I have to admit that before coming to this program to study abroad I hadn’t really heard much about Prague and the Czech Republic. I knew it was in Europe somewhere but I couldn’t put a face to the name. There was no Eiffel tower to think of or Mediterranean beaches to conjure up what it was. That is the reason why I am so surprised that there are so many tourists here. Near our neighborhood there are mostly locals walking about, but a few tram stops away and down to Old Town Square and Charles Bridge there are herds of camera wearing, fanny-pack carrying people. Technically I am a tourist but studying and living here for a month does not make me feel like one.
There are many benefits to having tourists come here, mainly economical, but it also promotes multiculturalism. On the other hand, tourism is not always pretty. Several young people come here solely for the beer and you can regularly see people my age beyond inebriated on the street in large groups. There are also countless souvenir shops, which sell products that have nothing to do with Prague, such as shirts that say, “They say I was in Prague, but I don’t remember.” Many locals have moved out of Prague due to the fact that there are so many people and a lot of noise. Tourists account for about 100,000 more people per day in Prague. To some, it seems that their city was taken away and now caters to foreign visitors. However tourism is inevitable and it brings in the big bucks, so the good must be accepted with the bad.
Tourists stop and take a break
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