Allow me to start by sharing a look from the windows of my office. It faces the Hradčanské náměstí, a spatial square lined by splendid baroque buildings, hosting the National Gallery, among others, with lush greenery in its center. One of its ends became the stage set for Milos Forman-s legendary Amadeus, while the opposite end is crowned by the Prague Castle. Positioned on a hill, it offers one of the best views of Prague.

This square is normally a must on tourist itineraries. In the past three months, it has been strangely empty. Entirely. And while it is slowly beginning to wake up, it is nowhere near its pre-Covid traffic.

And this is also how I would characterise the bouncing back of the Czech tourism sector. It is already very slowly beginning to revive, but it is nowhere its pre-Covid traffic yet.

We hope to start welcoming tourists from European countries already. This should be tied to the gradual reopening of the internal Schengen Area borders. Movement has already been resumed with Austria, Hungary and Slovakia and further openings are due to happen in June.

Predictions are hard these days, but the hope is that as the reemergence from the pandemic in this region coincides with summer months - the major travel season - the tourism sector will be allowed to quickly re-start and the usual traffic shall resume within months.

The epidemiological situation here and abroad is continuously being monitored by the relevant Czech authorities. The cautious opening of borders involves precautions. Travellers, in general, are for the most part required to present a negative Coronavirus test or be quarantined. This measure might be here to stay for some time.

One of the visual images of the pandemic management in the Czech Republic has been a face mask. We largely believe that they have contributed to the less severe pandemic experience in this country. I would say visitors from abroad should be prepared to enjoy the Czech Republic while respecting the people around them by wearing a mask.

Enjoy with care!

No. The only change to the visa services currently in effect is that consulates in those countries, where we were able to reopen to the public, provide visa services in a limited fashion. That means that for the time being we accept applications for certain purposes of travel and stay only. As for the visa process itself, no changes have been instituted and we expect none.

As one of our recent promotion slogans said, the Czech Republic is the land of stories. And most of these stories are connected with historical towns and noble residences. The Czech Republic has countless examples and one literally encounters a fort, castle, ruin, château, or palace in every town.

Tourism has been an important and dynamically developing economic sector of the Czech Republic over the last few years. The range of popular tourist attractions has increased, becoming wide and varied. The quality of tourism services has improved as well. Plenty of enjoyment awaits those who like to explore, good food, enjoy unique experiences, love sports or seek premium spa treatments.

The Czech Republic has indeed become one of the major tourist destinations in Europe, receiving over 22 million visitors yearly - roughly twice the size of the Czech population. It scores among the top in the number of Schengen visas for the purpose of tourism issued, which is a great score for a small sized landlocked country. Prague, its capital, belongs to the most popular destinations, receiving over 9 million visitors annually out of which almost 7 million are from abroad.

I have plenty recommendations, not only with the view of social distancing, but also in the spirit of exploring all the Czech Republic has to offer - and there is a lot for a small country.

Tourists have already discovered fascinating sites besides Prague. Here are a few UNESCO heritage sites that top the list.

Kutná Hora with its Cathedral of St. Barbara or the Cemetery Church of All Saints with the Ossuary in Sedlec (2-3 km from Kutná Hora).

Olomouc with its Holy Trinity Column, Astronomical Clock. St. Wenceslas Cathedral or the Holly Hill.

Mikulov and surroundings, including vineyards, Chateau Mikulov, Holy Hill, Dietrichstein Tomb and the Lednice-Valtice Area.

Telč with its renaissance historic city centre.

Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora.

Popular with tourists, and justly so, is also the Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau.

Some other sites that are worth exploring are:

Hospital of Merciful Brethren in Kuks with its masterpiece baroque architecture surrounded by sculptures of virtues and vices and Braun-s Nativity Scene - a natural park with a gallery of baroque sculptures depicting Biblical scenes.

Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland National Park, a natural landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, majestic rock villages and sandstone formations.

Plzeň with its Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Gothic Cathedral with the tallest spire in the Czech Republic, the third biggest synagogue in Europe and the Plasy Monastery (25 km from Plzeň).

Ostrava with its Landek Park - the largest mining museum in the Czech Republic), Dolní Vítkovice with its industrial architecture, coal-mining and iron production museum and education and cultural centre.

Liberec with the Ještěd Mountain rising above it and the unique Ještěd Hotel and TV transmitter build at its top, and further with the Ferdinand Porsche Birth House, City Hall, Botanical Gardens, or the zoo - the oldest one of many in the Czech Republic, housing rare inhabitants including white tigers.

Spa resorts such as Františkovy Lázně and Mariánské Lázně.

Counterintuitively, perhaps, but it has been busy.

When you enter into the state of emergency and find yourself in a completely unprecedented situation of halting all the visa services worldwide, you already have to start thinking about how you will get to business and prepare yourself and your colleagues. I am glad we are returning back to business!