A BAN on boozy bar crawls in the party capital of Prague won’t stop Brits flying in for wild stag and hen dos, an organiser has warned.
Authorities announced the ban of organized pub crawls in the capital city between the hours of 10pm and 6am when drunken tourists take over the city centre and cause havoc.
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Stag and hen dos have been blamed for rowdiness, drunken behaviour, excessive noise, and for damaging the reputation of the city.
Brits typically visit Prague for cheap, booze-filled revelry – often involving strippers and other forms of entertainment.
The crackdown by officials comes as a study by OLBG named the Czech city the party capital of Europe.
But Prague is seeking “more cultured” tourists rather than Brits making the most of the £2.50 pints, officials said earlier this month.
But Simon Old said, the Prague specialist for two of the UK’s leading stag and hen party providers, said the ban is set to fail.
Stag Web promises clients a “legendary stag weekend” in Prague featuring events such as a “Lap Dance Club Tour,” “Jelly Wrestling” with two topless fighters, a “Stag Arrest” and a “Strip Dinner.”
While organised pub crawls still feature on the activities list, Old says that with a wealth of other events, going from pub to pub is not a priority for partying Brits.
And the regulations of the ban will be inefficient, he claims, saying groups will simply go on pub crawls outside of the allotted hours or without the help of an organiser.
“There’s no way they can ban bar crawls in terms of people doing it off their own back,” he told The Sun.
“[And organizers] will just start at 6pm and finish at 10pm… you’re not doing a bar crawl from 12am to 6am.
“I don’t think it deters anyone.”
The specialist used Amsterdam as “proof” of the failure of such measures.
“Amsterdam banned organized bar crawls around the Red Light District, so what companies have done is just taken it slightly out of the Red Light District and done it away from the windows,” Old said.
Agents will find a work-around and “educate groups” by “pointing them in the right direction” of places where they will still be accepted, Old said.
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As well as implementing poorly timed bans, officials are targeting a practice that is no longer a key part of nightlife abroad, Old claimed.
If Brits are successfully deterred by the ban, Old claims local businesses will bear the brunt of it due to a loss of revenue.
“The whole bar crawl experience is getting smaller,” he said, with many choosing to go to bars and do activities such as interactive games rather than just going from pub to pub.
It is these activities as well as the cheaper drinks and being on holiday that draw Brits to these destinations to spend thousands of pounds for their pre-wedding celebrations.
According to Old, this is largely why it is pointless for officials to claim they are “appeasing locals” by implementing the ban as “that’s all money that’s hitting independent businesses.”
“If they do clamp down too much you’ll get the kickback from locals,” he warned.
Stag-do hotspots cracking down on boozy tourists
Prague, Czech Republic:
- Ban on organized pub crawls and beer bikes.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
- Adverts telling young male Brits to “stay away” if they want to excessively drink and take drugs.
- Restrictions on drinking in Red Light District.
Munich, Germany:
Budapest, Hungary:
Llucmajor, Palma, and Calvia (Magaluf) in Majorca, Spain:
- Alcohol bans between certain hours in stag-do and tourist hotspots known for excessive drinking.
- Ban on party boats sailing within one mile of the area and from picking up partygoers.
San Antonio in Ibiza, Spain:
- Ban on the sale of alcohol in certain areas at specific times
- Restrictions on party boats.
An average British stag group of 14 people will spend 169,000 CZK (£5,600) for a three-night stay in Prague, Old said.
This is with each person spending roughly £400 or 12,000 CZK.
“It’s weighing up what they bring to the local economy in terms of spend but keeping the residents happy,” Old concluded.
His advice to Brits going abroad for their prenuptial celebrations is to just “be respectful that you’re in a different country.”
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“I think it’s on the local businesses to decide if they want to accept a stag group or hen group or not.”
Meanwhile, other European cities are cracking down on boozy tourists including Munich, Budapest, and the Spanish Islands of Ibiza and Majorca.
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