Prague is a city largely ignored by travel agents, but the Czech Republic's entry into the Schengen visa zone has now made it easier to sell this hip destination.
Prague has been top of every European's must-visit list for almost a decade - a trendy city untouched by both world wars offering historical architecture and contemporary culture in abundance.
Yet due to the absence of direct flights to the Czech capital, Middle East travellers - and therefore travel agents - continue to dismiss it along with the rest of Eastern Europe.
"Europeans love Prague and Australians, Kiwis, Americans adore it. It's an extremely popular place, and yet here in the Middle East, nobody seems to know about it. It's a real shame - Europe's best kept secret," explains John Flower, product manager at Dubai-based Alpha Holidays.
"Travel agents aren't selling Eastern Europe because of a lack of knowledge, there's a lack of understanding of the destinations - including Prague - which makes it difficult to sell. Maybe if the Czech tourist board was more active it would help?"
Despite these difficulties Flower says that having recently introduced the destination to a number of clients the city is slowly gaining popularity.
"I'm finding the interest still seems to be from the expatriate community living in Dubai, but it's just a case of the locals getting to know it. Word of mouth is the key to business here and now there are small numbers going over there, especially the younger generation, but we could certainly use a bit of a push," he says.
That much needed boost may have just arrived with the Czech Republic joining the Schengen visa zone, connecting it to popular destinations like France, Italy and Germany.
"It's going to make it so much easier for everybody, because once travellers have the Schengen visa they can move freely through most of Europe - including the Czech Republic," says Flower.
He adds that some countries are making it difficult to obtain the Schengen visa, but as long as the Czech Republic doesn't become one of them, Prague's popularity will grow.
"If you've got an itinerary that includes France, if that's your first port of call, you have to buy the visa through them and they make it quite difficult," he says.
"The Czechs having the Schengen visa provides travellers with another gateway into the European mainland, so it will simplify travel and entice visitors from the Middle East - providing they aren't difficult when issuing visas."
The city currently appeals to young couples and groups of friends, according to Flower, who will travel there for a city holiday focused primarily on shopping.
"Prague offers excellent value for money because it's a new member of the European Union and the Euro hasn't bitten there yet," he explains.
"It seems to be a trend that where the Euro is introduced, prices sky rocket, but the Czech Republic hasn't been affected yet and prices are comparatively low."
Flower is so confident that Prague will be discovered by more Middle East clients that he has put together a multi-country package for Alpha Holidays' forthcoming brochure in an attempt to take advantage of the freedom to travel created by the Schengen visa.
"The package will use rail to connect Prague, Vienna and Budapest because they are interrelated and it seems to be a very popular tourist route," he says.
"It will have wide appeal with the expatriate community, but I do believe that the younger generation of locals will be attracted to it. There aren't too many agents over here that are actually featuring Eastern Europe - Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia - so it's just a matter of letting people know that we do it."
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