Come to Prague and sleep when you get back home!

Prague is not just the city with a thousand spires but also a modern place that guarantees round the clock fun. That's how City Hall is introducing the Czech capital to the world. In a three-minute clip, it takes the attention away from the country's famed liquid bread to present it as a place of dynamic and sophisticated entertainment.

City Hall invested close to two million crowns (some 85,000 US dollars) into this fast-moving clip, which features a young couple that comes to Prague refreshed and energised and leaves exhausted after days of endless fun. After visiting galleries, theatres, cafes, restaurants, and basking in the sun on the banks of the Vltava, they leave the city with dark rings under their eyes, disappointed that their holiday's over. The slogan at the end of the clip reads: "Sleep when you get back home". Vera Krincvajova is the head of City Hall's promotional department:

"It would be a mistake to think that Prague is far away in Eastern Europe and a boring city, where visitors have a boring time. It's not true. The name of the campaign is 'sleep when you get back home' because you have to go to at least 160 galleries, play tennis, visit 81 museums, admire places like churches, concert halls, clubs, sport stadiums, swimming pools, multi-screen cinemas, public libraries, shopping centres, and we have a big zoo with 3,829 animals."

Photo: CzechTourism

That's in big contrast to last year's clip from the CzechTourism agency, which promotes the country as a place where people take it easy and enjoy the good cheap beer; a haven for those who want to relax and "slow down". The star of that clip is a snail.

"This last clip invited people to the Czech Republic and not just to Prague. This short movie invites people to Prague, who are a little bit more demanding and like to be spoilt. But we do have mountains, lakes, forests and places, where you really can slow down...but that's not about Prague."

So where will the clip be shown?

"This summer, we started our campaign at Prague's main Ruzyne airport. Czech Airlines also decided to show the clip on board all their flights. The campaign on TV stations like CNN is very expensive for us but because Prague is something like the gateway to the Czech Republic, we have started to discuss possible financial sources with partners from ministries and the private sector, such as hotels for example, who would like to attract people who like other kinds of culture and not just the cheapest beer."