Whenever a best-man takes on the task of organising a stag-do for his closest friend, Prague is likely to be one of the first destinations to cross his mind.
The city’s non-stop offerings of beer, fancy-dress parties and near-naked women has made it a hotspot for groups of men looking to celebrate a soon-to-be husband’s upcoming big day.
But the Czech capital’s association with these activities could soon be coming to an end, after officials announced a ban on organised drinking tours between the hours of 10pm and 6am.
This means the city’s streets will no longer be filled with mud-wrestling and dwarf-tethering as politician seek ‘a more cultured, wealthier tourist … not one who comes for a short time only to get drunk’.
The move comes after a Prague councillor called for a ban on fancy-dress outfits that ‘exceed generally acceptable social conventions’. This proposal was outlined in April, but it remains unclear how these conventions would be defined.
Czech officials have announced a ban on organised drinking tours between the hours of 10pm and 6am was announced
Prague officials are seeking ‘a more cultured, wealthier tourist … not one who comes for a short time only to get drunk’ (file image)
Prague has become the latest European country to add in measures against overtourism – specifically those involving groups of booze-fuelled British men.
The city has already banned ‘beer bikes’ – joining Amsterdam, Munich and Budapest.
Prague has been inundated with Britons seeking ‘cheap drinks and women’ ever since the Czech Republic joined the European Union over two decades ago.
Budget aviation has also driven down the cost of flights to central Europe, leading the city to have more stag-do ‘offers’ from travel agencies than any other European city apart from Barcelona, Riga and Budapest.
Before losing the largely unwanted accolade to Benidorm after the pandemic abated, it was suggested that Prague was the most popular destination for British stag dos in 2018 and 2019.
Stag-do culture has infuriated the locals in the city, who routinely swamp social media sites urging parties to stay away.
One local, Štěpán Kuchta, a resident of Dlouhá Street, launched a 10-day hunger strike in response to the ‘chronic noise’ in the historic central Old Town area.
He complained of it being almost impossible to sleep or live peacefully in his neighbourhood due to the commotion brought by tourists.
He said: ‘To date, neither Prague 1 nor the municipality has done anything at all regarding noise, vibrations and light smog to improve the situation of the remaining residents in the city center – nothing at all.’
Prague has been inundated with Britons seeking ‘cheap drinks and women’ ever since the Czech Republic joined the European Union over two decades ago (pictured: People drinking beer in Prague cafe)
A Prague councillor called for a ban on fancy-dress outfits that ‘exceed generally acceptable social conventions’
The proposed ban is part of a fresh bid to clamp down on over-tourism and clean up the city’s image (pictured: a group of British holidaymakers on a stag do in Prague)
Stag-do culture has infuriated the locals in the city, who routinely swamp social media sites urging parties to stay awayl (pictured: The Národní Muzeum in Prague)
Vaclav Starek, head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, welcomed the council’s decision to put a stop to organised pub crawls at night.
He told The Times: ‘Trips to the centre in search of beer have been a problem for local people and for other tourists too,’ he said. ‘I don’t think this will hurt our sales. Nobody will be banned from going to a pub but these nightly organised crawls … are nothing we would need.’
This summer a number of a holiday hotspots across Europe hit back against boozy Brits.
Crackdowns at some of the continent’s leading getaway destinations included new tourist taxes, Airbnb bans and even watering down the beer.
The moves came amid an increasingly angry and prominent backlash from locals who blame an influx of visitors for hiking up their rents and shutting down trade.
Graffiti telling tourists to ‘go home’ – as well as blunter language – had become commonplace in sun-dappled Mediterranean resorts across Spain, Greece and elsewhere.
Landlocked cities – such as Prague – are also getting fed up with visiting Brits living it up on city breaks for raucous stag dos and hen parties.
Holidaymakers and travel firms insist there has been an overreaction – and pointed to the benefits in lavish spending on places reliant on foreigners’ spending.
Yet such is the wave of apparent anti-tourist sentiment, it seems some at least are giving their holiday habits a rethink.
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Publish date : 2024-10-15 00:51:00
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