Holiday World highlights boom in outgoing Czech tourism

The annual Holiday World trade fair was held in Prague at the weekend. Now in its thirteenth year, the event has become one of the most important events of its kind in Central Europe and attracts around 30,000 visitors. The huge level of interest that Holiday World generates is indicative of the massive upsurge in outgoing tourism from the Czech Republic since the fall of communism.

Holiday World highlights boom in outgoing Czech tourism

Holiday World 2004, photo: CTK

With over 600 stands offering holidays in locations around the globe, Holiday World is one of the biggest tourism trade fairs in Central Europe. In the past few years, ordinary Czechs have been going to it in their droves. The huge number of people attending the fair shows how eager and interested Czechs are in taking holidays in foreign countries. This is hardly surprising considering that for decades many Czechs were denied the right to travel abroad by the communist regime.

Alexandr Pavlov owns the Prague-based Alexandria travel agency. His company has been exhibiting at the fair for several years now, and he has noticed how Czech tourists have become much more discerning than they used to be:

"They are primarily looking for more luxurious accommodation, but of course they are also asking for better services. I think that the standard of services that Czech tourists now receive is the same as that provided for Western travellers. There are many more companies from abroad here now - it's not just firms from the Czech Republic. It seems that the Czech market has become very attractive for them."

Ireland is one of 50 countries represented at Holiday World. Christian Rubel from the Irish tourist authority believes that the Czech Republic has a lot of potential as a tourist market for countries like Ireland, and says there are a number of reasons why Czechs would be interested in West European countries such as this:

Holiday World 2004, photo: CTK

"Well it's not a 'gold' market, but it's on the increase and it's a promising, future market, and we recognise that. Tourism is developing in Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic, and the region is of high interest to a country like ours for tourism, travel and even learning English as a foreign language. It also provides them [Czechs] with an opportunity to see a country that has very successfully been a member of the European Union for many years."

Caroline Cooke from a Northern Irish hostel group has been at the fair in previous years, and has also noticed how it has expanded and developed over time:

"There seems to be a lot more press and tour operators here this year. I think this is because a lot more people from the Czech Republic are travelling outside the country now with the new budget airlines flying direct to destinations. I think that this is because the local people are interested in travelling and the facilities are now there for them to do it."