Do you know that 16 million foreign visitors came to Poland in 2014? In the first six months of 2015 this number increased by 3.4%.
German tourists dominate
Among the countries with the highest number of arrivals, German visitors dominated in the first half of 2015 (2,9 million). According to the latest survey of the Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub und Reisen (FUR), in 2015 Poland ranked 8th among the Top 10 tourist destinations.
Taking into consideration visitors from EU member states only, the highest numbers came from Lithuania (331,000), United Kingdom (322,000) and Italy (200,000). Compared to 2014, the number of business and tourist arrivals increased.
Of the total overseas arrivals, most came from the USA: 180,000.
Cracow: the most popular destination
The most popular destinations are Cracow, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń and the historic site of Auschwitz – the German nazi concentration camp in Oświęcim. Over 2.6 million foreign tourists came to Cracow in 2015 (see the main photo). Britons made up the largest group (15.76%), followed by Germans (13.16% ). Compared to 2014, there was an increase in the number of visitors from France (from 7.1% to 8.36%), Russia (from 2.9% to 4.08%), Belgium (from 2% to 2.29%) and Sweden (from 1.6% to 2.75%).
Largest spenders: health and business visitors
The average length of stay of visitors in the first six months of 2015 was 5.1 overnight stays. The longest trips were taken by tourists from overseas countries and old EU member states. Tourists from new EU member states and our eastern neighbours stay the shortest.
The average spending per tourist during his/her visit in Poland in the first half of 2015 amounted to $423 per person. An increase by 9% compared to 2014. There are considerable differences among visitors from various countries, for example Slovak visitors spent on average $200 per person and overseas visitors as much as $1300 per person.
The largest spenders were visitors who declared health as their purpose of visit ($840 per person) followed by business visitors ($518).
20% increase of Ukraine visitors
In the first half of 2015 the share of arrivals from our eastern neighbour countries amounted to 20% of all visits to Poland and 18,3% tourists arrivals. Compared to 2014 the number of visitors from Ukraine increased by 15% and from Belarus 0.5%. The number of Russian tourists decreased by 8%.
More Chinese tourists visiting Poland
Poland attracts more and more Chinese visitors. More than 48,000 tourists from China visited Poland in 2014, marking a significant increase compared to recent years. Between January and August 2015, a 22% annual increase in tourist numbers from China was recorded. With spending over €1000 per day, Chinese tourists belong to the biggest spenders on accommodation. That’s good news for hotel industry.
Source: Ministry of Sport and Tourism
