Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, the Czech capital, has banned night-time pub crawls organised by travel agencies in a bid to attract "more cultured" tourists. The city councillors took this decision on October 14 to keep noisy travellers, mostly from Britain, away from the capital city. 

Advertisment

Prague deputy mayor Zdenek Hrib told reporters on Monday that organised night-time pub crawls would now be banned.

"It will not be possible to have guided tours between 10 pm and 6 am," he added.

Also Read | UK prioritises trade deals with India and Gulf nations, says Business Minister

Advertisment

Jiri Pospisil, another deputy mayor, said Prague city hall was "seeking a more cultured, wealthier tourist … not one who comes for a short time only to get drunk."

Cheap beer and thirsty crowds 

Prague, a city of 1.3 million people, has for a long time been popular for noisy stag parties and pub crawlers, attracting foreign beer lovers each year. These tourists have helped the Czech Republic keep its position as the world’s thirstiest nation.

Advertisment

As per 2023 data, 128 litres of beer was drunk per head of population in the country, despite a steady decline in footfall since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In the Czech Republic, beer is still cheaper than water in some restaurants, and many pubs in the UNESCO-listed historic centre offer the renowned local lager for less than €3 a pint.

Also Read | ‘Fraud’ Kamala Harris 'copied' content from Wikipedia, wires in her 2009 book; claims journalist

Vaclav Starek, the head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, hailed the city hall’s decision.

“Trips to the centre in search of beer have been a problem for local people and for other tourists too,” he told AFP. “I don’t think this will hurt our sales. Nobody will be banned from going to a pub but these nightly organised pub crawls … are nothing we would need.”

Not the first European city with such a ban

Prague is not the first European capital to discourage a certain type of tourists from visiting. Last year, Amsterdam launched an ad campaign of “stay away” specifically aimed at young British men that triggered when people in Britain enter terms into search engines such as "stag party Amsterdam", "cheap hotel Amsterdam" and "pub crawl Amsterdam".

Also Read | Australia introduces a new visa regime for young Indians

The ads describe the risks and consequences of excessive alcohol and drug taking: fines, a criminal record, hospitalisation and permanent health damage.

Other European cities have also introduced such measures to deter mass tourism. Like Venice, which limited its tour group sizes and banned loudspeakers, and Barcelona, which has said it will ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028.

(With inputs from agencies)