Czech Republic looking to attract Indian tourists through art
Posted on Tuesday 17 April 2012
in Czech Republic, Prague
As Indian travellers are making their plans for upcoming holidays, they may be considering the Czech Republic as a viable option. Recently, the Czech Tourism board introduced a new art gallery in the city of Mumbai to encourage Indians to visit the country and learn more about its cultural offerings. Officials from the Czech Republic plan on inviting Indian artists this October to visit and share their traditions and artwork as well.
Although this is not the first time Czech artists have been promoted in India, representatives are taking the idea a step further by highlighting the talents of these skillful individuals and selling their pieces to the Indian audience. They hope to expand the facility in Mumbai and open others throughout the country. At the gallery in the Lower Parel, more than a dozen different mediums are on display, including jewellery, glass and crystal decorative items.
"A year ago, when Czech design made a successful presentation in India, we realised that we were presenting something which was missing in the Indian market and we decided to have some sort of permanent Czech art exposition in India," Miloslav Stasek, Czech ambassador to India, said in a statement. "This is how the idea of opening an art gallery dedicated to Czech art was evolved."
After Indian travellers see some of the artwork in Mumbai, officials hope that it will spark further interest in visiting the Czech Republic to see the vast array of museums, galleries, cultural centres and more throughout the area.
Worldwide promotion campaigns hope to boost Czech travel
The Czech Tourism board is also visiting other countries to promote further travel options to interested individuals looking to see new destinations this year. According to the Prague Daily Monitor, another way the board hopes to reach new visitors is through music. To help commemorate the 170th anniversary of composer Antonin Dvorak's birth, the Czech Cultural Centre in Bucharest, Romania, commissioned local musicians to remix some of the composer's old pieces into new and fresh techno tunes.
Through this initiative, experts hope to increase the amount of guests coming to the area by hosting Czech events in other countries. Roughly 1.7 million travellers participate in the Czech Cultural Centre's annual events, whether they be plays, concerts or film screenings.
"This is our way of supporting Czech trademarks abroad and increasing foreigners' awareness of our firms," Michael Pospisil, general director of the Czech Centres organisation, said in a statement. "We will offer them space to attract foreign visitors to exhibitions and concerts in which we participate."
Foreigners find out the best places to visit in the Czech Republic
When Indian travellers do decide to venture to the Czech Republic and take flights to Prague, they can head to many different regions of the country for holidays. Some choose to explore the cities, rustic rural areas or along the shores of its many lakes and rivers. However, many are staying right in the capital to enjoy a new kind of niche tourism where tourists journey to new places to see big name bands and music artists. Known as gig tourism, some individuals will go to a locale to see a big concert then stay to pursue the attractions and cultural offerings. For instance, Prague may see an influx of guests when they host the Red Hot Chili Peppers this July, as some leisure travellers and even those heading to the city on business plan to attend the show.
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