Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, tourism in Brno has managed to survive through the summer, with some attractions reporting record numbers of visitors. Campaigns by the city authorities and innovative festival formats have helped keep the city centre alive. Photo credit: BM / BD.
Brno, Sep 14 (BD) – Following the serious disruption to travel and tourism due to the coronavirus, it was always inevitable that tourism trends would change this summer. However, Brno has not reported a decline in visitor numbers, but rather the contrary. Tourist sights and attractions around Brno, as well as the Brno Tourist Information Centre (TIC BRNO), have had great visitor numbers, boosted by popular events such as the Brno INdustrial project, the Middle Ages festivals, the Brno Marathon of Music and the Brasil Fest, as well as the opening of Vodojem pod Žlutým kopcem. Features including the GOtoBRNO.cz portal and the sale of the BRNOPAS tourist card also assisted the tourism sector.
A Living City
“Brno has seen a decrease in foreign tourists, but on the other hand, the number of domestic tourists has increased. If we evaluate this year’s situation from the point of view of attendance, we see that the numbers have changed slightly, but the season has been generally successful, and some numbers have reached record values,” said Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková (ODS).
According to TIC Brno, tourists showed interest in similar things as in previous years, namely the stylish city center full of great gastronomy and live culture, festivals, monuments, and the other interesting tourist destinations of Brno. “The city center has seen more live culture than ever this year, thanks in part to the four largest events organized or supported by TIC BRNO. The traditional festivals UPROSTŘED, much expanded with more concerts in cooperation with Brno’s music clubs, the Brno Music Marathon, On the Tiles and Grass Boards, and the city’s Day of Brno all welcomed a similar number of visitors as in previous years,” added Vaňková.
In With The New
One new addition to the city’s programme this year was Brasil Fest, which filled the city center not only with locals and tourists, but also salsa dancers and drummers. “Thanks to the expansion of popular festivals and the presentation of completely new concepts, this year we have shown once again that Brno is right to have the title of a UNESCO creative city of music,” said Marek Fišer (Piráti), Brno Councillor for Culture.
The Brno underground was also at the center of events this summer, thanks to the opening of the Vodojem pod Žlutým kopcem on July 18th. The first tours sold out completely in six minutes, and have been sold out ever since, with a total of 1,228 visitors. The space is currently leading a list of the 20 most interesting features on the kudyznudy.cz portal. The more traditional spaces of the Brno underground, such as the Labyrinth under Zelny trh, Constance at St. Jakub and the Mintmaster’s Cellar, almost reached the record high summer visitor numbers of last season.
The Brno INdustrial project, another innovation this year from TIC BRNO, offered guided tours of industrial areas, either on foot or on a tour bus. The classic thematic tours of Brno were also expanded, according to Jana Janulíková, director of TIC BRNO, and as a result had double the number of visitors as in previous years.
