PRAGUE — The Czech capital has accredited a ban on organized nighttime pub crawls, which have precipitated distress for residents and authorities alike.
The favored outings of vacationer teams shifting from bar to bar in Prague’s historic district have been one of many outcomes of overtourism felt throughout Europe.
Attracting greater than 7 million vacationers final 12 months, Prague lastly opted for the ban, which can take impact in November, after attempting to cope with teams of rowdy and drunk guests for years.
It was adopted to handle disturbing noise at night time, rubbish on the streets, and safety and reputational issues, stated Adam Zabranský, a member of the town’s council who drafted the proposal that was accredited this week.
Zabranský stated that the intention wasn’t to stop individuals from having a drink on this beer-loving nation, however “we don’t wish to help low cost alco-tourism that’s sadly nonetheless fairly widespread in Prague,” Zabranský informed The Related Press.
The ban might be enforced by the town police pressure between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with organizers of the pub crawls violating it going through fines of as much as 100,000 koruna ($4,300).
The unconventional transfer got here after the earlier efforts to cope with the difficulty failed, together with the appointment of an evening mayor in 2019, a metropolis official whose job was to attenuate the influence of nightlife on residents.
“It will be nice if the house owners of the institutions take their share of duty,” Zabranský stated.
“As it’s, the residents within the busy areas face the destructive penalties whereas the bar house owners taking part within the pub crawls make revenue and don’t care concerning the issues.”
The transfer is a part of the town’s long-term technique to advertise cultural tourism and usually to draw individuals to remain longer than simply for a weekend and are available again once more.
“Folks coming to expertise tradition behave in another way than those that arrive to drink all weekend lengthy,” Zabranský stated.
An company organizing the pub crawls known as the ban “a populist transfer,” whereas a bunch of dozens of members on Thursday apparently loved their expertise.
“(The pub crawl) was very good,” Melissa Haine from Germany stated. “I feel it is very humorous, and also you get to know new individuals.”
The newest transfer by Prague doesn’t imply that guests would face obstacles to tasting native beer in a rustic that’s the world’s largest shopper of the drink per capita.
“Czechia has distinctive potential in beer tourism, because of its lengthy historical past of brewing, distinctive breweries and the present development of experiential and sustainable tourism,” stated František Reismüller, the top of the nation’s vacationer authority.
“Our aim is to point out that beer journey will be not solely about tasting nice beer, but in addition about studying about Czech tradition, traditions and historical past.”
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Stanislav Hodina contributed to this report.