Editor's note: Following the tourist trail
Most of the guests were tourists. And here comes more good news - Poland is a place much more attractive to tourists than our southern neighbors. The number of people who stay in Poland for more than just one night increased in 2005 by seven percent, reaching almost 17 million foreigners annually, and the prospects for 2006 are even better.
More and more cheap airline carriers are flying to Poland, and we are also reaping the rewards from the country's membership of the EU. According to the Tourist Institute, Poland is becoming more popular for visitors from Asia, Canada, and the US.
The situation is good, but it could be better. What is more, Poland, being a country visited by tourists, businessmen, and investors, can, in the coming years, gain a lot, but it could, also lose much. It must be said clearly and unambiguously: the reason for foreign tourists coming to Poland is not due to excellent facilities here, and they come despite the barriers and dangers that lurk everywhere. The same applies to investors. They locate their money here in spite of the administrative obstacles and barriers, and not thanks to the fact that government institutions are favorably treating them.
I hear numerous complaints and negative opinions from every single investor I speak to. Complaints about what? Unfortunately, we know the list by heart. As a potential investment location or holiday destination, Poland poorly promotes itself abroad. Those who finally decide to come here, and do not look to escape after the first ride on the extremely dangerous Polish roads, must be really daring people.
Foreign investors, in turn, who want to invest their money in Poland are deterred by administrative barriers and a lack of incentives, which is not the case in our neighbors. In 2006, Polish authorities will have to put in a lot of effort to help the luck that is the current interest in Poland among foreigners. Unfortunately, luck is not enough to reach long-term economic growth.
Eliza Durka
Editor-in-chief
