Prague 'tourist trouble hotspot'

[JODO 2]

Prague 'tourist trouble hotspot'

The "massive influx" of UK stag and hen parties to Prague has made the Czech Republic a hotspot for British travellers in trouble, figures suggest.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) report says Britons visiting the Czech Republic need a "disproportionate" amount of consular assistance.

More Britons lose their passports, get arrested or taken to hospital in the country than some more popular places.

Those in India, Thailand and Australia also need a large amount of assistance.

Lost passports

More British tourists are taken to hospital in the Czech Republic than in Germany, which receives more than three times the number of Britons, the FCO figures from April 2005 to March 2006 show.

TOP TROUBLE HOTSPOTS 1. Spain - 13.8m visitors, 5,627 serious assistance cases 2. USA - 4.1m/3,006 3. Greece - 2.4m/2,316 4. France - 11m/1,408 5. Germany - 2.5m/1,381 6. Cyprus - 1.4m/996 7. India - 847,000/914 8. Thailand - 381,000/897 9. Czech Republic - 813,000/845 10. Australia - 650,000/815 Source: British Behaviour Report for 1 April 2005-31 March 2006

The number of Britons who lose their passports in the Czech Republic is also higher than in Greece, even though Greece has three times as many British visitors, the British Behaviour Abroad Report says.

Foreign Office research last year suggested 24% of people on stag and hen parties faced problems abroad.

The Latvian capital Riga is among places which have become more popular with British tourists, partly as a result of improved air links to Eastern Europe.

Mike Johnson, an American who runs Patricia Tourist Office in Riga, told BBC Radio Five Live local people were not keen on some of the visitors and bad behaviour by some was affecting tourism.

"Latvia is a very quiet, shy country - the people are very calm. They teach their children, for example, not to speak in a tram as they ride," he said.

"And so to have a bunch of loud-mouthed boys come here and drink, take off their shirts, run around the streets and scream and pee on our monuments, it's not very well-received."

Top of the list of countries where Britons require consular assistance is Spain - also the most popular holiday destination.

A total of 13.8m British travellers visited Spain in 2005/06.

During that time the country had the highest number of deaths (1,325), the most lost or stolen passports (6,078) and the most arrests (1,549).

Overall, Britons in Spain ALSO had the biggest number of serious cases needing consular assistance (5,627).

Planning ahead

Other key findings were:

Greece had the most cases of rape (48) and the highest number of Britons hospitalised (955)

Australia had a disproportionate number of lost or stolen passports. Some 2,023 of the country's 650,000 visitors mislaid or lost their travel document - the third highest total despite not being in the top 10 most popular destinations

France - the second most popular country with 10.98m British visitors - only had 713 reported lost or stolen passports

India, Thailand and Australia appeared in the top 10 countries requiring consular assistance despite not being among the most popular destinations. This could be because while Britons are becoming more adventurous, they are not taking adequate precautions, the FCO said.

FCO minister Meg Munn said many problems faced by British holidaymakers could be avoided.

"Simple precautions like researching your destination, getting comprehensive travel insurance, checking out medical requirements and taking copies of important documents could help avoid common travelling traumas, risks and dangers in the long-run," she said.

Fair Trials Abroad senior policy officer Amanda Cumberland, said: "We fully support the Foreign Office campaign to ensure that Britons travelling abroad prepare appropriately for their trip, are familiar with relevant travel advice, and behave responsibly when they are on holiday.

"As an organisation that deals with many cases of British nationals facing real distress in foreign countries, we are just as keen as the Foreign Office to see fewer Britons getting into trouble and to see the numbers needing assistance fall."

The FCO advises travellers to visit its website www.fco.gov.uk/travel before heading abroad.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6926569.stm

Published: 2007/08/02 11:34:29 GMT

Edited August 2, 2007 by JODO

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"And so to have a bunch of loud-mouthed boys come here and drink, take off their shirts, run around the streets and scream and pee on our monuments, it's not very well-received."

