Tour operators have named the TOP-5 of the best-selling European destinations this spring.

Russian tourist flow to the Czech Republic in 2019 has increased. Against this positive background, tour operators are staging more programs with flights to Prague from the regions.

In 2019 European routes account for about 8% of all tickets sold by Tutu.ru in December. The number of travelers, who decided to go to Europe for the holidays at the beginning of December, fell by 4%.

Ural Airlines will start operating flights from Rostov-on-Don to Prague from February 21, 2020. The flights will be operated on Fridays by Airbus A320.

New Year's celebration in the Czech capital is losing its actuality among Russian tourists. This year tourists are more interested in tours after New Year’s dates.

Tourists from Russia were among those who spend the longest time in the Czech capital, an average - 3 nights. In the whole country, the number of Russian tourists accommodated in Czech hotels increased by 2,6%.

Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot and two other airlines from the country have canceled several flights to and from Czech on Tuesday after the country’s Transport Ministry withdrew permits for the flights, the BBC in Russia reported.  The Russian airlines have limited air traffic between Prague and the airports of Moscow and Yekaterinburg, the report said. Later on Tuesday, the Czech Ministry of Transport reported that flights of Russian airlines were once again allowed – but only until July 7. 

The Czech Republic in the first quarter of 2019 registered a 9% decline in arrivals from Russia. According to the National Tourism Board of the Czech Republic, in January-March, 131,000 citizens of the Russian Federation visited the Czech Republic, which is 8.9% less than in the same period a year ago.

“Russia entered into the TOP-5 of the main incoming markets for Czech Republic with the fourth position. According to the rate of annual growth of the tourist flow, the country is on the second line”, - these are the data of the Central Statistical Office of Czech Republic (ČSÚ). Germany remains as the main incoming market for Czech Republic (1.95 million tourists, an increase of 3.9% against 2016).

“In the first half of the year 2017 268,200 Russian tourists visited Czech Republic, which is 51.1% more than in the same period of the last year”, - said the Director of the representative office of the National Tourist Directorate “ChezhTourizm” in Russian Federation and CIS countries Alena Kudilkova. According to her, the Russians are on fourth place by number of arrivals, following tourists from neighboring countries - Poland, Slovakia and Germany

“The total tourist flow to Czech Republic increased by 13% in the first half of 2017 in comparison with the same period of 2016”, - said Roman Prokazka, Director of the National Tourist Board of Czech Republic for the regions of Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. He noted that tourists from China are on the first line in the list of incoming tourists.

Today, Russia is the second country by the number of arrivals of foreign tourists to the country and number 1 among the "distant" markets. This was reported to Mrs. Alena Kudilkova the Head of the Russian representative office of the National Tourist Board of Czech Republic (CzechTourism).

“The number of tourists from Russia to Czech Republic may increase by one third in 2017 in comparison with the last year”, - said the Head of the national tourism department of Czech Republic, Alain Kudilkova. "We are very pleased that after the crisis fall the tourist flow from Russia to Czech Republic began to recover.

“Rossia” airline is launching direct charter flights from Pulkovo airport to Pardubice (Czech Republic),” - said the official representative of the airline. The first test flight on the new route "Rossia" has performed on March 5, 2017.

"The number of issued to Russians tourist visas for the last quarter of this year increased several times, every month increasing by about 50%", - Czech Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Remek said at a meeting with representatives of the tourist industry and journalists. He thinks this is a very positive indicator even with the traditional New Year growth.

The national airline of the Czech Republic, Czech Airlines, completed the first flight on the route Prague - Kazan - Prague, according to the press service of the Ministry of Transportation of Tatarstan. The company will perform two flights on Wednesdays and Sundays with departure from Prague at 22:05. Return flights will be operated on Mondays and Thursdays from Kazan with departure at 3:35. The duration of the flight is around 3 hours and 45 minutes. The flights will be operated by A319 aircraft.

The government of the Vologda region are willing to open in the short term visa center of the Czech Republic in Vologda. As the press office of the governor of Vologda reported, on Thursday at the meeting with the head of the region Oleg Kuvshinnikov, the deputy hetman of the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic Ivan Strahon stressed out that Czech Republic is interesting to support the organization of the visa center in the Vologda region.

The number of Russian tourists in the Czech Republic has decreased considerably, Czech Television 24 said on Tuesday evening. The number of Russian visitors decreased by 40% in January and December as compared to the first two months of the previous winter. Fewer middle class tourists visited the country, while wealthy Russians, as before, bought very expensive things. Russian tourists spent 61% less money in the republic in January on the average 7,646 crowns (around $340) per person.