Number of foreign tourists falls by 7%

The Tourism Institute estimates that approximately 14 million foreign tourists visited Poland last year - 7% fewer than the year before. At the same time, the institute stresses that the rate of decline is falling. Dr Krzysztof Lopacinski claims that the reduced number of visitors is a natural process following foreigners' increased interest in Poland during the nineties. He also said that prices are not as attractive as they used to be. Lopacinski expects a small increase in the number of tourists in 2003 due to the country's upcoming entry to the European Union. Last year Poland a ttracted tourists mainly from Germany (4.1 million), Ukraine (2.9 million), Belarus (1.7 million ) and Russia (940,000). (www.onet.pl) A.Z.