I'm not surprised. The UK really needs to do something about its 'lager culture'.

[almaty 19]

those hooligans...

[Heracles 417]

Bloody Poms hey..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

IMO they need to raise the drinking age and impose stiffer penaltys on being drunk and disorderly.

Also the local authorities need to start cutting down on how many alcohol licences they grant in town centres.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

[Heracles 417]

Maybe it should be a class in high school. 'How to act normal while traveling overseas 101'.

[peejay 327]

So much for the "ugly American" reputation of old. There's a new kid in town.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So much for the "ugly American" reputation of old. There's a new kid in town.

Nah - Brit 'tourists' have always had that sort of reputation - specifically in regards to mediterranean holiday resorts; which if you're a 'real' tourist you avoid like the plague. These days it seems that those people (who consider a summer vacation to be all about going to a foreign country and getting drunk, like they do at home 2 nights a week) are travelling further afield (one of the down sides of the pound being relatively strong at the moment).

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Anyone that has ever been to Prague - and I've been there a lot as a student since it was only a short two hour train ride away - knows that those beer cellars are just too damn hard to resist. Of course, I always behaved nicely.

Edited August 2, 2007 by Mr. Big Dog

[no name 1]

IMO they need to raise the drinking age and impose stiffer penaltys on being drunk and disorderly.

Also the local authorities need to start cutting down on how many alcohol licences they grant in town centres.

It's talking about while abroad tho, so it doens't apply....

[almaty 19]

Anyone that has ever been to Prague - and I've been there a lot as a student since it was only a short two hour train ride away - knows that those beer cellars are just too damn hard to resist. Of course, I always behaved nicely.

hmmm. i just can image that their are a few Prague' ladies with a " Reinhard" tatoo on their azz../..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

IMO they need to raise the drinking age and impose stiffer penaltys on being drunk and disorderly.

Also the local authorities need to start cutting down on how many alcohol licences they grant in town centres.

It's talking about while abroad tho, so it doens't apply....

I mean't they need to do that in the UK to help wean the country off its obsession with alcohol. The tendency to overindulge starting at a young age - which makes many town centers rather unpleasant at evenings and weekends.

Personally I think its shameful that people who have so little respect for their own communities - take that abroad with them when they go on holiday.

Anyone that has ever been to Prague - and I've been there a lot as a student since it was only a short two hour train ride away - knows that those beer cellars are just too damn hard to resist. Of course, I always behaved nicely.

Those kids tend to drink 'old wife beater' AKA Stella Artois.

[no name 1]

IMO they need to raise the drinking age and impose stiffer penaltys on being drunk and disorderly.

Also the local authorities need to start cutting down on how many alcohol licences they grant in town centres.

It's talking about while abroad tho, so it doens't apply....

I mean't they need to do that in the UK to help wean the country off its obsession with alcohol. The tendency to overindulge starting at a young age - which makes many town centers rather unpleasant at evenings and weekends.

Personally I think its shameful that people who have so little respect for their own communities - take that abroad with them when they go on holiday.

Anyone that has ever been to Prague - and I've been there a lot as a student since it was only a short two hour train ride away - knows that those beer cellars are just too damn hard to resist. Of course, I always behaved nicely.

Those kids tend to drink 'old wife beater' AKA Stella Artois.

ASBOs!

Last time I went to Prague (Dec 03) some Czech dude whipped out a gun at some club. Not a Brit involved.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I've heard that the ASBO is a bit of a joke. Even so the govt really does need to do something to "encourage" people to adopt a more responsible use of alcohol. It's a significant social problem, made worse by the relative lack of law enforcement.

Central/Eastern Europe has problems of its own, I just sooner not be embarrassed by my countrymen exporting their bad habits to other places; or be able to walk through a UK town centre after dark and not be jeered at or have someone try to start a fight.