Thanks to the liberalization of regulations, the elimination of visas, and improved standards,
of tourist services, as well as a favourable geographical location and competitive prices, Poland is witnessing promotion in the world ranking of attractive destinations for tourists. It is estimated that the number of foreign tourists to Poland will increase by 3-4% per year.
Every year the number of tourists in Poland is growing. Are Polish tourist organisations currently capable of providing suitable conditions and safety for foreign visitors?
Our office is doing its best to satisfy the demands and needs of tourists. However it is not always easy as the total number of hotels in Poland is only 844 with 80,000 beds, which in comparison with almost 20 million tourists visiting Poland is a drop in the ocean. However there is more accommodation than the official number reported by the Main Statistics Office (GUS). The majority of these are rooms in private houses. Despite the fact that they do not provide a suitable standard of services, they are the only way to fill the gap in the market. Experts in the tourist market believe that Poland needs about 200 two star hotels, with at least 120 beds each. In connection with the growing number of tourists visiting Poland every year, we have witnessed an increase in the number of places available to house tourists (in 1995 it was 9,345, 199611,075, and 1997
12,000). The biggest increase was the number of hotels, increasing from 686 in 1995 to 844 in 1997.
Motels increased from 95 in 1995 to 102 in 1996 up to 120 in 1997. Guest houses increased from 305 in 1995 to 372 in 1996 up to 433 in 1997. Rooms in private houses rose from 1,760 in 1995 to 3,312 in 1996 up to 4,221 in 1997. The number of holiday camps has also increased from 224 in 1995 to 245 in 1996 up to 266 in 1997.
As a result in the increase in the tourist market, research was conducted in 1997 to examine the
sport and recreational facilities provided with the accommodation. The findings revealed that 3,023
places have volley or basketball courts, 3,012 offer table tennis, 1,411 offer boat hire 1,315 offer
billiards, and 1,007 rent bicycles. Nine hundred and fourty nine have play rooms for children, 840 tennis courts, 817 have a sauna and 721 have a gym.
A small a number of places provide solariums (318) and ind.oor swimming pools (170) and mini golf (145). From these statistics we can see that tourist facilities in Poland are so diverse that they can satisfy all types of tourists.
In the last few years there have been major changes in Polish tourism. What are the directions of these changes and what can foreign visitors expect as a result of them?
One of the signs of the transformation in Polish tourism is the new law regulating tourist services,
which came into force on July 1st 1998. The purpose of this law is to protect the interests of
tourists in line with western standards. Based on this law we are introducing a classification system for places offering tourist accommodation. The law also provides a legal basis for using the terms hotel, motel, guest house, youth hostels, holiday camps, camp sites etc, specifying a definition and requirements for each category. The law also includes penalties for misuse of these names.
The new law also regulates the requirements surrounding tourist agencies and intermediaries, to
comply with the European Union Directive No. 90/ 314. The Directive emphasizes the obligation of
association member states and tourist agencies to insure financial security for its clients. This
insurance should. cover all payments by clients and the ability to return tourists home. The law also envisages increasing the skills and qualifications of employees and directors of tourist agencies, hotel employees and tour guides.
We very often hear how Poland is slow to adopt West European norms for protecting the environment. Relatively little is said about those many regions in Poland, where large scale pro-ecological projects are underway. How do you, Mr President, view the situation?
One of the regions particularly attractive for tourists because it has a great unspoilt variety of wildlife is called "The Green Lungs of Poland", located in the north-east of Poland and compromising some 18% of the total area of Poland. It is a re.gion of unprecedented. natural beauty, which is relatively unpolluted. and with great geomorphologic and landscape variety. It is characterized by a great number of fore.sts and farmland, as well as a low level of urbanization and industrialization, and has a low population density. Many protected areas are also located here, such as National Parks, nature reserves, and areas of protected landscape which makes this region particularly important, not just for Poland, but for the whole of Europe.
This unique area of nature, its spa qualities and varieties of wildlife and culture make the "Green
Lungs of Poland." attractive for various forms of tourism, leisure and recreation, and spa centres. This all provides immense potential for both domestic and foreign tourism. The basic concept of "Green Lungs of Poland" initiated by the members of the Polish Tourist Country Lovers' Association, was the harmonious and stable social and economic development of the North-east region of Poland.
The publicizing of this idea led to the signing of an agreement between regional authorities and has been taken up in government documents. The President of State Sports and Tourism Administration is one of the thirty signatories of this agreement. The administration is interested in the possibilities for tourism in this region and in introducing various forms of tourism that would fit in with the local ecology and the needs of nature.
Will foreign visitors find favourable conditions and varied attractions during their holiday in Poland?
The World Tourist Organization (WTO) places Poland 7th in the ranking of tourist travel. It is a
very good position which makes it possible to satisfy tourist expectations and meet world tourist
market trends. Some of these trends include: taking more than one holiday a year, city-break holidays, which are now the second low season type of travel, the increased demand for trips including an educational aspect, and the growing demand for active holidays and agrotourism, particularly by tourists from Western Europe for short stay holidays. Trends in the world tourist market have an influence on the development of tourism in Europe, including Poland. Taking into account the present demand for tourism in Poland on the primary market, as well as the
potential resources and possibilities, Poland has concentrated its efforts to create and promote quality in the areas of city and culture tourism, recreational, active and agrotourism, specialized holidays, cross-border tourism as well as for business travel, and transit traffic.
Poland has a huge variety of tourist attractions. For nature lovers there is the sea, the mountains, the lakes, national and landscape parks, nature reserves, rivers, forests and numerous spas. Poland also has many historical and cultural attractions which belong to the world heritage of culture. These include ancient ruins, monuments, old towns, castles, palaces, parks, churches and museums. Another feature that makes Poland an attractive destination for tourists is the many international sports and cultural events which even by themselves are very attractive. All
these attractions have tremendous potential and make people curious to visit new places.
For the sports and specialized holidays which are increasingly popular, Poland offers great facilities for water sports, such as sailing, and canoeing, winter sports (such as cross country skiing as well as mountain skiing), cycling, hiking, climbing, caving, horse riding, etc. Polish traditional hospitality and openness means that Poland is a friendly country for every visitor and our tourist attractions make Poland a good destination for tourists.
Do the favourable changes in Polish tourism create opportunities for foreign investors? If so, in what areas and how are they used?
At the moment we have been witnessing the dynamic development of catering, accommodation,
and recreational facilities. At the same time almost every Polish gmina and town located in attractive tourist regions has a range of offers for investors to help develop these kinds of facilities and infrastructure.
Another area of foreign investment is, for example, the construction of conference centres. East-Central Europe enjoys a lot of interest from people all over the world. That is why many international organizations hold events in Prague or Budapest.
Unfortunately Warsaw is less frequently the destination for these events due to a lack of
facilities. I earlier mentioned the increase in the number of accommodation and catering facilities in
Poland. This is also due to foreign investors, who can see the great demand for such places and
realize that Poland is a country with good opportunities for investment.
