From 28 to 30 October, the Czech Republic was represented by a national stand at one of the most important tourism fairs in Montreal, the largest city of the francophone province of Quebec. Thanks to the pandemic and two cancelled editions, the Czech Republic presented itself to local travellers, tour operators and agencies for the first time since 2018.

Approximately 100 countries were represented by travel agents, agencies and tourism experts and it is great that the Czech Republic was among them. Without modesty, it must be said that the Czech stand was one of the few national presentations that received a huge interest from the participants. The aim of the Czech participation was to promote incoming travel not only to Prague, but also to other interesting regions of the country. The Czech Republic managed to present itself as an attractive and safe destination, which thanks to its location also offers travel to other EU destinations, especially Central Europe, such as Vienna or Budapest.

According to a survey by Travelweek, which also co-organized the fair, more than 90 percent of Canadians plan to travel again as they did before the pandemic. 70 percent are ready to travel immediately, and 22 percent plan to travel to Europe, the second highest number after Canadians planning to spend their holidays at home (only 16 percent plan to travel to the U.S. and 18 percent to the Caribbean). After beach holidays, Canadians are most eager to travel for history and culture. In addition to a taste for travel, Canadians are not short on money. According to the survey, with thousands of dollars, Canada ranks fourth in the world in per capita travel spending (after Australia, Germany and the UK), with $300 billion in deferred savings in their bank accounts, while seeing a huge increase in travel bookings on their debit and credit cards.

There is no doubt that Canadians are the ideal target group to return to or visit the old continent, including the Czech Republic, thanks to strong historical ties. In this context, Canadians are also an interesting group for incoming tour operators and agencies, which were represented at the national stand by the DMC company Eastern Europe Tours. Due to the impact of the pandemic, complicated entry requirements or cancellation policies, more and more Canadian travellers rely on the expertise of travel agents and nearly 60 percent would use their services.

The event confirmed that Canadians have the money and the desire to travel. They are interested in history, nature, hiking or various forms of experiential tourism. The Czech Republic may not have the sea, but it has everything else and we should make the most of it.

Jan Kubačka, Economic Diplomat

Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa