Travel from the UAE to the Czech Republic grew by over 18 per cent in the first half of the year, faster than the previous corresponding period, a statement from the Czech Tourist Authority- CzechTourism and the Embassy said.

It is expected that 2018 will end with significant rise in the number of outbound travellers, it added.

Alexandr Sporýš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the UAE, said: “For both expatriates and the citizens, the Czech Republic is an exquisite geographically close destination. The country offers a diversity of experience within a five-hour flight distance making it possible for even weekend sojourners to visit the Czech Republic.”

The overall number of travellers from the UAE to the Czech Republic in the last three year stood at close to 100,000 with an average growth rate of over 28 per cent during the period. The average length of stay of UAE travellers to the Czech Republic was in the range of 3.4 to 4.3 days.

Monika Palatková, managing director of Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism said:  “The Czech Republic is one of the closest European destinations to the UAE which is being increasingly favoured by family tourists as well. Our aim is to reach out to the potential UAE travellers and to present them the eclectic experiences the Czech Republic can offer across the spectrum of heritage to modernity complemented by the country’s diversity of natural landscape and culture.”

She said globally the Czech Republic is fast emerging to be a sought after destination and the number of visitors have been consistently growing over the last three years, highlighting that Czech Tourism has completed a “Discover Central Europe Middle East Road Show’ in the UAE as part of its wider campaign across the Gulf countries to woo tourists.

The aim of the road show was to highlight the multifaceted attractions of the country and highlight it as a unique destination of rich diversity from historical to the contemporary.

The roadshow across the Gulf countries consisting of B2B presentations and workshops is a joint promotional initiative of four Central European national tourist organisations of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Arzan Khambatta, head of Tourism Representations at VFS Global, which represents CzechTourism in GCC markets, said: “The intrepid travellers of the UAE are increasingly turning to the Czech Republic and its charms. As part of our promotional activities, we will be targeting families, millennials and luxury-oriented mature travellers from UAE to the Czech Republic.” – TradeArabia News Service