The Middle East region, including Qatar, has become a valuable tourism market for the Czech Republic due to the quality of its travellers, a senior Czech tourism official has said.
Such travellers spend more during their stay compared to other foreign visitors, according to CzechTourism managing director Monika Palatkova.
“In the case of the Qatar market, the average expenditure - as well as the length of stay - is above average compared to other countries,” Palatkova told reporters at a press conference in Doha on Thursday.
She was joined by the Czech Republic ambassador to Kuwait Martin Dvorak, the embassy’s economic and commercial section head Jakub Jaros, and the Union of Glass and Fashion Jewellery Producers president Pavel Kopacek.
According to CzechTourism, Prague Airport recorded a substantial increase in the number of visitors from Qatar in the past three years, showing a robust demand for the Central European destination.
Palatkova disclosed that CzechTourism is also planning to establish a representative office in Doha either next year or in 2020 to attract more travellers from Qatar, focusing on families, mature millennials and luxury-oriented mature travellers.
Halal food is also being offered in many restaurants and other outlets in the Czech Republic, making it easily available to Middle Eastern visitors.
“Our trade partners have been studying the market in the region for a long time, so it is not a problem because halal food is comfortably available in the Czech Republic,” Palatkova said.
She expressed confidence that the Czech Republic’s wide range of tourism products and experiences, from spas and medical treatment to natural landscapes, architecture and its famous glass and jewellery-making industry, will attract more travellers from Qatar in the coming years.
Qatari visitors, Palatkova said, are “very sophisticated” and experienced travellers who continue searching for new tourism products, which the Czech Republic can offer.
“Besides spa treatment for visitors, we also provide them with a suitable atmosphere to drink coffee and see our beautiful castles or play golf, for example, or attend some sports or cultural events,” she said.
“It is necessary to showcase the Czech Republic not only as the land of Unesco heritage sites but also as land of stories,” noted Palatkova, citing the destination’s ‘multifaceted attractions’.
She said the Central European country was ranked among the seventh safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index 2018.
The Czech Republic’s increasing global appeal as a popular tourism destination due to its unique blend of “old world charm with modernity” makes it “an eclectic and affordable destination in the Schengen zone”, Palatkova stressed.