Discovering the real Poland
According to the Institute of Tourism (IT), 14.3 million tourists visited Poland in 2004, which was an increase of just over eight percent in comparison to the 2003 figure of 13.7 million. The institute expects the number of tourists to rise at around five percent annually in the coming years, reaching approximately 16.4 million in 2007.
Tourism is a significant contributor to the country's economy. It directly employs around 300,000 people and last year generated zł.14.6 billion, or around seven percent of Poland's GDP.
The director of the Institute for Tourism, Krzysztof Łopaciński, claims that the rise in the numbers of tourists coming to Poland is the result of a handful of key factors. He explains that it is natural for the tourist industry to experience prosperity following years of decline, which in Poland's case only ended in 2003. At the same time the country's accession to the EU has also helped boost the arrival figures.
Safe at last
"Being a member of the European Union, Poland is now treated as a normal, safe and predictable country," Łopaciński says. The director also points to the fall in prices of airplane tickets and the expansion of low-cost airlines on the Polish market. "This factor has particularly influenced tourists from overseas, especially from the United States," he adds.
As the institute's statistics show, the number of tourists from outside the enlarged European Union visiting Poland grew significantly in 2004. It is the same case with travelers from Germany. The numbers for both groups increased by 16 percent in 2004.
'Nip-and-tuck' trips
Since Poland's accession to the EU, so-called 'service tourism', where travelers undergo relatively low-cost health care, such as medical or dental treatment, while on a break has been particularly popular among Germans. Western Pomeranian resorts have also been a popular weekend destination for tourists from the Eastern part of Germany. Notably, visitors from the 'old' EU (excluding Germany) were also generally more willing to come to Poland than the year before.
The Institute notes that for the first quarter of 2004 there was a 22.1 percent increase in the number of visitors crossing the borders compared to the January to April period of 2003, which in turn represented a 14.7 percent rise on the number of visitors for the same period of 2002. The IT's tourism expert Tom Dziedzic says many of these additional visitors are making short trips. He emphasizes the financial significance of this new trend of weekend visitors that they have observed.
The 'new' visitor
"The part the low-cost airlines play is very important because of the type of visitors they are bringing to Poland," says Dziedzic.
"We are seeing weekend visitors, who are especially important because they use accommodation on Saturdays and Sundays when hotels are mostly empty. Therefore they are very important for the tourism business. This is the case for Warsaw and Poland in general."
The IT's figures show that the numbers of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian tourists fell by 8 percent in comparison to 2003, largely in response to the introduction of visas in October 2003. However, Łopaciński noted that the decline has shown signs of slowing down more recently.
More of the 'old'
According to the institute's prognosis, these tendencies are unlikely to change dramatically over the next few years, with more and more tourists coming from Germany, the 'old' EU and overseas (mainly North America and Israel). "I expect richer people visiting Poland in the coming years," comments Łopaciński.
The Institute of Tourism calculates that foreign tourists in Poland spend an average of $114 (zł.335) per person and $24 (zł.71) per day during their stay, while the average expenditures for tourism across the world range between $75 (zł.220) and $265 (zł.779).
Foreign tourists in Poland tend to visit the three main spots-Warsaw, Kraków and the Tri-city area. In addition to tourism and sightseeing attractions, they also offer a wide range of entertainment and ways to spend money. As Łopaciński points out: "Places like Malbork Castle or Wieliczka salt mine are interesting attractions, but most tourists just go there for few hours and then return for the night to Gdańsk or Kraków.
The real Poland
"It is not a matter of accommodation facilities, but rather of the fact that tourists come to those places where they have a variety of choices to spend their money."
Another problem those who wish to develop attractions face is the infrastructure, particularly the thorny issue of transport. Here the director emphasizes the importance of low-cost airlines flying to a number of Polish cities other than Warsaw and Kraków.
The Polish Tourism Organization's foreign markets director Jan Piotrowski echoes the woeful lack of tourism development in more remote spots. He suggests using local customs to attract visitors, such as 'oscypek fayres' honoring Poland's specialist cheese or the, or 'Jarmark Dominikański' cultural event in Gdańsk.
Piotrowski says one problem "is that there is information but no products are offered. When you want to go out for a daytrip in Poland there are no local trips or excursions offered by tourist agencies. They only offer holidays in faraway exotic places."
He is hopeful that some help may come in the form of the National Development Plan for 2007-2013, which could help promote regional tourism.
