is launching the autumn phase of this year’s key campaign “Unexpected Wellbeing”. Even in this wave, it shows foreign tourists how to exercise, relax, and rest while traveling in the Czech Republic. It emphasizes the unique possibilities that the Czech Republic offers in the framework of active tourism. The autumn phase runs from September 1 to the end of October. In November, it will be followed by a winter wave focused on winter sports and Christmas markets. The original visuals were prepared for CzechTourism by the creative agency VCCP.
A unique concept inspired by Czech nature and traditions
The communication concept of the 2024 and 2025 “Unexpected Wellbeing” campaigns of the Czech Tourism Office CzechTourism presents the Czech Republic as one big spa in the fresh air. It follows on from the success of last year’s “Unexpected Traditions” campaign, which received an award for creativity.
The autumn part of this year’s campaign is based on the spring wave. However, based on the evaluation of its intervention, the number and content of topics in individual countries were adjusted.
“Each country in which our campaigns run has its own specifics. This also corresponds to the different interest in individual topics. In some places, food and beer play a leading role, in others, architecture, spas, sports or even culture scores. Target groups also react differently. E.g. the 55+ group achieves high engagement rate values on Facebook, across all countries. We therefore do not underestimate feedback and continuously optimize campaigns, for example by selecting the most successful topics and then reducing the visuals that we know have the greatest impact within the target group. Each country then has a unique composition of visuals in the campaign, which thematically matches the season,” explains František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, and adds: “We approach the funds spent with the care of a good householder, even in the case of this year’s campaign. We are based on the effect of invested money and the creditworthiness of individual countries.”
Therefore, unlike the spring part, the autumn part of the campaign will run only in selected markets in Europe. It will be shown in the UK, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria and Hungary.
The power of visual communication
The autumn wave of the campaign consists of the 15 most successful thematic visuals, including short videos, from the spring campaign according to a predetermined order in each country. Several of them always cover one topic of an active holiday. They show foreign clients how they can spend their vacation with us and what extraordinary experiences they can have in the Czech Republic. The just-launched wave will run on social networks Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and is complemented by a banner ad on the Teads network. In the form of original themed landing pages, they will also appear on the Visit Czechia.com portal. The total costs for the autumn phase amount to 12 million crowns.
“We want to show a holiday in the Czech Republic in a new and active light. In terms of area, our country is not one of the largest European states, and the campaign presents this very element as our competitive advantage. The accessibility and breadth of options to enjoy your stay here are countless. In a short time, you can manage a walking trip through beautiful nature, combine it with a tasting of local gastronomy or beer from a local brewery, and you can also manage a visit to the castle that stands on the hill. And that is the main idea of our “Unexpected” campaign, which presents non-traditional experiences of an active vacation with a vocabulary associated with wellness and spas,” adds Jana Štumpová Konicarová, director of the Department of Marketing and Foreign Representations of CzechTourism.
Selected topics for individual regions:
- Cycle paths (cultural, river and long-distance routes)
- MTB (trails, technical riding, bikepacking)
- Hiking
- Wellness centers
- Medical spa
- Via ferratas and sandstone climbing
- Golf
A campaign that surprises and inspires
Across all the campaigns implemented by CzechTourism, the emphasis on the uniqueness of the Czech Republic is intertwined. This is, for example, the availability of holiday activities. Both from the point of view of geography (everything is close by and there is no need to drive far) and difficulty (the kindness of our landscape allows sports activities even for those who are not experts and top athletes). Holidays with us are in a relaxed rhythm. For example, hiking is for everyone (there is no need to climb steep hills and mountains like in the Alps, but at the same time the view is really worth it). Simply put – our undulating landscape is ideal for active relaxation, regardless of age or physical fitness.
“In this year’s campaign focused on active vacations, we are using the unique accessibility that the Czech Republic offers. We communicate hiking, cycling, trails for mountain bikes, water tourism, ferratas in our Czech version and golf. We don’t forget the spa and wellness, which complement the active part of the holiday. However, this main “communication theme” is actually a kind of superstructure for continuous product communication, which reflects the cultural and historical diversity and richness of the Czech Republic (e.g. UNESCO monuments – we have the densest network of monuments inscribed on the World Heritage List in the country). And culture and history are the biggest driving force and the most common reason for foreign tourists to visit the Czech Republic. As well as the already mentioned spas, but also congress tourism, which is on the rise here,” explains František Reismüller.
Budgeting and continuation of the campaign
The total annual budget of the “Unexpected Wellbeing” campaign is 34 million crowns. The autumn phase, which has just started, will be followed by another, focused on winter activities. The theme is linked to the year-round theme of an active holiday in the Czech Republic, mainly downhill and cross-country skiing. They will be complemented by winter hiking within cities and open castles. And last but not least, also trailers for Czech traditional Christmas markets.
Like the autumn wave, the winter wave will only run in selected countries. This effectively targets tourists from Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. According to a previous and thorough analysis, these travelers are the biggest fans of winter sports or visit cities in the pre-Christmas period, and the Czech Republic is well and sustainably accessible for them. The winter campaign will take place in November and December, and its costs will amount to 6.5 million crowns.