Tourism - 1. quarter of 2023

In the Q1 2023, 3.8 million guests in total accommodated in collective accommodation establishments of which 2.1 million were domestic guests and 1.7 million were guests from abroad. The number of overnight stays of guests in collective accommodation establishments reached almost 10 million nights; it increased by a quarter, year-on-year (y-o-y).

The number of overnight stays of guests in collective accommodation establishments reached 9.9 million nights in the Q1 2023, which was by 26.4% more compared to the corresponding period of 2022. Guests from the Czech Republic (CR; residents) were slightly prevailing; the number of overnight stays of them was by 5% higher compared to the results from the Q1 2019 before the pandemic.

“In the reference period, 3.8 million guests arrived in collective accommodation establishments, which was by a third more compared to the previous year. The number of guests from abroad increased almost by 90% and also more domestic guests accommodated there compared to the last year,” Marie Boušková, Director of the Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism, and Environmental Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), stated.

Hotels recorded an increase in the total number of guests to 2.9 million arrivals (by 43.4%). In boarding houses, over half a million guests accommodated (+10%) and the proportion of other accommodation establishments in the total was one tenth. In the first quarter of 2023, the most visited Regions of the Czech Republic were, besides Prague and the Karlovarský Region, also the Královéhradecký Region and the Liberecký Region. In those Regions with characteristic mountain tourism, the number of domestic guests in accommodation establishments decreased, year-on-year. The number of arrivals of residents decreased there by over 5% and the number of overnight stays of the domestic clientele decreased by 7% in the Královéhradecký Region and by 8.5% in the Liberecký Region. Also in the central and eastern Moravia, the number of accommodated residents decreased.  

“After the covid crisis, the number of guests was gradually increasing; however, it was still not on the same level compared to the year 2019. Operators of accommodation establishments were still missing a fifth of the clientele from abroad who were coming to the Czech Republic before the crisis,” Pavel Vančura, Head of the Tourism and Environmental Statistics Unit of the CZSO, said.

The highest number of foreign guests (non-residents; by citizenship) came to accommodate in collective accommodation establishments, as usually, from Germany. In the surveyed accommodation establishments, Germans still made a quarter of guests from abroad (438 thousand arrivals, index 188.3%). The second most numerous group consisted of guests from Slovakia (154 thousand, index 158.8%). Guests from Poland ranked third (133 thousand arrivals; index 170.5%). As for the ranking, they were followed by citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Italy.

***

The total number of guests includes data concerning Ukrainian nationals who paid for their accommodation themselves. However, due to the war conflict in Ukraine, operators of accommodation establishments were not always able to distinguish whether their guests are tourists or refugees. Therefore, also persons who cannot be objectively considered tourism participants according to international recommendations might have been included in the number of guests.

_____________________
Notes:
Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, Director of the Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism, and Environmental Statistics Department, phone number (+420) 274 052 935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Pavel Vančura, Head of the Tourism and Environmental Statistics Unit, phone number (+420) 274 052 096, e-mail: pavel.vancura@csu.gov.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO in collective accommodation establishments
End of data collection: 21 April 2023
End of data processing: 2 May 2023
Related data set: https://csu.gov.cz/tourism_ekon
Next News Release will be published on: 8 August 2023