Czech Republic: Land of stories

Celebrating the centenary of Czech Republic’s independence, the country’s tourism department is running various campaigns to lure tourists, especially from the Middle East.

TT BUREAU

A popular destination among many UAE nationals for medical tourism, Czech Tourism Authority in collaboration with VFS Global organised a roadshow campaign titled ‘Czech Republic – Land of Stories’ in Kuwait and the UAE. It was a house full as travel agents, tour operators and other travel partners received firsthand information to promote the destination.
UAE is the number one tourism source market for the Czech Republic in the Middle East followed by Saudi Arabia. In 2016, Czech Republic received 23,831 and 18,180 visitors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively, amounting to more than 171,000 room nights.
His Excellency Alexandr Sporýš, Ambassador, Czech Republic to the United Arab Emirates, together with Monika Palatková, Managing Director, Czech Tourist Authority–Czech Tourism, interacted with the media at the exclusive event held in Dubai.
“I’m pleased that Czech Tourism regularly promotes the Czech Republic as a tourism destination in the UAE and in other countries in the Middle East market. For a long time, I have personally supported strengthening of the Czech presence in Middle East, which is one of the world’s fastest growing markets and I am glad to see the vast development of the business relations between Czech and Emirati companies in the tourism sector. VFS Global is a reliable partner in the visa area and I am convinced that the partnership of Czech Tourism with this company will lead to a further increase of interest about the Czech Republic,” commented Sporýš, Ambassador, Czech Republic to the United Arab Emirates.
“Czech Republic is already very well known in the Middle East as a spa and medical destination. However, our objective through this roadshow is to promote various other leisure and MICE products of the Czech Republic, which should also greatly appeal to travellers from the Middle East. We have presented mainly a wide range of cultural programmes, nature stays, all-year-round events and festivals for families, individual travellers and groups,” stated Monika Palatková, Managing Director, Czech Tourism.
Palatková reiterated that next year, the country marks a significant milestone of 100 years for Czech Republic as an independent country and they will have a special campaign which presents stories related to the period. She further stated that they will be participating at Expo 2020 in Dubai to further strengthen the relations among the two countries. The local Emiratis are privileged as it is visa free for them and this is a great driver to promote tourism.