Prague bans organized nighttime pub gatherings to attract ‘sophisticated’ tourists
Prague will ban late-night pub gatherings organized by tourism companies in a bid to discourage rowdy tourists from visiting and instead attract more “sophisticated” visitors.
Authorities in the Czech capital said organized pub gatherings – often aimed at foreign hens and deer – will be banned between 22:00 and 06:00 local time (21:00 local time). :00-05:00 BST).
Deputy mayor Jiri Pospisil said he wanted the city to become a place where “sophistication and respect for shared public spaces are a top priority”.
Prague is not alone in its efforts to ward off rowdy tourists – many from the UK. Last year, Amsterdam launched a campaign to prevent young British men from coming to the Dutch capital to use drugs and drink heavily.
The Prague City Council said councilors had approved an amendment restricting “the organized movement of tourists from one pub to another, disrupting the peace of the night, especially is in the center”.
The change was made for noise, safety and cleanliness reasons. Councilors claim crowds of drunk tourists are also negatively affecting the city’s reputation.
Officials in the central Prague One district, which is mostly a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to many bars, welcomed the move.
Prague One Mayor Terezie Radomerska said it was a “welcome change” that would “reduce the negative impact caused by excessive street noise”.
Police will be charged with enforcing the ban.
Councilors said disorderly behavior had led to “over-deployment” of cleaning and police services, wasting city resources.
Prague resident Stepan Kuchta told the Times that his health had been “ruined by chronic noise”.
But Prague Pub Crawl, which organizes drunken excursions, criticized the city’s decision as “just a populist move to cover up the inability of the city management to solve the problems practices, such as the lack of city police to enforce the peace at night.”
According to the Czech Statistics Office, this city of 1.3 million people welcomed about 7.4 million tourists last year.
Historically, many tourists have been attracted by the Czech capital’s beautiful historical features and its cheap beer – which in some restaurants and pubs can be cheaper than bottled water.
Vaclav Starek of the Czech Hotel and Restaurant Association welcomed the city council’s decision. Mr Starek told AFP news agency that he did not think business would be affected.
“I don’t think this will affect our sales. No one will be banned from going to the pub but these pub gatherings that are held every night… we don’t need anything. “
