Czechia Sees Surge in Summer Visitors: Prague Airport and Hotels Enjoy Significant Year-on-Year Growth!

The summer season at the airport runs from the end of March to the end of October. During this time, Václav Havel Airport Prague welcomed nearly 11.5 million passengers this year, marking a 7.7% increase compared to last year.

“Last year, we observed, for the first time since the pandemic, a slight increase in foreign passengers, and this trend has strengthened this year. Foreign travelers accounted for 54.5% of all passengers during the summer season, resulting in 3 million arrivals at our airport. This shows a year-on-year increase of 1.4 percentage points,” says Jiří Vyskoč, Executive Director of Air Business Development at Prague Airport. The most frequent visitors to Czechia come from the UK, Italy, and Spain.

Since the beginning of the year, the largest increase in passengers has been seen with flights to Great Britain (up 163,000), followed by the United Arab Emirates (up 148,000) and Germany (up nearly 116,000).

“The rise in passengers from these countries is due to the introduction of new airlines and routes at Václav Havel Airport Prague. Etihad Airways started a new scheduled service to Abu Dhabi in June, while the collaboration with Emirates has introduced the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, on the Prague–Dubai route. Additionally, Condor now operates twice-daily flights to Frankfurt, Germany,” explains Jiří Vyskoč of Prague Airport.

Interest from distant countries is growing

In the third quarter of this year, 7.9 million tourists visited domestic accommodations, representing a 1.4% increase from last year. Domestic tourists accounted for 58.2% of all arrivals, and foreign visitors made up 41.8%. Domestic arrivals remained stable, while foreign visitors increased by 3.4%. The highest numbers of foreign travelers came from Germany (660,000), Poland (340,000), and Slovakia (288,000) during the July-September period, with notable growth from the UK and Austria. Prague remains the top destination, attracting over 2.2 million visitors, followed by South Moravia (848,000) and South Bohemia (792,000). The Karlovy Vary Region had the longest average stay at 4.8 days, consistent with its spa reputation, while stays in Prague (3.4 days) and South Moravian Region (3.2 days) were shorter.

“Czechia attracts tourists year-round and in all regions. Traditional neighboring markets hold strong, but interest from further destinations is rapidly growing – from the Arabian Peninsula to Brazil to Japan. Compared to 2019, some markets are significantly outperforming pre-pandemic numbers. For instance, Turkey shows over a 100% increase in arrivals, Saudi Arabia nearly 45%, and Poland almost 43%. Additionally, we see year-on-year growth in all of Czechia,” explains František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism, adding: “From January to September 2025, 18.3 million guests arrived in Czechia, spending 46.7 million nights. The average stay was 3.55 days. There is a growing interest from distant markets, the return of Asian tourists, and solid domestic demand, which creates a strong foundation for future tourism development across the country.“

Hotels lead among accommodation establishments

From July to September 2025, visitors spent a total of 21.2 million nights in hotels, guesthouses, and other accommodations, which is a 1% increase from the previous year. Hotels remain the most popular option, serving 4.8 million guests (60% of all visitors), with a year-on-year improvement of 4.1%. Domestic guests rose by 3.1%, while foreign guests increased by 2.7%, totaling 2.7 million hotel guests from abroad.

“We live in an interconnected world, where information spreads instantly. This affects the hotel market, as travelers are seeking experiences, modern transport, a dynamic economy, and new accommodation options,” evaluates Jaroslav Svoboda, owner of Czech Inn Hotels, the largest hotel group in the Czech Republic, which hosted over 2 million guests in 2024. He adds: “If the economy performs well and we continue to support tourism, there is potential for further growth in Czechia.”

Media contacts:
Jiri Hannich, Prague Airport, [email protected], 770 158 193
Kateřina Beránková, CzechTourism, [email protected], 724 209 037
Dagmar Schejbalová, Czech Inn Hotels, [email protected], 775 732 973