The Karlovy Vary spa was about to close after the cessation of tourist flows from Russia

According to the Czech edition Aktuálně, there are fewer and fewer spa hotels and medical centers in Karlovy Vary. In particular, the five-star Quisisana Palace spa hotel in the city center, which, through the local company Exklusive-apartments, belonged to Elena Baturina, wife of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, has been closed.

The Hotel Felix Zavoisky, located in a picturesque Art Nouveau building and serving as a “residence for wealthy Russian families” for more than ten years, turned into a “haunted house” after the start of the special operation. They also closed luxury shops, designed for wealthy citizens of the Russian Federation.

“We do not support Russia. But without the Russians, the spa industry will not last now, ”said the head of the city information center, Josef Dlohosh.

It should be noted that the problems at the spa began in 2014, but since 2019 they reached their peak due to a pandemic and a special operation. In 2019, Russians spent a total of 300,000 nights in the first three quarters, and in 2022 the figure for the same period was 10,000 nights.

“If we don’t find new customers, the spa industry will die. There were hotels that depended 100% on the clients that came for treatment”, said the mayor of the city.

Dlokhoshch explains that tourists from Russia were more likely than others to take multi-week trips to Karlovy Vary’s spas, while Westerners “usually come for a wellness weekend.”

Representatives of small businesses say that Russians spent more in shops and restaurants than residents of the Czech Republic or other countries.