Nearly 80 percent of Czechs plan to holiday at home this summer

Nearly 80 percent of Czechs plan to spend their holidays in the Czech Republic this year, suggests a survey conducted by the state agency CzechTourism.

According to the survey, carried out among 1,000 respondents during the month of May, 76 percent of Czechs are planning domestic holidays this summer.

On average, they will take 13 days off and they will spend CZK 6,840 per person, which is around CZK 700 more than last year.

The most sought-after destinations this year are South Bohemia and South Moravia. To the contrary, the Prague and Pardubice regions are the least popular tourist spots.

The survey also suggests that most people - 45 percent - are planning to stay in guesthouses. Around 29 percent will be accommodated with friends or acquaintances, and the same number of people are planning to stay at campsites.

According to the Czech booking engine Previo.cz, the occupancy rate of accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic for the summer has reached over 30 percent. That figure is nine percent higher than at the same time last year.

The most sought after destinations offered by Previo are Orlické Mountains, Slovácko, Šumava and Český Les. Nearly 75 percent of rooms in these locations have already been booked, says the company’s CEO Pavel Kotas.

"Over the last month, the occupancy rate of accommodation offered by Previo increased from 22 to 32 percent. If it continues to grow, there will be no more vacancies for weekly stays in the mountains and at the country’s lakes for the summer holidays and very few weekend stays," says Mr Kotas.

The survey carried out by the state agency Czech Tourism also suggests that around 44 percent of Czech tourists plan to combine relaxing and sporting activities this summer.

Four out of five people, who will spend holidays in the Czech Republic, plan to go hiking. Over 50 percent plan shorter cycling trips and 45 percent want to spend their holidays by swimming and doing water sports.