The 19 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2019

The Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2019, released this week, ranks 200 cities based on how many international overnight visitors they’re set to receive this year, based on actual 2019 monthly data and the weighted average of national-level tourism forecasts. The index shows the number of international overnight visitors in these cities growing by a whopping 76% since 2009 — but in recent years, the trends look pretty similar. For the fourth year in a row, Bangkok is the No. 1 most popular city on Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index. In 2018, the Thai capital welcomed 22.78 million international overnight visitors, with 3.34% growth forecast for 2019. London was the only city on the current top 10 that saw a visitor decline year-over-year — a nearly 4% drop. Asia-Pacific cities have seen the largest regional increase in international travelers since 2009, with a more than 9% increase spurred by rising numbers of mainland Chinese travelers. Here are the 19 most visited cities around the world in 2019, ranked in ascending order by the total number of international visitors they’re set to receive. Bangkok — 22.78 million Paris — 19.1 million London — 19.09 million Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 15.93 million Singapore —...

Czech Republic Reach Quarterfinals at FIBA World Cup

Team USA advanced to the quarterfinals, gifting the Czech Republic a spot in the final eight after stifling Brazil 89-73 in the second round of FIBA Basketball World Cup. Kemba Walker and Myles Turner scored 16 points apiece as the U.S. beat Brazil 89-73 in the final second-round game, setting up a quarterfinal clash with France in Dongguan on Wednesday. Team USA also guaranteed qualification to the Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. men will be in the Olympics for the 19th time next summer, with 15 gold medals, one silver, and two bronze. Earlier in the same group, Czech Republic lost to Greece 84-77, but a later USA win over Brazil gifted the Czechs a place in the final eight. Apart from the Czechs and Americans, also already through to the quarterfinals in China are the French and Australians. Argentina, Serbia, Spain and Poland have all locked down their seeding. The Czechs will encounter Australia in the quarterfinals, who squeezed out France 100-98 to top Group L and sent its opponent to the duel with Team USA. In the classification round, Montenegro crushed Japan 80-65 and New Zealand edged Turkey 102-101 in Group O. Jordan overcame Senegal 79-77 while Germany beat...

Czech Lawmakers Moves Forward With Digital Tax

The Czech Finance Ministry submitted plans to start taxing global internet giants from the middle of 2020, proposing a 7% rate on targeted advertising, multilateral digital interface use and user data sales, it said on Thursday. The tax will apply to revenues from online advertising, the sale of user data, and intermediation services, and will only target companies with a global turnover of 750 million euros or more with sales in the Czech Republic of at last 50 million crowns (1.9 million euros) per year. The tax could raise state revenue of 2.1 billion crowns for the 2020 budget and 5 billion crowns annually after that. “Internet giants do not pay taxes in our country to an extent that would match their profits, which is unfair to other companies in the Czech Republic that pay taxes,” said Finance Minister Alena Schillerová. “We have long supported the search for a common international solution, but unfortunately negotiations at EU and OECD levels will take some time. And because we can no longer wait and see the unequal competition of global giants with other entrepreneurs, we come up with our own temporary digital tax adjustment until an international compromise will be found.” The Czech Republic...

Czech Republic Best CEE Country for Foreigners

The Czech Republic ranks among the best countries in the world for foreign residents, according to a new survey carried out by international foreign resident community InterNations. Overall, the Czech Republic ranks 10th out of 64 destinations. It ranks second in the world for working abroad, as well as among the best countries for families (fourth) and quality of life (seventh). Almost all respondents (96 per cent) rate the opportunity to travel highly, while 95 per cent are impressed with the transportation infrastructure in the country. However, it’s not all good news for the Czech Republic: the country ranks just 56th globally for ease of settling in. Foreign residents in the Czech Republic are particularly unimpressed with the friendliness of the locals: just two in five (40 per cent) rate the general friendliness of the population positively. The language barrier is one issue that gets identified as a problem  Although 56 per cent of respondents agree that it is easy to live in the country without knowing the local language, just 13 per cent agree that learning it is easy. In fact, fewer than one in ten (nine per cent) can speak it very well.

Czech Republic Into FIBA World Cup Last 16 With Turkey Win

The Czech Republic made history by advancing to the second round after a 91-76 upset victory over Turkey on Thursday. In their first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup, they join the USA to make it out of Group E. The Czech Republic were led by Vojtech Hruban, who had 18 points, and Ondrej Balvin, who added 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Both teams began the game having recorded one win and one loss, with the winner guaranteed a ticket to the tournament’s second stage. “Our team played really amazingly,” said Czech coach Ronen Ginzburg. “They did what I asked and more. They are lions. We will celebrate this win for a long time, personally and as a country. Against Turkey we won the ball and didn’t let them run.” “During the game, we tried to do lots of things but they pushed hard to play against us with a tough defense,” said Turkey assistant coach Recep Sen. “We tried to come back and we did but they answered. We are sorry for our fans.” Although Cedi Osman had a game-high 24 points for Turkey, five Czech players managed double-digit points for their victory, with Ondrej Balvin notching 17 points...

