Time for the first full day of Prague! After a good night’s sleep, we were out on the town and I still could not get over the beauty and liveliness of Prague. My explanations could never do the city justice but being there felt like I was in a comforting and safe, yet thrilling new place with something new and unexpected around every corner. On our way to the back of the house Augustine tour, we took the tram for the first time and it was so convenient! Although it was pretty crowded and cramped, everyone taking the tram was respectful and considerate; smiling at us and even making small talk. So far, I’ve noticed the people of Prague are exceedingly nice and love asking questions despite the small language barrier. Majority of the people in the city speak great English, though I tried learning some small words in Czech, such as thank you and hello.
After getting to the Augustine, it was absolutely beautiful! The hotel was large and very welcoming upon entry. After listening to a brief presentation by the important employees and members of the hotel, we split into two groups to tour the entirety of the hotel. It was so so so nice and historic! I learned the space use to be an old monastery so it has such rich history and even still privately houses monks from all around the world. It was important to see the reflection of travel and tourism within this popular hotel and how it still respects the history and significance of the space.
After that, we had some free time to get lunch and relax before visiting the Czech Tourism Authority and learned all about the tourism and travel marketing and strategies to receive and regulate tourism in the Czech Republic. For example, we learned that the country is interested in changing their strategies to market the more outdoors and surrounding mountains of the Czech Republic to regulate the tourism coming into the main city of Prague. By doing so, the Czech Republic would not only be perceived as cities, but more on the “mountain retreat”, nature getaway vacation side. We also received pamphlets and mini flyers highlighting the tourist attractions of the country and the analytics of what each of these attractions brings which was so insightful and useful!
Later in the evening, some out us went out and experienced the nightlife of Prague! We went to some popular clubs and destinations, meeting new people from all over the world and having fun. It was so nice because everyone was so respectful and the city felt so safe in comparison to Miami or other cities in the US.