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Hotels, pensions and camps across the Czech Republic housed a total of 2.81 million tourists in the first quarter of 2022, according to data published by the Czech Statistics Agency. This is a tenfold increase when compared to the same period last year, which was marked by pandemic related lockdowns. Around 886,000 tourists visited from abroad, 16 times more than in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, service revenues rose by 12.5 percent in the first three months of this year.

The most visited locations included Prague, as well as the Hradec Kralove and Liberec regions, which tourists traditionally visit for winter sports. The regions that registered the lowest numbers of tourists were Ústecko and Pardubicko.

The Czech Interior Ministry is preparing to toughen up passport checks when it comes to refugees arriving from Ukraine, the head of the ministry, Vít Rakušan, said on Tuesday. The interior minister also said that he is discussing the possibility of the Czech state switching from the CZK 5,000 financial help that is currently given to refugees arriving from Ukraine to material aid. He told news site Blesk.cz that, to be eligible for a humanitarian aid, refugees from Ukraine will newly have to present their passport bearing a stamp confirming that they crossed the Ukrainian border. The new measure should become valid from Monday, the minister told the news site.

The new measures come in response to problems associated with the migration of Roma people from Ukraine, writes Czech Radio’s news site iRozhlas.cz. Mr Rakušan said on Monday that Roma refugees often have dual citizenship and, as citizens of Hungary, therefore do not have a right claim refugee aid in the Czech Republic. He said that it would be best if people who do not have the right to humanitarian or financial aid did not come to Czechia in the first place. However, he also assured that no one who is in need will be “sent back by train”.

The annual Book World Prague Festival (Svět knihy), will be hosting some major guests this year. Among them are Belarusian Nobel laureate for literature Svetlana Alexievich, leading Russian opposition intellectual Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Hong Kong human rights activist Nathan Law. Swiss writer Lukas Bärfuss, Israeli author Etgar Keret and Canada’s “Queen of Thrillers” Shari Lapena will also be attending.

This year’s 27th edition of the festival will be focused on Italian and Ukrainian literature. The festival takes place from June 9-12 in Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition ground.

Tuesday sees the start of a five day international film festival in Liberec that is dedicated to animated movies. Anifilm, as the festival is called, will focus its special film programme to Ukraine, which is currently defending itself against a Russian invasion.

The festival will offer the best of current Ukrainian animation, while also including films in its programme that are intended for a Ukrainian child audience. A part of the film programme is also focused on humour in animation.