The Czech Republic enjoys remarkable popularity among tourists from all over the world. Thanks to its position in the very heart of Europe as well as its rich cultural and natural heritage, it has become a much sought-after destination.

A well-developed infrastructure and a number of hotel complexes and convention centers across the country make it an ideal destination for conference and incentive travel in the third millennium. At present, there are 175 four-star and 17 five-star hotels throughout the Czech Republic, offering accommodation space for various conferences and meetings.

The country offers excellent conference and incentive products based on a comprehensive range of services, with conference facilities suitable for meetings large and small.

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, has been a very popular tourist destination for decades. Since the end of the 20th century, it has opened its gates to incentive and congress tourism.

The Prague Congress Center: www.kcp.cz The original building was opened in 1981 as the largest and most modern public center in Europe. It underwent major reconstruction in 1998-2000 and turned into a multi-purpose building with wide hotel and office space. The center has 8 halls with a capacity of 4500 seats, 30 lounges with an additional capacity of 1500 seats and provides catering services for 5000 persons. The Prague Congress Center was selected as a venue for the 2000 Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group over such competitors as Amsterdam, Dubai, and Johannesburg. Over 2,500 official guests gathered in Prague along with 3,000 journalists to attend the North-Atlantic and the Euro-Atlantic Council meetings, as well as the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting. The NATO summit of November 2002 was another all-around success, confirming Prague's solid track record.

Industrial Palace - Výstaviště Praha: www.incheba.cz Part of the 2000 Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group were held here. The palace is one of the most impressive buildings in Art Nouveau style (1891) and can accommodate over 5000 people. The world-famous Křižíkova fountain, a unique combination of water cascades, blazing colors and music (www.krizikovafontana.cz), the National Museum lapidarium with an exhibition of Czech sculptures from the 11th to the 19th centuries, a panoramic painting of a battle near Lipany, several manor exhibition halls, the Expo hotel, theater and movie venues, an open-air cinema, swimming pool, and an athletic stadium with fitness and restaurants all can be found within its realm.

Prague's exhibition grounds at Letňany: www.pva.cz The new exhibition grounds are located in the north-eastern part of Prague. It is being built with respect to grandiose events and is gradually opening to public; construction began in 1998 and is divided into three stages, the last one to take place in 2006. The project includes huge parking lots, services, a public and conference center, hotel and food services as well as sites for leisure activities and conference and office buildings.

Apart from the modern buildings, such as the Prague Congress Center or Hilton Hotel, there are a whole range of historic buildings and other sites suitable for holding various meetings, conferences, congresses and other cultural and social activities, the most interesting being: Prague Castle, the Municipal House, Troya Castle and the Rudolfinum.

Conventions need not be restricted to Prague alone. Regional capitals such as Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Hradec Králové, Pilsen and České Budějovice often pleasantly surprise attendees with their convention facilities and services. There is a wide range of exhibition grounds in Brno, where the Brno Exhibition - BVV (www.bvv.cz) with an area of 193.000 sq.m. and 11 exhibition halls is located. Another example is the historic town of Olomouc with its Flora exhibition grounds (www.flora-ol.cz) or the north-Moravian mining city of Ostrava.

Attractive venues such as châteaux and manor houses (i.e. Mostov near Cheb, Sychrov near Liberec, and Dětenice near Jičín) also manage to attract a healthy portion of the business.

For all these reasons, the Czech Republic's popularity as a destination for conferences, meetings and incentive tourism has been growing steadily.

General information about the Czech Republic can be found at: www.czechtourism.com and www.travelguide.cz