Czech Republic Increases Quote for Ukrainian Guest Workers

Baby Girl Born to Brain-Dead Mother in Czech Hospital

Does Prague Need A Second Airport?

Czech Republic Ranks 108th on Global Slavery Index 2018

According to the Global Slavery Index 2018, the Czech Republic ranks 108th out of 167 countries. There are currently over 30,000 people living in “modern slavery” in the country. Offenders use them mainly for seasonal work or in construction. The country sentenced 16 people for human trafficking last year, according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior. The study, conducted by Australia’s Walk Free Foundation, scores nations based on “combining the proportion of the population that is enslaved, the numbers in child or early marriages and the level of trafficking into or out of the country.” While this only consists of 0.36 % of the Czech population of 10.5 million, this is more than 7 times higher than the average of 0.05 % in other Western European nations. The Czech Republic is a primary destination for migrant workers from surrounding European nations, mainly from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania or Vietnam. Migrant workers are often more vulnerable to trafficking or forced labor. The 2018 edition builds on the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, which estimated that 40.3 million people were in some form of slavery on any given day in 2016. The Index provides rankings across three dimensions: Size of...

Burčák Season is Coming!

Wine harvest is in full swing throughout September and October, but Burčák season has officially started. “Burčák” is partially fermented young wine and it is a very popular drink in Moravia, Austria, and Bavaria. This alcoholic wine drink is produced when pressed grape juice is partially fermented. Its consumption is typically connected with the first autumn days. The law states that to be labeled a Burčák, the product has to be made of Czech or Moravian fruits and can only be sold between August 1 and November 30 of the year. The drink is considered to be a national treasure. Moravians are very passionate about the drink and claim that drinking seven liters per year guarantees good health in the upcoming year! The first burčák has gone on sale in South Moravia. Among those offering the fermented young wine is Miloslav Machuča from Valtice, who began selling it on Friday.  To enjoy a fresh glass of Burčák in Prague, one can take part in popular wine festivals called Vinobraní. There is a number of festivals celebrating the wine harvest, where locals like to enjoy a cup of Burčák accompanied by live music, entertainment, and traditional Czech food. The most popular one is festival Vinobraní...

Říčany Named Best Place to Live in Czech Republic

For anyone looking to leave the mean streets of Prague behind for a suburban idyll, a handy new tool will help you determine the best place for you. Říčany currently ranks as the city with the best quality of life in the Czech Republic, according to Deloitte, which uses data from users to evaluate various aspects of life in Czech cities. The project is called “Obce v date”. Deloitte claims to analyze data from the 206 largest Czech cities and uses the following criteria to evaluate cities’ quality of life:  Cost of living and purchasing power Affordability of housing Pollution including air, water, etc. Crime rates· Health system quality Traffic (commute times) Number of doctors employed Unemployment rate Average salary On the second place ranks Prague, the third – Černošice.  On the contrary, Orlová in the Moravian Silesian Region was judged to have the lowest quality of life, repeating its position last year.  “Many people in these regions have to deal with financial problems. There is also a relatively high level of pollution,” said Jan Havránek from “Obce v date”. About Řičany Řičany is situated about 20 km to the south-east of Prague in undulated and wooded countryside. The first mention of Říčany (according to Hájek’s Chronicle) is...

The Czech Republic, Land of Pleasure

Names as Oldřich Widman and Martin Stiborek are not the best known among the Czech Republic, even though they are some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the pornographic industry worldwide. Yet when you say the name of Robert Rosenberg, almost everybody will know who you are talking about. The Czech Republic became a “porno paradise” just shortly after the Velvet Revolution, and this status has lasted for more than a decade. Despite possessing slightly over 10.5 million inhabitants (about 0.14% of the world population), the Czech Republic is the third nation in the world in the number of porn stars behind only the United States and Russia. In fact, 12.88% of the world total of adult film stars comes from Bohemia and Moravia. According to one estimate, there are 70.7 porn actors and actresses for every million inhabitants. The centrality of the geographical position helps production companies to find actors and actresses from neighboring states, also taking advantage of the free movement of people and workers within the European Union. Specifically, Prague is the destination of many performers from Hungary, a country that in the 1990s represented the Eldorado of producers of hardcore porn content, but today suffers from structural...