Prague has put out the welcome mat for the events industry. Rather sensibly, it has attached a grant application.
The Capital City of Prague has announced its Tourism Support Programme for 2027. It will offer grants for congresses, conferences and other major multi-day events. Each event must be held in the Czech capital from 1 January to 31 December 2027.
Prague’s governing council approved the programme on 20 July 2026 under Resolution No. 1624. Its goal is to support inbound tourism and attract events that lift the city’s global profile.
This is not simply a case of filling conference rooms and hoping the coffee holds out. Prague’s wider tourism strategy also favours higher-value visitors and longer stays. It wants more demand outside the busiest parts of the historic centre.
Who qualifies for Prague’s 2027 tourism grants?
The programme has two main measures. Each measure is split into two categories.
Measure I targets closed, multi-day association events. These must be congresses or conferences for professional audiences. Category I. A applies to events with at least 700 registered delegates. At least 40 per cent of attendees must be international.
Category I.B covers events with 300 to 699 registered delegates. At least 30 per cent of attendees must be international.
Funding under Measure I is tied to in-person delegates. They must also spend at least one night in Prague.
The programme sets a maximum grant of CZK500 per eligible delegate for Category I.A. Support is capped at CZK 2 million per congress or conference.
Category I.B offers up to CZK 350 per eligible delegate, capped at CZK 244,650 per event.
Measure II casts a wider net. Category II.A supports major, publicly accessible events. They must run for several days and have national or international importance.
However, the official rules state that this category is not intended for MICE-format events. That distinction matters for organisers deciding where their event belongs—and may save them from knocking confidently on the wrong bureaucratic door.
Category II.B is intended for significant conference-style events held regularly or repeatedly. They must serve registered professionals and the public. At least 200 people must attend in person.
Under Measure II, grants may cover up to 30 per cent of a project’s budgeted costs. The cap is CZK2 million for Category II.A and CZK500,000 for Category II.B.
The programme anticipates a total funding pool of CZK22.66 million. The amount is not final. It remains subject to approval in Prague’s 2027 municipal budget.
Of the proposed total, CZK13.66 million is earmarked for Measure I, while CZK9 million is expected to support Measure II. Prague also reserves the right to reduce grants proportionally if eligible requests exceed the available funding.
A push beyond Prague’s peak season
For Measure II, preference may be given to events held outside Prague 1 or outside the main May-to-September visitor season.
The programme also treats the Easter holidays, the Christmas period from 24 to 31 December and New Year as peak periods.
In other words, Prague wants the business. It would simply prefer not to have every delegate arrive at Charles Bridge at precisely the same moment.
The approach fits Prague’s wider tourism policy. The city wants longer stays and repeat visits. It also wants a better spread of travellers across different districts and seasons.
Major congresses are part of that plan. Prague’s tourism authority says these events can lift the city’s prestige on the international stage.
For hotels, venues, transport providers and hospitality operators, the commercial attraction is plain enough. Delegates require beds, meeting rooms, meals and transport—and they generally arrive with more than a selfie stick and loose change.
How organisers must apply
Applications will be accepted from 21 September to 12 October 2026.
Organisers must complete and submit the appropriate form through the Capital City of Prague’s Financial Support Portal. They must then send the application through a Czech Data Box.
The process is electronic only. Applicants must also register or sign in to an Applicant Profile on the portal.
Submitting the online form alone will not complete the required two-step process. Organisers would therefore be wise to avoid the traditional last-minute dash to the airport and instead apply to Prague City Hall.
Application forms for Measures I and II will be available through the portal only during the official submission period. Corrections and additions are also permitted only while that window remains open.
The grants demonstrate how strongly destinations now compete for major events. The contest is no longer just about counting visitors. Cities increasingly want guests who stay longer, spend more and travel outside the busiest seasons.
Organisers considering Prague for 2027 should study the official programme, eligibility requirements and application instructions well before the submission window opens. Prague’s official programme page, complete grant document and Financial Support Portal contain the governing rules and submission guidance.
For Prague, the message is clear. Bring the delegates, the programme, and a properly completed application.
The city will supply the architecture.
By: Alison Jenkins – © 2026.
Read Time: 3 minutes.
Author Bio:
Alison Jenkins has lived most of her working life in the slipstream of aviation, where timetables matter, and people matter more. In airline sales, she built a reputation the old-fashioned way: by knowing her clients, her routes, and never missing the human detail.
Quick with a smile, quicker with a solution, she made deals with warmth and kept her edge intact.
Trade shows, FAMILS, airport lounges and hotel lobbies became her second address. And somewhere along the way, notebook in hand, she began writing the journeys rather than selling them. Her reports grew lively, observant, full of the small truths only travellers notice.
That was the moment it dawned on her: she wasn’t simply travelling. She belonged in its stories.
