Irritation Index: Czechs Welcome Tourists in Their Regions with Open Arms
Tourism in the Czech Republic is highly valued by its residents, especially those living in tourist-exposed areas, who recognise even better the benefits of this sector for the country than the rest of the population.
According to a survey by the Institute of Tourism of the Czech Tourism Office, CzechTourism, thee overall rate for the so-called irritation index was 2.02 for tourism-exposed areas and 1.89 for the entire country, indicating a relatively low level of concern about tourism.
Notably, the irritation index is even lower when considering the entire Czech Republic. This suggests that Czechs are aware of tourism’s positive impacts and advantages, warmly embracing the presence of travellers.
Based on the survey results, residents of Náchod, Hřensk, and Bezděz expressed a moderate level of irritation towards tourism, with respective scores of 2.63, 2.32, and 2.29. However, these scores are relatively low, suggesting that the level of concern from the local community is nearly balanced or in a state of equilibrium.
“24 per cent of people who live in tourist-exposed localities are literally enthusiastic about the growth of tourism, so they very much welcome the development of tourism and have a positive attitude towards it. The same applies to the whole of the Czech Republic,” the Director of the Czech Tourism Office pointed out in this regard.
He further noted that the overall population in the Czech Republic predominantly holds positive views about tourism, and they find the current level of tourism in their respective localities satisfactory. When it comes to negative opinions, residents are more concerned about the negative impact of tourism on traffic situations in their areas rather than the mere presence of tourists.
According to the head of the Institute of Tourism CzechTourism, Petr Janeček, there seems to be a prevailing sense of balance regarding tourism in the Czech Republic. He mentioned that 63 per cent of the Czech population and even 67 per cent of residents in tourist-exposed areas have a sense of balance.
He also revealed that 13 per cent of respondents across the entire country hold a negative attitude towards tourism, with an even smaller percentage of three per cent displaying hostility. Moreover, among residents in popular tourist destinations, only nine per cent exhibit a negative attitude towards tourism, and an impressively low one per cent demonstrate hostility.
Previously, the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) released data indicating that during the first quarter of this year, a total of 3.8 million guests were registered in accommodation establishments throughout the Czech Republic.
Commenting on these data, the Director of the Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism, and Environmental Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office, Marie Boušková, there has been a significant year-on-year increase in the number of guests from abroad.
She noted that the number of international guests has risen by almost 90 per cent compared to the previous year.
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