Łopaciński too believes that more and more tourists will come to Poland, but that the pace of growth depends heavily on the promotion of Poland abroad and on improvements in services, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. Only when these issues are addressed will tourists leave the big cities to see what the real Poland has to offer.
Tourism is a significant contributor to the country's economy. It directly employs around 300,000 people and last year generated zł.14.6 billion, or around seven percent of Poland's GDP.
The director of the Institute for Tourism, Krzysztof Łopaciński, claims that the rise in the numbers of tourists coming to Poland is the result of a handful of key factors. He explains that it is natural for the tourist industry to experience prosperity following years of decline, which in Poland's case only ended in 2003. At the same time the country's accession to the EU has also helped boost the arrival figures.
Safe at last
"Being a member of the European Union, Poland is now treated as a normal, safe and predictable country," Łopaciński says. The director also points to the fall in prices of airplane tickets and the expansion of low-cost airlines on the Polish market. "This factor has particularly influenced tourists from overseas, especially from the United States," he adds.
As the institute's statistics show, the number of tourists from outside the enlarged European Union visiting Poland grew significantly in 2004. It is the same case with travelers from Germany. The numbers for both groups increased by 16 percent in 2004.
'Nip-and-tuck' trips
Since Poland's accession to the EU, so-called 'service tourism', where travelers undergo relatively low-cost health care, such as medical or dental treatment, while on a break has been particularly popular among Germans. Western Pomeranian resorts have also been a popular weekend destination for tourists from the Eastern part of Germany. Notably, visitors from the 'old' EU (excluding Germany) were also generally more willing to come to Poland than the year before.
The Institute notes that for the first quarter of 2004 there was a 22.1 percent increase in the number of visitors crossing the borders compared to the January to April period of 2003, which in turn represented a 14.7 percent rise on the number of visitors for the same period of 2002. The IT's tourism expert Tom Dziedzic says many of these additional visitors are making short trips. He emphasizes the financial significance of this new trend of weekend visitors that they have observed.
The 'new' visitor
"The part the low-cost airlines play is very important because of the type of visitors they are bringing to Poland," says Dziedzic.
"We are seeing weekend visitors, who are especially important because they use accommodation on Saturdays and Sundays when hotels are mostly empty. Therefore they are very important for the tourism business. This is the case for Warsaw and Poland in general."
The IT's figures show that the numbers of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian tourists fell by 8 percent in comparison to 2003, largely in response to the introduction of visas in October 2003. However, Łopaciński noted that the decline has shown signs of slowing down more recently.
More of the 'old'
According to the institute's prognosis, these tendencies are unlikely to change dramatically over the next few years, with more and more tourists coming from Germany, the 'old' EU and overseas (mainly North America and Israel). "I expect richer people visiting Poland in the coming years," comments Łopaciński.
The Institute of Tourism calculates that foreign tourists in Poland spend an average of $114 (zł.335) per person and $24 (zł.71) per day during their stay, while the average expenditures for tourism across the world range between $75 (zł.220) and $265 (zł.779).
Foreign tourists in Poland tend to visit the three main spots-Warsaw, Kraków and the Tri-city area. In addition to tourism and sightseeing attractions, they also offer a wide range of entertainment and ways to spend money. As Łopaciński points out: "Places like Malbork Castle or Wieliczka salt mine are interesting attractions, but most tourists just go there for few hours and then return for the night to Gdańsk or Kraków.
The real Poland
"It is not a matter of accommodation facilities, but rather of the fact that tourists come to those places where they have a variety of choices to spend their money."
Another problem those who wish to develop attractions face is the infrastructure, particularly the thorny issue of transport. Here the director emphasizes the importance of low-cost airlines flying to a number of Polish cities other than Warsaw and Kraków.
The Polish Tourism Organization's foreign markets director Jan Piotrowski echoes the woeful lack of tourism development in more remote spots. He suggests using local customs to attract visitors, such as 'oscypek fayres' honoring Poland's specialist cheese or the, or 'Jarmark Dominikański' cultural event in Gdańsk.
Piotrowski says one problem "is that there is information but no products are offered. When you want to go out for a daytrip in Poland there are no local trips or excursions offered by tourist agencies. They only offer holidays in faraway exotic places."
He is hopeful that some help may come in the form of the National Development Plan for 2007-2013, which could help promote regional tourism.
Łopaciński too believes that more and more tourists will come to Poland, but that the pace of growth depends heavily on the promotion of Poland abroad and on improvements in services, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. Only when these issues are addressed will tourists leave the big cities to see what the real Poland has to offer.
