Český Krumlov awarded “tourism Oscar”

The South Bohemian town of Český Krumlov has received The Golden Apple, a prestigious award which is the tourism equivalent of the film industry Oscars. The UNESCO-listed town has joined the highly-regarded list of the most significant tourism destinations in the world. The Golden Apple has been awarded annually for more than 40 years by the World Federation of Travel Journalists & Writers (FIJET). The only other Czech city that has achieved the accolade is Brno which received the award in 2004.

Český Krumlov has been recognised thanks to its remarkable number of important cultural and historic sights which attract great interest from both Czech and international visitors. The decision was influenced by the fact that Český Krumlov doesn´t just live on its past but has a rich and highly-valued contemporary cultural and social life. The events taking place in Český Krumlov are frequented by well-known personalities from both the Czech and the international cultural scene. For example the star of last year’s International Music Festival Český Krumlov was the leading opera singer Plácido Domingo. This year Český Krumlov will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its being named on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage sites, which was also a factor in it winning this latest award.

Nicknamed “The Pearl of South Bohemia” Český Krumlov is visited by more than 1 million tourists every year, 60% of which are visitors from all over the world. Even though the Golden Apple Award does not come with a financial benefit, it is clear that the prestigious accolade will give a major boost to the growth of the town’s tourism industry and its economic impact. The town will also benefit from a higher profile among travel journalists (FIJET has around 1000 members from all over the world) as well as the visitors themselves.       

CzechTourism is a state-funded agency of the Ministry for Regional Development. Its main activity is to promote the Czech Republic as an attractive tourist destination. More information is available at http://scandinavia.czechtourism.com.