadshow is to promote the various other leisure and MICE products of the Czech Republic, which should also greatly appeal to travelers from the Middle East. We have presented mainly a wide range of cultural programs, nature stays, all-year-round events and festivals for families, individual travelers, and groups.”

 

2017 has been a promising year for the Czech Republic with the high number of visitors, the country has seen a double-digit growth in the number of travelers from last year.

 

 

The year 2018 will be a period of celebration for the Czech Republic because it marks 100 years since the establishment of the independent country. This anniversary will be followed by a special campaign that will present original stories related to this period – stories of the Czech architecture and design, stories of lifestyle, internationally known Czech brands and numerous tourist, cultural and sports events.

Talking about the 100^th anniversary, His Excellency affirmed that the Czech Republic has been a long time player in international relations since the 6^th century.

 

 

By 2021, the number of travelers from the Middle East travelling to Central Europe is expected to significantly increase and  CzechTourism expects a vigorous development of incoming tourists to from the Middle East market owing to the flight connections from the region, the introduction of new seasonal direct flights, more accessible visa facilitation through increasing network of visa application centres (VFS Global currently operates 10 centers in 8 countries across the Middle East) and a general increase in awareness about the range of attractions the Czech Republic has to offer.

Prague, the beautiful capital city of the Czech Republic, is popular with travelers from the Middle East; however, a key objective of the promotional campaign was to shed light on the wide range of different tourism prospects the Czech Republic has to offer the discerning Middle Eastern traveler. The central promotional theme of CzechTourism in 2017 has been West and Central Bohemia, showcasing the rich cultural and historical attractions available such as spas & wellness resorts and chateaux hotels, and original Czech traditions such as glass and crystal making.