Tourism - 4th quarter of 2017

Q4 2017, the number of guests’ overnight stays in collective accommodation establishments increased by 6.1% year-on-year, of which foreigners by 7.4% and residents by 4.2%. In total, more guests arrived by 7.9% in this period, foreigners by 8.1% and domestic guests by 7.7%.
During the whole year 2017 collective accommodation establishments reported a record in number of guests as well as overnight stay. More than 20 million of guests found accommodation in collective accommodation establishments and spent over 53 million nights there.

The number of overnight stays in collective accommodation establishments totaled 10.5 million in Q4 2017; this was by 6.1% more than in the same period of the previous year. Domestic clients increased their number of nights by 4.2%. The number of overnight stays of non-residents went up by 7.4%. A year-on-year growth by 7.1% was recorded in hotels and pensions reported an increase by 6.2%. In regional breakdown, an increase was shown in all regions. The most successful were entrepreneurs in Plzeň Region, where the number of nights spent went up by 21.1% y-o-y due to both residents (+22.1%) and non-residents (+20.4%). Two-digit growth was also recorded by accommodation establishments in South Moravian Region.

A total of 4.3 million guests arrived in collective accommodation establishments during the surveyed period; this was 7.9% more year-on-year. The number of non-residents went up by 8.1%; residents by 7.7%. The highest number of guest (1.6 million) found accommodation in four-star hotels. This was by 8.3% more than previous year. 1.3 million tourists arrived to three-star hotels, this was by 7.4% more y-o-y. Pensions reported an increase by 7.4%; this was by 400 thousand of visits more. Regionally, occupancy went up in all regions. The most successful result was showed in Plzeň Region (by 19.6%) and in South Bohemia Region (by 15.7%).

The highest number of foreign guests (by citizenship) came from Germany. There were 478 thousand of German guests in the surveyed establishments; it was by 3.5% more than Q4 2016. Second largest group were guests from Slovakia with 169 thousand of arrivals; this was by 9.1% more. Third place was taken by citizens from Russia (+23.0%). From Top 10 countries, guest from China with an increase by 25.7% did also well. Guests from South Korea increased the number of arrivals in Czech Republic by 20.4% y-o-y.

Development in 2017

The number of guests in collective accommodation establishments during the year 2017 broke 20 million for the first time; this was by 1.7 million more than in 2016. In relative terms an increase was by 9.1%. The number of foreign guests reached more than 10 million (+9.2%)[*] and domestic occupancy went up to 9.9 million arrivals (+9.0%)^*. The number of overnight broke 50 million in the last year too.

The total number of overnight stays reached 53.3 million; this was by 3.6 million (+7.3%) more than in 2016.

In all regions of the Czech Republic the number of guests as well as the number of overnight stays went up. The best result was shown in South Moravian Region where occupancy increased by 14.6% in arrivals and by 14.9% in the number of nights. More than 10% increase was shown in Plzeň Region, Ústí nad Labem Region, Karlovy Vary Region and Moravian-Silesian Region.

There were more foreigner guests by 850 thousand in the Czech Republic compared to previous year. The most important incoming countries remain Germany with almost 2 million tourists (+3.9%) in 2017. The second place was taken by Slovakia with 688 thousand arrivals (+7.2%) and the third place took Poland with 578 thousand guests (+6.9%). Rising occupancy from Russia brought these clients to the fourth place with y-o-y increased in arrivals by 35.3%. Higher interest of guests from Asian countries, from China, South Korea and Thai-Wan was remarkable during the whole year 2017. Guests from Ukraine (+23.2%) start to come back to our country too.

Notes
Responsible head: Marie Boušková, Head of Service Statistics Department phone (+420) 274052935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Pavel Vančura, Head of Tourism Statistics Unit phone (+420) 274052096, e-mail: pavel.vancura@csu.gov.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct surveys of the CZSO at collective accommodation establishments
End of data collection: 25 January 2018
End of data processing: 31 January 2018
Related publications: https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/cru_ts
The next News Release will be published: 10 May 2018