WHY IT RATES: Long secondary to other European markets, Poland continues to re-invest in tourism and is seeing record returns. The time to visit Poland may be now-Jessica Zickefoose, TravelPulse Associate Editor
According to the Ministry of Sport and Tourism report, based on data provided by Poland's Statistical Office and the National Bank, 2017 was another year of increase in non-resident arrivals to Poland. The number has been growing over the last couple of years, and 2017 turned out to be record-breaking for Polish tourism.
18.3 million tourists from abroad visited Poland in 2017, which gives a sound increase of 4.5 percent comparing to 2016. It's worth noting that numbers for 2016 were already high due to two international events which were hosted by Poland: the World Youth Days and the European Handball Championships.
Germany remains the key source market for Poland's inbound tourism, with another year of a stable increase of 3.4%. Other markets with a strong increase are Russia (+9.4%), Ukraine (+7.4%) and the United Kingdom (+6.9%). The United States of America remains the most important overseas market with the growth rate of 4.4%.
We have also noted an increase (+6.7%) in the number of tourist staying at accommodation establishments-which includes hotels and other options. The total number of overnight stays reached 16.7 million, which gives us 7.2% more than in 2016.
The numbers are even better for the US market as the number of tourist staying in hotels and other types of accommodations increased by 11.8%.
2017 also brought an increase in international tourism receipts. They amounted to approximately USD 15.8 billion in the previous year, compared to USD 14.6 billion in 2016. The main reason for the increase was due to higher (+8.6%) spending by visitors who spend at least one night in Poland.
The record numbers are good news for Poland's tourism. However, we expected another year of stable increase. Poland offers a wide choice of options for all travelers and high-quality services at a reasonable price. We are also perceived as a safe, friendly and hospitable country.
Our research shows a very high recommendation rate-which proves our guests enjoyed their stay in Poland. We believe that 2018 will be at least as good for Polish tourism, or even better, says the President of the Polish Tourist Organization, Robert Andrzejczyk.
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