globalEDGE Blog - By Tag: czechia

Under the umbrella of the financial services industry rests private equity. These organizations, which make strategic long-term investments through capital-intensive buyouts, have been at the epicenter of many economic debates in the past year. In 2005, the private equity industry saw large consolidations of size and power after the bubble burst. Rationalizing that many returns had been realized within a mature market, large private equity firms seeded many investments abroad with their higher amalgamated capital. The European and Asian markets saw the most attention given the sheer economic size and amount of restructuring opportunities. According to the Financial Times, partners of the three largest private equity firms made almost $22 billion of principal investments abroad this year.

When most people think of emerging markets they instantly think of the most famous four: China, India, Brazil and Russia. All have had staggering economic growth in recent years and continue to have great prospects for the future. However, are these necessarily the best countries for your business? The Market Potential Index by MSU-CIBER gives entrepreneurs an alternative to guessing by offering a comprehensive ranking tool that helps answer the question, “Now What?”

The Czech Republic is rising as one of the premier tourist locations in Eastern Europe, primarily due to the draw of Prague. Prague, the largest city and capital of the Czech Republic receives over 4.1 million visitors annually. It has served as the political, cultural, and economic base of the Czech empire for over 1100 years. Overall, the income from tourism composes a significant portion of the Czech GNP (5.5%), and makes up 9.3% of its overall export earnings. Tourists that visit the Czech Republic overwhelmingly choose Prague, with over seventy percent of total tourists choosing to stay there. So what makes Prague so appealing to tourists that it can generate a substantial portion of the Czech Republic's GNP?