LISBURN MAN CO-OWNER OF INCOMING TRAVEL COMPANY IN CZECH REPUBLIC
THE travel industry is having a tough time all over the world at the moment – but there are worse places to be living through the pandemic than one of Europe’s prettiest cities and a top city break destination, Prague in the Czech Republic.
Yesterday it was 32 degrees in the city, and Lisburn man Ian Donegan was sitting under a tree sipping an ice cold beer and planning for a return to normal business with his incoming tour company Prague Tours Direct.
Ian, a former Irish League footballer with Portaown – he played in the 1979 final against Cliftonville – is co-owner of the company which specialises in all aspects of the incoming market with everything from stag and hen parties, organising sightseeing tours not only in Prague but in the rest of the country including cruising on the river Vltava, and many other activities like sky diving, dry bobsledding, go-karting, snowboarding, paint balling, fishing and whitewater rafting – to name just a few.
However, probably the company’s most popular activities are its shooting trips, where clients get chance to use some of or a range of iconic and powerful weaponry. Instructors all speak English and of course safety is a priority with full training given beforehand. Among the weapons available to use are the AK 47 Kalashnikov, the M16 assault rifle, the Magnum of Dirty Harry fame, and the UZI submachine gun.
Like most travel companies, Prague Tours’ business has been hit by Covid-19 but the Czech Republic has fared very well during the pandemic with less than 400 fatalities in the whole country and just some 17,000 cases in total, in a country of some 10 million. There has been a slight spike in infections recently which have been traced to a nightclub in the city, and Ian is expecting the wearing of masks to be made mandatory in shops in the next few days.
With his footballing background Ian, who hails from Lisburn, also organises football and other sports trips to the Czech Republic. Just tell him how long you want to come for and he will set up matches and your entire programme. Over the years he has hosted Northern Ireland football supporters club groups who have come to Prague either to see Northern Ireland or one of the Irish League teams playing in Europe.
Says Ian: “We aim to offer a selective quality tourist service with friendly English and Czech speaking staff. We are travel experts with over 20 years experience as tour operators in the city and provide tourist services for everyone from large groups to individuals. However, we treat each request with the same attention to detail and professionalism.”
Prague Tours also looks after airport transfers and organises accommodation in either three, four and five star hotels all located close to the city centre. The company can also offer self catering apartments with all the amenities and hostels for the student or backpacker.
INFO: To contact Prague Tours, email contact@praguetoursdirect.com or log on to the website, praguetoursdirect.com, or call either, +420-227-195-180, +420-777-064-557 or +420-773-676-123.
The 'Travel' Life of Brian 