Cottages, guesthouses, and glamping: how will holiday look in the Czech Republic this summer?

Interest in domestic vacations in the Czech Republic is higher than last year, according to data from reservation portals and accommodation search engines compiled by the Czech News Agency (ČTK). Czechs are particularly interested in smaller towns near nature areas and in renting cottages.

The Czech Regional Development Ministry said the recovery of domestic tourism last year took place very quickly after the end of strict measures. “We expect that the epidemic situation will continue to significantly limit travel abroad, which will naturally encourage demand in accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic,” Vilém Frček, head of the ministry press department, said.

According to the current government plan, hotels and guesthouses will be able to open in the fourth out of six packages of relaxations on restrictions. This package will come into effect when the number of new Covid cases falls below 75 per 100,000 inhabitants per week. Accommodation facilities will be allowed to use only 25 percent of their capacity, and guests will have to prove themselves with a negative Covid test and follow other hygiene and safety rules.

There is no target date, though, for the reopening of hotels, as it depends completely on the infection rate. The second package of rule relaxations, which includes opening shops and some services, takes effect May 3.

Czech so far have shown the most interest in smaller locations near nature. They also have been renting cottages and chalets, due to the uncertainly of when hotels can reopen. Castles, chateaux, and restaurants also do not have a clear target date for reopening, while outdoor nature reserves and gardens are already available to visitors.

For Czechs, the most popular vacation dates are for the summer holidays, and some domestic destinations are already fully occupied or approaching capacity, travel portals representatives said.

For vacationing abroad, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the rules for testing or quarantine are constantly changing. This makes it easier for the Czechs to arrange a vacation in the Czech Republic, travel portals representatives said.

At discount portal Slevomat, domestic travel sales have more than doubled in the last two weeks compared to March. “Interest is even higher than last year at this time, when the dismantling plan was already known,” portal director Ladislav Veselý told ČTK

The Czech portal Amazing Places found that smaller destinations in the Czech Republic are mostly occupied for the summer. Portal founder Petr Kotík said 65 percent of cottages and chalets are fully booked, with families with children most often choose cottages. The most vacancies are in hotels.

Explorio.cz, which focuses on accommodation for families, says it is currently difficult to find a free date for July and August in some places. The most popular vacation spots are in the Krkonoše Mountains, the lower half of Moravia, Beskydy, Lipno, and Šumava.

Last year, while domestic tourism helped many places in the Czech Republic, the news was not so good for Prague. In the third quarter of 2020, the increase of visits by Czechs to Prague was just 5.2 percent, the lowest increase of any region, and foreign tourists were at 21.5 percent of what they were in 2019. In total, visits to Prague were at 32.5 percent of their Q3 2019 level.