With the likelihood of foreign tourists returning in waves, hotels across the Czech Republic had hoped the government would follow through on plans to promote domestic tourism by distributing vouchers worth CZK 4,000 to residents. But those plans appear to have been scaled back considerably. Regional Development Minister Klara Dostalová said that vouchers for vacations in Prague will not happen this year, but added that in the first phase of the program, they won’t be available for anything but spa stay. In making the announcement, she chose for some reason to state the obvious by claiming that Prague’s tourist industry wasn’t the only city to have been hurt by the pandemic. “Brno and Opava were also damaged,” she told Lidové noviny. “We’ll be discussing how individual cities approach this. There are a number of scenarios, for example, the state could match the amount a city gives tourism.” Vouchers for normal hotels aren’t going to happen, she made clear, unlike the support she believes spa resorts deserve. “Spas are a national treasure and the lack of tourists is evident there,” said Dostalová.
