Litomyšl appears in a spot that promotes UNESCO heritage sites

Litomyšl (Svitavsko) - The Litomyšl Castle will appear alongside other Czech monuments listed on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list in a promotional spot aimed at attracting foreign tourists to the Czech Republic. The humor-filled advertisement will run on many television stations abroad, and it will first be visible at the end of the week on the website of the Czech Heritage UNESCO association, said Michaela Severová, the executive director of the association and spokesperson for Litomyšl, to ČTK.
    "Foreign visitors generally seek out UNESCO sites. It works like this: the further the travel agency bringing foreign clients originates from the Czech Republic, the more they value the UNESCO label as a guarantee of quality and will confidently send tourists here,” said Severová.
    The campaign will run from mid-October to mid-December on satellite television in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and partly in Portugal.
    "In 1,300 reruns, the spots will appear on channels that are watched by people interested in tourism. These will include National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Viajar TV, TV Spektrum, and AXN," Severová said.
    The advertisement, lasting 30 and 60 seconds, aims to entertain the audience, and will feature statues and paintings coming to life. A gargoyle on the church of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora gets a craving for ice cream and runs after a girl carrying a cone. A second time, a dog from Titian's famous painting Apollo and Marsyas in Kroměříž catches the scent of a sausage from the baguette that a visitor to the gallery is enjoying. Meanwhile, on the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, a statue holding a small boy comes to life and playfully tosses him into the air.
    Although the Pardubice Region ranks low in foreign tourist traffic, Litomyšl is not overlooked by foreigners. According to Severová, more and more of them are visiting the castle and other monuments in the city, primarily Japanese tourists, but also residents of European countries. During the main tourist season, nearly 6,700 more paying visitors visited the Litomyšl castle. This year's exhibition was seen by approximately 26,800 people.