麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Prague bans evening bar crawls to discourage 'drunk' tourists

People sit on the outside terrace of a bar in Budapest, Hungary, April 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh, File) People sit on the outside terrace of a bar in Budapest, Hungary, April 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh, File)
Share

Prague, a city as famous for its beer as its historic architecture, is set to ban late-night bar crawls, seeking to end its reputation as a party destination.

The Czech capital is the latest European tourism hot spot pushing back on crowds, amid concerns about the impact on locals鈥 quality of life.

Prague鈥檚 deputy mayor, Jiri Pospisil, said the city wants to discourage tourists who come 鈥渇or a short time only to get drunk鈥 in favor of 鈥渁 more cultured, wealthier tourist,鈥 according to the AFP news agency. Fellow deputy mayor Zdenek Hrib said the ban, which is yet to be made law, will take place between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.

Over the past two decades, partly thanks to the boom in budget airlines, Prague has become a go-to destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties, particularly from the UK.

The news, announced on Monday, follows complaints from residents in Prague 1, the city鈥檚 historic district 鈥 home to the UNESCO-protected Old Town Square, Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge 鈥 over noise caused by rowdy pub crawls.

'Nobody will be banned from going to a pub'

Vaclav Starek, head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, praised the decision, telling AFP that 鈥渢rips to the centre in search of beer have been a problem for local people and for other tourists too.鈥

The ban only impacts agency-organized group tours, and will not prevent individual groups organizing their own bar crawl or staying out late drinking. As Starek pointed out, 鈥渘obody will be banned from going to a pub.鈥

Simon Old, who works as the Prague specialist for StagWeb.co.uk and GoHen.com, two UK-based tour agencies that organize 鈥渟tag and hen鈥 bachelor and bachelorette parties for Brits abroad, suggested the ban won鈥檛 鈥渄eter stags and hens from heading to Prague at all.鈥

Calling the ban 鈥渉alf-hearted,鈥 in a statement provided to Old added that 鈥渨hilst they鈥檙e well within their rights to try and curb anti-social behavior, people will just do their own pub crawls or do them earlier on.鈥

鈥淏eing a destination that has profited for years on its reputation for being a bit of a party city, it seems like they鈥檙e trying to have their cake and eat it with this,鈥 he said.

Prague joins many cities across Europe that have been pushing back against tourists in recent months. Officials in Venice, Italy recently limited tour group sizes to 25 people and banned megaphones, while Barcelona鈥檚 mayor plans to end apartment rentals for tourists by 2028.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.

Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.

The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.

A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.

麻豆影视 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.

Local Spotlight

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.

A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.