Weekend gateways popular in Poland - report

As many as 68 percent of Poles go away for the weekend at least once a year, and every fifth Pole does it at least once a quarter, according to the Deutsche Bank study. “The popularity of the so-called city breaks, or a few-day holiday, whether in Poland or abroad, is influenced by the ever-wider and customized offer of travel agencies. We should also remember that more and more people book their own transport and lodging online,” said Małgorzata Bombol from the Warsaw School of Economics. “Our society is growing fast, which translates into both the number and the quality of leisure trips. Frequent weekend trips, however, remain primarily the domain of wealthier Poles,” added retail and investment banking director at Deutsche Bank Monika Szlosek. Data from Mondial Assistance show that in the past year people spending their holidays outside their homes chose to relax in the country. Out of 16.5 million declaring holiday trips, only 4.2 million Poles preferred foreign tourist destinations. “It can be assumed that the conviction about the competitive costs of domestic trips is still quite rooted in the general consciousness, but more and more often holidays abroad can be organized at a price similar to holidays spent in popular cities in Poland,” Bombol added.