The “tour” of Prague bars organized at night by travel agencies has come to an end: the capital of Czech Republictrying to preserve the tranquility of its inhabitants from the excesses that accompany these night tours – which are especially appreciated by British tourists – decided to ban these “tours”.
THE deputy mayor Zdenek Hryb announced that they would no longer be allowed “organized tours” in bars from 10 pm to 6 am. Prague “is looking for more cultured and rich tourists (…) and not those who come for a short time just to get drunk”, explained his colleague Jiri Pospisil after the vote held at the City Council.
THE Václav Starekthe director of the Czech association of hotels and restaurants, welcomed the ban, saying he was confident that companies in the sector would not be affected.
“No one will be banned from any pubbut these trips organized every night (…) are not necessary”, he commented, remembering that the phenomenon has now become a “problem for locals and other tourists”.
The Czech capital, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants, is a popular destination for young tourists, in part due to its bars that sell alcohol at an incomparably low price. Like Krakow, in southern Poland, which was “invaded” by an uncontrollable wave of drunk visitors, to the point where some residents sued the municipality.
THE foreign visitors they also contribute to the reputation of Czech beer. According to the national statistics office, every Czech (including newborns) drank 128 liters of beer in 2023, an amount that is a world record. After the Covid-19 pandemic, however, a downward trend in consumption was observed.
In some restaurants in Prague, beer is cheaper than water and many pubs in the historic center – which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site – sell half a bottle of the famous local Plzen beer for less than 3 euros.
Source: AMPE