Tourism: An essential branch of the national economy in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Even though tourism presents a relatively new field of human activity which has been enhancing its position within the academic and business spheres for only a few past decades, we can already speak today about an increasingly important sphere of the economy globally as well as on the national level in the Czech Republic. It is not just an industry generating an ever-increasing number of incomes as well as an increasing number of jobs, but also a social phenomenon reflecting its increasing impact on the ever-expanding part of the world population. All of this in continuity with a direct impact not only on the landscape we live in but also as reflecting changes in the socio-cultural and natural components of our living space. The importance and contribution of tourism are indisputable and the aim of almost all strategic development documents, at any level, is the need to focus the attention on supporting its development. Given that the Czech Republic ranked among the countries with above-average growth in the number of nights spent in accommodation facilities within the European Union last year, the study aims to present the current level of tourism as broadly as possible, in continuity with the specific features of the Czech environment.