Tourism Law in Europe

General Overview of Travel Law in the Czech Republic Klára Dvořáková 1 I. Introduction; II. Public Law Regulation of Tourism; III. Private Law Regulation of Tourism; IV. Conclusion. I. Introduction The Czech Republic lacks access to the sea, but tourism is nevertheless a great asset for the country. Czechs like to travel abroad to spend their holidays at the sea, while foreigners come to discover the beauties of Prague and other sites on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List. Spas and sports form a major part of the tourist industry. In the winter, people travel to the mountains to enjoy downhill and cross-country skiing, while the most favourite summer sports among Czechs are cycling and water touring. According to the latest data available from the Czech Tourism Satellite Account, 36.3 million visitors travelled to the Czech Republic in 2019, corresponding to a 4.5% year-on- year increase 2 . Travellers explored new forms of tourism in 2019 as they increasingly inclined towards “healthy travel”, such as wellness stays, hiking and other forms of active spending of leisure time. Stable prices of fuels made air transport more affordable. Incoming tourism also grew in developing tourist markets, primarily Russia and India, as well as smaller Asian and Arab markets. This sector was also influenced by further developments in information technologies, digitalisation, more affordable forms of travel, including shared accommodation and social changes. Individual destinations and tourist businesses had to adapt to these trends in order to stay competitive. According to the CNB’s balance of payments, revenues from tourism equalled CZK 167.5 billion in 2019, a 3.6% increase compared to the previous year. These revenues grew steadily on a year-on-year basis, but the positive trend has been interrupted by the 1 Attorney and travel law specialist; Holubová advokáti s.r.o. 2 Tourism Satellite Account of the Czech Republic, latest data available as of 1/2021 are for 2018.