The authorities of Prague are fighting the phenomenon of the so-called “pub crawls”, i.e. night wanderings from bar to bar. On Monday, regulations were introduced prohibiting the organization of such trips by travel agencies. The city's deputy mayor admitted that the Czech capital is trying to attract “more cultured, wealthier tourists”, and not people who come there only “to get drunk”.
On Monday, the Prague authorities introduced a regulation preventing the organization of bar tours, popular among tourists, known in English as “pub crawls”. According to the councilors of the Czech capital, such wanderings ended with noisy and drunk guests disturbing the peace at night. They were also supposed to cause problems related to ensuring cleanliness and safety in the city.
The authorities of the Prague 1 district, where the historic center of the city is located, were the strongest supporters of the ban on pub crawls. When the new regulations come into force, both there and in other parts of the Czech capital, tourist agencies will be able to conduct tours only between 6.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. Organizing night bar tours will become impossible.
Critics say the new regulations are not enough
The mayor of the Prague 1 district, Terezie Radoměřská, described the new regulations as “a welcome change that will positively affect the lives of residents and guests.”
Vaclav Starek, head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, also praised the city hall's decision. – Trips to the center in search of beer are a problem for both locals and other tourists, he said in an interview with AFP. – I don't think it will hurt our trade. No one will be banned from going to the pub, but these nightly, organized pub crawls… We don't need them.
However, not everyone evaluates the new regulations positively. Critics claim that they will not be able to improve the situation of Prague residents, because they only apply to tourist agencies and therefore do not influence individual pub crawling in any way. This will still be allowed.
Commentators also note that noise and cleanliness problems are caused not only by tourists wandering from bar to bar, but also by local guests of pubs and nightclubs.
Prague, Czech Republic Shutterstock
During a press conference organized on Monday, the deputy mayor of Prague, Jiri Pospisil, admitted that the city authorities want to attract “more cultured and wealthier” tourists, not people who come to Prague “for a short time to get drunk.”
European cities are fighting alcohol tourism
With the problem of the so-called The Amsterdam authorities are also fighting against alcohol tourism. Last year, they appealed to some visitors to “they stayed away”. Dozens of other towns, such as Malaga Whether Sliema. There is also more and more talk about the phenomenon of overtourism, i.e. an excess of visitors.
Currente.cz, The Guardian, PAP
Main photo source: Radiokafka / Shutterstock