Only 549 fewer tourists from the Baltics came to Czechia than in 2019. While in 2022, there were 118,877 guests from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, before the coronavirus pandemic there were 119,426. At the tourism fair in Lithuania called Adventur, visitors could thus get to know the Czech spa and wellness industry in particular.
The fair in Vilnius was visited by 9,100 people and featured 128 exhibitors from all over the world. Among them were tour operators, representatives of travel agencies and other tourism entrepreneurs. In order to make information about Czechia as accessible as possible, the foreign representation of CzechTourism for Poland prepared material for the exhibition in Lithuanian. The event was also attended by Marta Grzesiak, media&trade manager of the Czech Tourism Authority, who speaks fluent Lithuanian.
„Tourists from the Baltic States visited Prague and the South Moravian Region the most last year. The imaginary third place varied depending on which country the guest came from. While Lithuanians mostly visited the Hradec Králové region, Latvians were interested in the Moravian-Silesian region and Estonians in the Karlovy Vary region. There was a consensus on the activities that people from the Baltic States undertook in our country. Most often they visited cultural monuments, followed by natural monuments and gastronomy,“ says Director of the Czech Tourism Authority – CzechTourism Jan Herget and adds: „Because the war in Ukraine has, among other things, limited the availability of Russian and Ukrainian spas and wellness centres, our facilities could be an alternative for Baltic residents, both in terms of price and commuting distance.“
Recreation is the main reason why Baltic residents come to Czechia. While last year they spent an average of 2.8 days in our country, before the covid-19 pandemic it was 2.9 days. As far as spending during the stay is concerned, figures for Latvians and Estonians are available at the moment. In the last five years, the average was 592 and 713 CZK per person per day respectively.
„At the fair we arranged the presentation of four regions - Karlovarsky, Moravskoslezsky, South Moravian and Plzeň Region, the state city of Brno and also five Czech hotels - Falkensteiner, Astoria, Olympia, Schlosspark and Thermal,“ says Director of CzechTourism's Foreign Representation for Poland Ivana Bílková, adding: „Thirteen B2B meetings were held with key Lithuanian tour operators and partners from the spa segment, with each exhibitor having a 30-minute slot. In addition, visitors to the exhibition were also interested in mountains in Czechia, which is a highly topical topic not only for families with children, given Březnové hory and the excellent offer of border mountain resorts.“
At the fair there was also interest in camping in Czechia, as many Lithuanians travel to Czechia by car for active summer holidays. This is also why CzechTourism has published an up-to-date catalogue of domestic campsites. It can be downloaded in electronic form from visitczechia.com. There are also campsites in the South Moravian Region, where Lithuanians visited the most last year.
„We participated in the Vilnius Fair in order to support the growing number of tourists from that destination. In our country and in the entire South Moravian Region, Lithuanians have been ranked at the top for a long time. From the questions at the exhibition it was obvious that they know a lot about Brno and its tourist offer, which concerned both professionals and the general public. Mostly, representatives of the B2B sector and potential tourists from Lithuania asked about dining options, accommodation and tourist attractions,“ says Tourism Project Coordinator from the Office of Marketing and Tourism of the Brno City Hall Martina Pospíšilová.
The questions were of course also related to spa and wellness. Already in March, the spa Slatinice, located in Olomouc region, will start its spa season – probably the first in Czechia. On 25 March, they are planning a carriage ride, a spa fair, a rich programme for children and an open day. Most of the domestic spas are preparing for the opening of the spa season in May. And thanks to the Vilnius fair, not only travel agencies from the Baltics could take part in the European Spa Association Congress, which will take place in Karlovy Vary from 2 to 6 October. In addition, CzechTourism is also preparing sightseeing tours for the Karlovy Vary region. So that not only the residents of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia can experience domestic spa and wellness facilities, but also other opportunities to spend an active holiday in Czechia.
Foreign guests from the Baltics in mass accommodation facilities in 2022 compared to 2019, 2020 and 2021
„Tourists from the Baltic States visited Prague and the South Moravian Region the most last year. The imaginary third place varied depending on which country the guest came from. While Lithuanians mostly visited the Hradec Králové region, Latvians were interested in the Moravian-Silesian region and Estonians in the Karlovy Vary region. There was a consensus on the activities that people from the Baltic States undertook in our country. Most often they visited cultural monuments, followed by natural monuments and gastronomy,“ says Director of the Czech Tourism Authority – CzechTourism Jan Herget and adds: „Because the war in Ukraine has, among other things, limited the availability of Russian and Ukrainian spas and wellness centres, our facilities could be an alternative for Baltic residents, both in terms of price and commuting distance.“
Recreation is the main reason why Baltic residents come to Czechia. While last year they spent an average of 2.8 days in our country, before the covid-19 pandemic it was 2.9 days. As far as spending during the stay is concerned, figures for Latvians and Estonians are available at the moment. In the last five years, the average was 592 and 713 CZK per person per day respectively.
„At the fair we arranged the presentation of four regions - Karlovarsky, Moravskoslezsky, South Moravian and Plzeň Region, the state city of Brno and also five Czech hotels - Falkensteiner, Astoria, Olympia, Schlosspark and Thermal,“ says Director of CzechTourism's Foreign Representation for Poland Ivana Bílková, adding: „Thirteen B2B meetings were held with key Lithuanian tour operators and partners from the spa segment, with each exhibitor having a 30-minute slot. In addition, visitors to the exhibition were also interested in mountains in Czechia, which is a highly topical topic not only for families with children, given Březnové hory and the excellent offer of border mountain resorts.“
At the fair there was also interest in camping in Czechia, as many Lithuanians travel to Czechia by car for active summer holidays. This is also why CzechTourism has published an up-to-date catalogue of domestic campsites. It can be downloaded in electronic form from visitczechia.com. There are also campsites in the South Moravian Region, where Lithuanians visited the most last year.
„We participated in the Vilnius Fair in order to support the growing number of tourists from that destination. In our country and in the entire South Moravian Region, Lithuanians have been ranked at the top for a long time. From the questions at the exhibition it was obvious that they know a lot about Brno and its tourist offer, which concerned both professionals and the general public. Mostly, representatives of the B2B sector and potential tourists from Lithuania asked about dining options, accommodation and tourist attractions,“ says Tourism Project Coordinator from the Office of Marketing and Tourism of the Brno City Hall Martina Pospíšilová.
The questions were of course also related to spa and wellness. Already in March, the spa Slatinice, located in Olomouc region, will start its spa season – probably the first in Czechia. On 25 March, they are planning a carriage ride, a spa fair, a rich programme for children and an open day. Most of the domestic spas are preparing for the opening of the spa season in May. And thanks to the Vilnius fair, not only travel agencies from the Baltics could take part in the European Spa Association Congress, which will take place in Karlovy Vary from 2 to 6 October. In addition, CzechTourism is also preparing sightseeing tours for the Karlovy Vary region. So that not only the residents of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia can experience domestic spa and wellness facilities, but also other opportunities to spend an active holiday in Czechia.
Foreign guests from the Baltics in mass accommodation facilities in 2022 compared to 2019, 2020 and 2021