Prague, 23 October 2026 – From 24 to 30 October, Prague will be taking part in Tourist Information Centre (TIC) Week, during which it will offer visitors competitions and unique experiences. The new ‘AI is not a local’ campaign also serves as a reminder that, even in the age of artificial intelligence, information centres have not lost their purpose. Their staff offer not only their personal experience of the city they live in, but also reliable recommendations that help visitors avoid tourist traps. ‘AI can be a great source of inspiration. But we locals don’t just know Prague – we live and breathe it. We discover new aspects of it every day – we have our favourite spots and we know what’s worth a visit. And we would like to share our experience with visitors. Our tourist information centres are therefore not just somewhere you can pick up a map or buy tickets. They are chiefly a place for personal encounters with Prague and the people who love it. ‘During TIC Week, we want to show visitors just how valuable such an encounter is,’ says Barbora Plodrová, director of the Prague City Tourism tourist information centres. Tourist Information Centre Week is organised by the Association of Tourist Information Centres of the Czech Republic in collaboration with its member and certified information centres. This is the seventh edition of the event and it is once again being held to coincide with World Information Development Day. ‘During TIC Week, visitors can pick up a game card at any of our Prague tourist information centres and take part in the competition.’ There is a small task or question waiting for them at each centre, and the staff will be happy to help them with it. ‘The prizes may be vouchers for a ride on historic tram No. 42 or a visit to Prague’s towers,’ Plodrová reveals. At the information centre in the Old Town Hall, those interested can also experience first-hand what it’s like to work as a TIC specialist in a real-world setting. Experienced staff will be on hand as they offer advice to visitors. Between January and September alone, staff at Prague City Tourism answered more than three-quarters of a million enquiries at the tourist information centres at the Old Town Hall, Na Můstku, Petřín, Prague Castle and at both terminals of Václav Havel Airport. They most often help visitors find their way around the city, recommend suitable transport links and offer advice on how to plan their itinerary so that travellers can make the most of their time in Prague. AI is not a local ‘Artificial intelligence can offer dozens of recommendations in a matter of seconds. However, this may include tourist traps or services that take advantage of visitors’ lack of knowledge. Just because an offer is highly visible on the internet does not necessarily mean that it is good quality or genuine. Our staff are therefore not merely providers of information. Most importantly, they are trusted guides who are able to distinguish between services and recommend them based on their true value, rather than their online visibility. ‘In doing so, we are protecting the interests of visitors whilst supporting honest business practices and the development of tourism in Prague,’ Jana Adamcová, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Prague City Tourism, explains. The new ‘AI není Pražan’ (AI is not a local) campaign builds on the importance of personal experience and recommendations from locals. It expands on the long-running ‘Enjoy Respect Prague’ initiative, which informs incoming visitors and tourists about the rules that will enable them to enjoy their visit to Prague whilst showing respect for its residents. Its visuals will appear online, on the streets of Prague and at Václav Havel Airport. The new campaign reminds us that artificial intelligence can be a useful tool when planning a journey, but it is the people who live in the city who know what life there is really like. As the campaign’s slogan states: AI is not a Prague native. ‘The best thing to do is ask the locals.’
