The latest estimates are putting the losses in tourism turnover in the Czech Republic for 2020 at CZK 157bn, which will reduce tax revenues by CZK 66bn, according to Lidové noviny. That’s nearly half of what the sector contributed to the state budget in 2019. It writes that while hotels were cleared to open a week ago after forced closures that lasted two and a half months, more than a third of them have remained closed and occupancy is currently running at 3 percent. “It’s a tragedy for hotel owners,” says Václav Stárek, head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants. “Everything will depend on when foreign tourists begin to flow back to the Czech Republic. Last year, they spent 57 million nights in the country and without them, the industry doesn’t stand a chance. “Even if every Czech went to Prague for a 14-day vacation, the hotels in the capital would still have a problem,” he said. As it is, he said that one-fifth of Czechs are currently planning a “domestic” vacation and they’re planning to spend less than they did in previous years.
