The Czech Republic welcomed more visitors this summer than last year. Between July and September, 8.2 million visitors stayed in the country’s hotels, guesthouses and other collective accommodation establishments – a year-on-year increase of 4.1%. They spent 21.9 million nights here, representing an increase of 3.2%. On average, they stayed for 3.7 days. Prague Airport has also reported increased interest in travel, handling over 12 million passengers during the summer season – 3.1% more than a year ago. International passengers travelling to the Czech Republic are contributing increasingly to this growth. Hotels have also recorded growth. This is shown by the latest figures from CzechTourism, Prague Airport and the Czech Inn Hotels chain.
During this year’s summer season – which, in flight scheduling terms, runs from the end of March/beginning of April to the end of October – Václav Havel Airport Prague handled a total of 12,072,809 passengers. A total of 84 airlines operated flights from the airport.
"This year’s summer season was significantly affected by the conflict in the Middle East and the sharp rise in aviation fuel prices – factors which presented airlines with a number of operational and economic challenges. Despite this, we recorded a year-on-year increase in traffic of 3.1% during the summer season,” explains Jiří Vyskoč, Executive Director of Aviation Business Development at Prague Airport, and continues: “The overall positive trend was driven primarily by growing demand from abroad. The number of incoming international passengers rose by more than 280,000 year-on-year, and their share of all passengers exceeded 56%. We recorded the most significant year-on-year increase primarily among passengers from Romania, Denmark and Turkey.”
During the summer of 2026, Prague Airport, in collaboration with airlines, offered direct connections to 190 destinations, 23 more destinations than the previous summer. The country with the highest number of destinations in the summer was Italy (a total of 21 destinations), followed by Greece (19 destinations) and Spain (17 destinations). In terms of passenger numbers, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain remain at the top of the rankings.
The Czech Republic welcomed more domestic and international visitors
The long-term trend since 2012 shows that increasing numbers of visitors are heading to the Czech Republic, not only to the capital but also to the regions. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of arrivals rose by 5.2% year-on-year and overnight stays by 5.7%. In the second quarter, the rate of growth was more moderate: arrivals rose by 0.5% and the number of overnight stays by 0.3%. Interest picked up again in the summer, although the figures varied from month to month. July saw an 8% increase in arrivals and a 5.6% rise in overnight stays. August remained close to last year’s figures (+0.5% in arrivals and +0.3% in overnight stays). In September, visitor numbers gained momentum again: arrivals rose by 4% and overnight stays by 3.9%.
International tourists most often came from Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The top ten source markets also included the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria and the Netherlands. Among the fastest-growing markets were Finland, Ireland and Israel.
Prague attracted the most visitors, welcoming over 2.3 million, followed by the South Bohemian Region with 860,000 and the South Moravian Region with 855,000 guests. People stayed the longest in the Karlovy Vary Region, while they spent the shortest time in the capital and in southern Moravia.
Tourism boosts the entire economy
Tourism has a significant impact on the Czech economy. According to the latest available figures for 2024, it accounted for 2.5% of GDP, representing CZK 202 billion. One in every twenty-three Czechs works in the sector.
“Behind the figures on arrivals and overnight stays are real people and places – hotels, restaurants, tour guides, transport operators and other local businesses. When visitors stay longer or venture beyond the best-known destinations, they create more opportunities for the whole surrounding area. That is why, in our communications, we highlight not only the well-known destinations but also the reasons why it is worth staying longer in the Czech Republic to discover new places and experiences. We remind domestic visitors of everything they have within easy reach, while we present the Czech Republic to international visitors as a country where they can combine several activities in a single trip. And all at their own pace. A longer stay offers travellers a richer variety of experiences and provides more opportunities for local businesses,” says Tereza Hofmanová, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority – CzechTourism and adds: “From January to September 2026, 18.9 million guests stayed in collective accommodation establishments, spending 48.2 million nights there. The average length of stay for the first nine months was approximately 3.55 days.”
Hotels welcomed almost five million guests; the third quarter confirms September recovery
Hotels remained the most popular type of accommodation in the third quarter as well. They attracted 4.9 million guests, who spent 11.9 million nights there. Year-on-year, both the number of arrivals and overnight stays rose by 3.4%. In total, 2.7 million international and 2.2 million domestic visitors stayed in hotels. However, the third quarter of 2026 also revealed a shift in summer demand for hotel accommodation in the Czech Republic. According to hotel data from STR (Smith Travel Research), while May and, to some extent, June were among the strongest months in terms of revenue, hotel prices in the Czech Republic fell during the summer holidays, reflecting seasonal changes in tourism. However, the September figures show a recovery in hotel demand and a renewed increase in revenue. Throughout the entire period under review, Prague maintained the highest occupancy rate, as compared with other Central European capitals, reaching approximately 86% in September. At the same time, the trend in average room rates confirms the continuing differentiation of European markets – in September, Prague stood at around €135 per room, having more or less caught up with Vienna for the first time in years.
“The third-quarter results confirm that nothing in this market can be taken for granted. The summer holidays were weaker in Central Europe, so we are pinning our hopes on the autumn months,” concludes Jaroslav Svoboda, owner of Czech Inn Hotels, the largest Czech hotel group, which accommodated over 2.5 million guests last year.