Officials in Prague restrict bar-hopping times for travelers

As European cities grapple with overtourism, officials are making attempts to tackle some concerns that come along with visitors.

Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, has enforced a ban on organized nighttime pub crawls, according to The Associated Press (AP). 

SOBER TRAVEL OR ‘DRY TRIPPING’ WITHOUT ALCOHOL HAS PEOPLE SEEKING ENRICHING EXPERIENCES

The popular activity of tour groups hopping from bar to bar has caused a stir among the city’s council board with complaints of noise and safety concerns.

Prague has passed a ban on late-night bar crawls to be put in place between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to curb noise and safety concerns. (iStock)

“We don’t want to support cheap alco-tourism that’s unfortunately still quite common in Prague,” Adam Zabranský, a member of the city’s council who drafted the proposal, told the AP.

Prague drew in approximately 5.45 million visitors over the first three quarters of 2023, according to the Czech Statistical Office.

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The ban will be put in place between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with fines of up to 100,000 koruna (roughly $4,300) given to organizers of the crawls.

Prague drew in approximately 5.45 million visitors over the first three quarters of 2023, according to the Czech Statistical Office. (iStock)

Czechia has the third-highest alcohol consumption overall in the European Union, behind Lithuania and Latvia, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, headquartered in Paris, France.

Zabranský says responsibility should be placed on the bar owners who have establishments that participate in the activity.

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“As it is, the residents in the busy areas face the negative consequences while the bar owners participating in the pub crawls make profit and don’t care about the problems,” he told the AP.

Alcohol consumption in Czechia has decreased with the number of people who drink alcohol either daily, or every other day. (iStock)

Alcohol consumption in Czechia has decreased with the number of people who drink alcohol either daily, or every other day, by 19.8 to 15.4 % between the years 2020 and 2021, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

“People coming to experience culture behave differently than those who arrive to drink all weekend long,” Zabranský said.

In parts of the islands of Majorcam, Llucmajor, Palma and Calvia, and the area of San Antonio in Ibizia, the Spanish government has set restrictions.

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Policies such as limiting the sale of alcohol and banning consumption on streets have been enforced, according to Sky News.

The ban will take effect in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.