• 06/03/2023
• By wizewebsite
• 386 Views

The death knell is ringing for tourist attractions. To the delight of the locals, to the dismay of the owners<

Even in 2019, according to CZSO data, these attractions generated around twenty billion in entrance or rental fees within the domestic tourism industry, with the main season accounting for around seven billion. This year, this amount may fall by two-thirds.

The pandemic has changed the type of guests in Czech hotels and guesthouses and has also changed the way people choose their vacations and what their requirements are for leisure activities.

The drop in interest in them is primarily due to a significant reduction in incoming traffic, and according to Explorio, about a fifth of the attractions have already disappeared because of it.

The total number of attractions that will not open or stop operating during the season will roughly double. The reason is not only the lack of manpower, but also the lack of efforts to attract new applicants. For a long time, many operators bet on a permanent automatic supply of visitors and aimed exclusively at those who were already in the locality. But times have changed and with it the habits of the guests. Flyers at hotel receptions are no longer enough.

"It should be noted that average Czech attraction operators are very conservative and not very agile. Most of them do not have their own online presentation, they cannot effectively target customers other than those who are already in the location. They can't let you know if their attraction works at all or what restrictions apply in it," says František Peterka from Explorio.

This year, more guests, especially families, will plan their vacation based on awareness of leisure activities in the locality. They just have no way of finding out about them. "Nobody wants to come to a city where you and your children can only stroll around the park with an umbrella when it rains," adds Peterka.

He considers it key to link attraction operators directly with hoteliers using online platforms, such as search engines. Thanks to them, guests can not only find accommodation in the locality, but also plan their free time.

Most operators of individual regions also join together and promote each other, which seems to be the easiest way.

Up to extinction

As for the extinction of attractions and leisure activities, the most obvious are those of the Prague type. Here, unloaded tourist "traps" could end up, against which in the past the resistance of local residents or town halls grew significantly. From initial information, it is clear that many of them will not open at all by the first of July.

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City tours with commentary, beer boats, or agencies mediating tourist or farewell parties (stag parties) will also lose their regular customers.

"This is exactly the type of attraction that we certainly don't have to be sorry about if we say goodbye to them for good," adds Peterka.

However, on the other hand, congress and corporate entertainment related to corporate events of congress hotels and teambuilding will also face big problems ( electric scooters, zorbing, paintball, etc.). These are currently not taking place or are taking place to a negligible extent.

The most affected attractions are also smaller family facilities with irregular operation, enthusiast museums, garden attractions and private collections. People often don't even find out if they are already in operation after covid and end up deciding to postpone their visit. Here, operators should improve promotion, but also ensure maximum awareness towards tourists.

This year, the attractions market will be fundamentally cleaned up. That's not bad in the end. "I would much rather pay for a smaller number of quality attractions, thanks to which guests are willing to come to the given location," adds Peterka.