 No 13, June 2014 Michal Červinka, Lenka Švajdová Department of marketing and value creating processes Business School Ostrava, plc., Check Republic Tomáš Tykva Department of business and management Business School Ostrava, plc., Check Republlic UDC: 338.483.11/.12(437.3) THEMATIC TOURISM VS. MASS TOURISM IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Abstract: Te article titled Tematic Tour- ism vs. Mass Tourism in the Czech Republic is concerned with the relationship between themat- ic tourism, mass tourism and presuppositions of the tourism development. Te authors aim is to compare the turnout of thematic tourism attrac- tions and sights focused on mass tourism paying attention to presuppositions of the tourism devel- opment and barriers for the turnout of thematic monuments. Comparisons will be based on pre- suppositions of tourism development and will be based especially on the specifcs of thematic tourism – as a marginal feld within the tourism industry. Te application part will focus on the comparison of sights with massive turnout in the Czech Republic and thematic landmarks as the subject of thematic tourism. Special attention will be paid to the comparison of the two most visited monuments in the Czech Republic as for mass tourism – the Charles Bridge, and the most visited monument as for thematic tourism – the hydro-power plant Dlouhé Stráně, a technical representative of thematic tourism. Both monu- ments were elected by general public on the list of Seven Wonders of the Czech Republic in 2013. Te aim is to confrm / refute the hypothesis that quality preconditions of tourism development are essential for the development of tourism and visiting tourist attractions. Te article will use secondary data analysis methods and author´s own feld research. Key words: thematic tourism, mass tour- ism, comparison of sights, the Check Republic Introduction At the beginning of the third millennium tourism has undoubtedly become one of the most powerful and most dynamically devel- oping economic sector. Its permanent place among the human being activities is demon- strated by the fact that, despite various war conficts, natural disasters and epidemics, it has neither perished, nor its volume de- clined; yet it increased again in the afermath of the threat. In the Czech Republic foreign tourism represents the market share of 2.7% of GDP (the fgure from 2012), which is not a negligible value as a result of the economy mainly based on heavy industry. Te Czech Republic has signifcant assumptions for tourism development not only due to its lo- cation in the heart of Europe, but also for its attractiveness in the form of natural beauties and cultural and historic amenities. (MMR, 2013) Statement of the problem Mass vs. Individual Tourism Tourism was originally considered to be another term for travel. It is now asso- ciated with the use of free time, excursions