CzechTourism: 200,000 Workers Can Lose Their Jobs

About 200,000 workers in the Czech Republic can lose their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, the director of CzechTourism, Jan Herget has warned.

According to Herget, the crisis in tourism has affected practically everyone. “Revenues this year will drop by 53 percent to 139 billion CZK, putting 200,000 jobs at risk, not just in the tourist industry itself, but in related professions such as bakeries or cleaners.”

“Last year, tourism revenues amounted to 300 billion CZK, almost 3 percent of the GDP. This year, we estimate that our revenues will drop to 139 billion CZK,” Herget added.

According to the head of CzechTourism, the declines in income from foreign tourists can not be compensated by domestic tourists.

“The effects are very different. Jeseníky Mountains and the Vysočina region have record numbers, thanks to domestic tourists. And then there are those regions that are dependent on foreign tourists. Prague revenues are down by 80 percent. Foreign visitors from Russia, America, China spend many times more than Czech visitors,” Herget explained.

CzechTourism is ready to launch a campaign in support of the Czech Republic as soon as the situation eases. In the first phase will target tourists within driving distance (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and The Netherlands), followed by Spain, France, Italy and Great Britain (in cooperation with Czech Airlines), and in the third phase on tourists from the United States, Canada, Asia, and Russia.

10,8 million foreign tourists stayed in the Czech Republic in 2019. Most of them came from neighbouring countries, with Germans leading the pack (more than 2 million), followed by Slovaks (750,000) and Poles (673,000).

The Czech Republic also saw a high number of tourists from China (612,000), the U.S. (584,000), Russia (565,000), Great-Britain (496,000), Italy (410,000) and South Korea (385,000).