Opening the gates
Tourism in Poland continues to increase, and figures for the first half of 2005 are even better than expected. However, dreadful transportation infrastructure, poor promotion and a meager offering of entertainment activities are some of the problems keeping the industry from reaching its full potential.
Some 6.7 million tourists poured into Poland in the first half of this year - an increase of seven percent in comparison to the same period of 2004, according to the Institute of Tourism (IT). The rise exceeded the Institute's forecasts, which predict growth of approximately five percent annually. Last year 14.3 million tourists came to Poland, while in 2003 the number was 13.7 million.
The director of the Institute of Tourism, Krzysztof Łopaciński, expects the positive trend to continue in the second part of the year. He claims that the summer months were good for the industry. "We can assume that from the number of arrivals - which grew in July - that the number of tourists will be higher than a year ago," he said. The Polish National Tourist Offfice's (POT) president's media advisor, Krzysztof Turowski, expects the number of tourists to come in higher this year by as much as 15 percent in comparison to 2004.
According to IT's estimates, nearly one-third of the tourists in the first half of 2005 - over 2.45 million people - came from Germany. The second largest group came from the ex-Soviet Union countries, which last year experienced a significant fall in tourist trips to Poland following the introduction of visas in October 2003. "We can say that the visa shock is still working, however, we have noticed a slight growth in the number of tourists from that region coming to Poland," Łopaciński explained.
The fastest growing markets for Polish tourism, however, are Britain and the United States. "Tourists from those countries were particularly influenced by the expansion of low cost airlines on the Polish market," says Łopuszański.
Poland's accession to the EU last year has also helped boost arrival figures with tourists from countries such as Australia, Canada, Korea and Japan. This group has experienced the most dynamic growth - an impressive 18-percent year-on-year increase in the first half of 2005. "Following the EXPO 2005 in Aichi, I expect the number of Japanese coming to Poland to grow significantly," says Turowski.
Transportation infrastructure remains the main obstacle to Poland's tourist industry. Although low-cost airlines have done a great deal to bring tourists to Poland, according to Łopaciński, poor road quality scares many potential visitors away. "Renting a car, which is a typical way of getting around the country in the west, does not come into question in Poland," he said. And while roads hamper tourist exchange with the west, a lack of good railway connections limit the number of tourists from across the eastern border. Last year a direct train connection between linked Warsaw and Vilnius, was cancelled.
Another problem for the industry is Poland's low attractiveness to young people. "Most places in Poland just do not offer an interesting evening," Łopaciński explained. He points to the fact that the most frequently visited places in Poland are Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk - places with sightseeing attractions, but which also offer a wide range of entertainment and evening activities. "Tourists come to those places where they are offered a variety of choices to spend their money," the Institute's director says.
Perhaps this also explains the popularity of Wieliczka salt mine and the Auschwitz concentration camp. "Those sites are close to Kraków, so tourists can visit them during the day and come back to spend the night in the city," Łopaciński notes. He points out that Wieliczka, which is visited by about one million tourists per year, is reaching its limit as far as capacity for tourists goes. New methods of allowing tourists to discover the mines should be worked out, he says.
On the other hand Białowieża forest, a one-of-a-kind attraction, sees no more than 100,000 visitors per year. Łopaciński points out that nature is generally not as an attractive site as cities, but poor transportation connections with the forest also play a significant role. Even the most interesting sites, like Malbork Castle or Hitler's headquarters at Kętrzyn, are not used to their full potential. "There is nothing about the Teutonic culture in the castle, there is nothing happening," Łopaciński complains.
According to the Institute's forecasts, the number of tourists coming to Poland will grow steadily at a single-digit rate annually, with the largest number of visitors coming from Germany and overseas (especially North America and Israel), but the average tourism expenditures per person and per day are still well below world average. In the first quarter of 2005, foreign tourists in Poland spent an average of $164 per person/per visit and $35 per day - slightly more than the 2004 figures of $160 and $34, but still below last year's global averages of $265 and $75 respectively. "We will see richer people coming to Poland in the coming years," Łopaciński predicts, but he underlines that Poland needs better promotion - particulary of the less discovered areas, with local governments playing a key role in promoting the regions and helping establish the necessary infrastructure for visitors.
