About this report
Since its break with communism in 1989 and its first democratic election Poland has become an increasingly popular destination choice for foreign tourists. This diverse country boasts historically important cities and castles, religious buildings and a rich culture, as well as myriad natural attractions including beaches, mountains, lakes and national parks. Business tourism, agritourism and adventure tourism have also become increasingly important components of Poland’s tourism industry.

In 1997 Polish tourism celebrated a record year, with the country welcoming an estimated 19.5 million foreign overnight tourists. A combination of factors saw visitor numbers fall annually between 1998 and 2003, including the slow down in the global economy, the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the 2003 invasion of Iraq and a strong currency, which made it harder for Poland to compete with neighbouring countries in terms of price competitiveness. A floundering national economy also saw the number of domestic tourists plummet from 11.4 million to 10 million during this period.

Poland’s accession to the European Union (EU) in May 2004 was accompanied by more restrictive border agreements with Belarus, the Ukraine and Russia (Kaliningrad). Despite this the negative growth in overseas tourist arrivals was reversed in 2004, as EU membership brought new visitors, primarily from other EU member states, Western Europe and North America (the number of domestic overnight tourists, however, declined by another million people to nine million). The 10.8% growth in foreign arrivals witnessed between 2003 and 2005 has also been fuelled by the rapid growth in the number of low-cost airlines flying to and from the country. In 2004 Poland’s inbound tourism market grew by 4.2%, with the country attaining its target of 14 million international overnight visitors in 2004. Foreign tourist arrivals grew by a further 6.4% in 2005.

Contents
Poland

Introduction

Data Sources

Background
History
Geography
Attractions
Figure 1: Polish cities visited by foreign tourists, 2001-05
Figure 2: Activities undertaken by foreign tourists, 2001-05
Tourism and the Economy
Figure 3: Estimated inbound tourism receipts, 1996-2005
Figure 4: Per person expenditure by international tourists, 1996-2005
Figure 5: Daily per person expenditure by foreign tourists, 1996-2005
Figure 6: Per person daily expenditure by country of origin, 1996-2005
Arrivals
Figure 7: Foreign arrivals, 1994-2005*
Figure 8: Estimated foreign tourist arrivals by country of origin, 1995-2005*
Figure 9: Foreign arrivals in Poland by country of origin, 2002-04*
Market Characteristics
Purpose of visit
Figure 10: Foreign tourist arrivals in Poland by main purpose of visit, 1994-2005
Figure 11: Inbound business tourism by type, 2001-05
Seasonality
Figure 12: Arrivals registered at Polish borders, 2002-05
Length of stay
Figure 13: Average length of stay, 1994-2005
Figure 14: Average duration of visit, 2001-05
Transport
Figure 15: Inbound tourism by mode of transport, 2001-05
Air
Figure 16: Passenger traffic at Poland’s main airports, 1996-2005*
Road
Rail
Sea
Accommodation
Figure 17: Accommodation in Poland, 2004
Figure 18: Hotel accommodation, 1994 and 2004
Figure 19: Hotel room occupancy rates by category, 1995-2004
Organisation of Tourism

Outlook