After the revolution, we Czechs suddenly came into much closer contact with the outside world. At first, we were very impressionable. Everything from abroad seemed new, attractive and perhaps better than what we already had. We had lived for so long with limited contact that it was difficult to judge these influences with confidence.
Over time, that began to change. Czech refugees who had left during the communist period returned with memories and knowledge that had almost disappeared here. Tourism also encouraged us to look again at our history and traditions. When visitors showed interest in our culture, many local people started to value it more themselves.
At the same time, meeting visitors has made us more open to other cultures. I enjoy discovering how differently people live and think. Even tourists cannot be treated as one uniform group. People from different countries have their own habits, attitudes and ways of communicating, and I find those differences fascinating.
Learning about other cultures has not made me value my own culture less. It has helped me see more clearly what is special about it.
Economically, tourism arrived at an important moment. Our region had depended too heavily on the state and on large industries. When the political and economic system changed, we urgently needed other sources of employment. Tourism offered a real alternative, and it was one that could support the preservation of local culture rather than destroy it.
But we are still learning how to make a tourism economy work. One of our biggest problems is cooperation between entrepreneurs. Private business is still a relatively new experience for us. Under communism, people did not learn how to run their own companies or how to compete while also working together for the benefit of a destination.
As a result, tourism businesses sometimes refuse to cooperate, even when they would all benefit from promoting the region together. Everyone protects their own small area instead of recognising that visitors experience Rožnov as a whole.
We are learning how to compete, but we must also learn that cooperation can make every local business stronger.
For ordinary people, tourism has brought clear benefits. There are more jobs and a wider choice of food. Public and financial services have improved, and there are more opportunities for education and recreation. Sports facilities, swimming pools and museums contribute to the quality of life of residents as well as visitors.
Still, I try to keep tourism’s influence in perspective. The political and economic transformation after the revolution changed our daily lives much more deeply than tourism did. It affected employment, ownership, education, travel and almost every institution around us. Tourism is part of that larger change, not its only cause.
Personally, one of its greatest gifts has been curiosity. I have met people I might never otherwise have encountered, and I have learned that the world contains many different ways of living. That makes life richer, as long as we remain confident enough not to lose ourselves in the process.
Tourism is most valuable when it helps Rožnov build a new economy while reminding us that openness to the world and pride in our own culture can grow together.