Prague tighens security for festivities with more tourists expected

Record ID: 162696

  • Title: Prague tighens security for festivities with more tourists expected
  • Date: 30th December 2016
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST FROM ARUBA, MNEYAN, SAYING: "I feel nice, the people are so kind and I love it. I love it. It is really beautiful." POLICE PATROL ARMED BY PISTOLS AND MACHINE GUNS AT MARKET TOURISTS TAKING PHOTOS WITH POLICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST FROM CHINA, CHANG, SAYING: "Yes, it's a kind of secure, you see the police everywhere, so we are happy." (FRIEND ADDING) "Nothing to worry about." POLICE PATROL AT MARKET POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN PRAGUE POLICE SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) POLICE SPOKESWOMAN, IVANA NGUYEN, SAYING: "In the framework of strengthening security, we increased the number of police patrols in the streets and we also secured the entrances to the main squares with concrete blocks, disabling the entrance for big trucks." VENCESLAS SQUARE IN PRAGUE POLICE CONTROLLING CARS ENTERING SQUARE POLICE PATROL VARIOUS OF CONCRETE BLOCKS AT SQUARE ARMED POLICE PATROL (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH TRAVEL AGENCIES ASSOCIATION SPOKESMAN, JAN PAPEZ, SAYING: "I don't think it harms anyone - just the opposite. It gives you a stronger safety feeling even if - on the other hand - people don't like spending their holiday being watched by machine guns." VARIOUS OF ARMED POLICE PATROL AMONG PEOPLE PEOPLE AT VENCESLAS SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2017 15:21
  • Keywords: New Year safety
  • Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0035F2RLMH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Prague has strengthened its security hoping to attract Western tourists who want to welcome the New Year abroad.
    On December 31, restaurants, bars and clubs in the Czech capital are full, and the atmosphere builds gently.
    As midnight approaches, revellers gather by the river, at the Old Town Square and at Wenceslas Square to watch fireworks.
    Last year, the Czech Republic was named the world's sixth safest place by the Institute for Economics and Peace 2015.
    Because of its new reputation, travelling agencies are expecting a much higher influx of tourists.
    "For New Year's Eve celebration Prague seems to be sold out and we are expecting visitors to stay here for more than one night," Jan Papez, spokesman for the Czech Travel Agencies Association, told Reuters on Friday (December 30).
    According to the Institute, France went down to the 46th place and the UK down to 47th place.
    Czech Police has strengthened security not only in Prague, but also in other big cities such as Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Pardubice or Pilsen after a truck attack in Berlin on December 19 killed 12 people and injured 48.
    Big concrete blocks could be seen at the entrances to the Christmas market in the heart of Prague, as armed police patrolled amid the tourists and the famous ice-cream "trdelniks" cone stands.
    Prague also celebrates January 1 with fireworks, the festivities aimed at families with children.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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