Downtown shops in Prague are hiring native Mandarin speakers to cater for growing numbers of Chinese tourists, according to local Czech media.

"The purchasing power of our European clientele is decreasing and our customers come mainly from Asia. The Chinese constitute 80 percent of them," said Otto Ledvinka, manager of a glass shop in Prague's Old Town Square.

"If a native Chinese speaker sells our goods, customers often buy several dozen items, sometimes worth hundreds of thousands of crowns," he added.

According to statistics of tax-free shop Global Blue, Chinese tourists spend the highest sum per shopping visit at 13,000 Czech crowns (625 U.S. dollars).

They are followed by the Russians who spend roughly half the sum. However, Russian tourists outnumbered other groups of foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, even beating out the Germans.

Russians spend the most money in low and medium-range shops while Chinese tourists prefer luxury shops, the report said.