Croatia and Slovakia are main holiday destinations for Czech tourists

Brno, Czech Republic – As in previous years, Croatia remained the favourite holiday destination for Czech tourists in 2018.

Croatia is still the uncontested top destination for Czech tourists

According to data released by the Czech statistical office, more than 810.000 Czech holidaymakers spent at least four days in Croatia last year (nearly 40.000 less than in 2017), mostly on the seaside and in coastal resorts. Croatia has been the top holiday destination for Czechs for the last two decades (except in 2015, when Slovakia topped the list), hinting to landlocked Czechs’ longing for the beach and the seaside (Croatia is also the top holiday break for Slovaks)

Last year, Slovakia became the second most popular destination for Czech tourists (over 720.000, +90.000 compared to 2017), surpassing Italy (over 600.000 people) that came second in 2017 and completes the podium for last year.

Growing interest for other Mediterranean destinations

Greece came out as the fourth most popular destination for Czech tourists (more than 470.000 people headed there last year, the highest level in the past eight years), as part of a more general trend of a booming tourism industry in the country. According to data released by Greece’s Central Bank, 2018 was a record-breaking year for tourism in the country, with more than 30 million arrivals.

The other most popular destinations for Czech tourists looking for a sunny and relaxing break include Austria (330.000), Egypt (265.000), Spain (210.000), Bulgaria (167.000) and Hungary (164.000). Although still relatively marginal, the interest for Turkey and Tunisia has also skyrocketed, according to the Czech statistical office.

A record-year for outgoing Czech tourism

For the first time in history, more than five million Czechs spent their holidays abroad in 2018 (roughly half of the population). In contrast, nearly 8 million Czechs also spent some time holidaying in the Czech Republic.

While most Czechs still prefer travelling by their own means by car, more than 2 million people decided to fly to their destination last year. Individually organized trips also remain slightly more popular than making use of travel agencies, according to the study.