Poland’s UK tourism budget, set at a record £500,000 this year, is due to receive a further boost following a major restructuring of its travel industry.
Promotion is now in the hands of the Polish Tourism Organisation, which involves the private sector together with regional and central government.
The PTO, which has replaced the state-run Sports and Tourism Administration, will be responsible to the new transport and tourism ministry.
Since the Polish National Tourist Office opened in London in 1995, its promotion and advertising budget has increased fivefold. A further hike is imminent, said tourism development manager Ewa Binkin.
“Now that tourism at last has full ministerial representation within the Polish government, the industry is gaining the recognition it deserves,” she said.
“We had just £100,000 to spend on advertising and promotion the year we opened in the UK. The budget has multiplied since and we will benefit from further increases that allow us to fully develop our potential.”
Last year saw a 14% increase in UK visitors to 270,000, helped by the success of Cracow – one of nine European Cities of Culture this year -ÊWarsaw and Gdansk in city-break programmes.
The three cities will form the basis of a three-month London Underground poster campaign that starts next month. Tour operators have been invited by the PNTO to take part.
“We’re very keen to promote the trade here in Britain,” said Binkin. “We actively discourage people from going to Poland and contacting the ground handlers direct.”
The PNTO is putting together a training programme for ARTAC Worldchoice agents that will hit the road next month. “It will combat any lingering misconceptions about Poland,” said Binkin.
A tour operators’ study tour to Cracow and Zakopane is planned for early March, with an agents’ educational to Warsaw and Gdansk taking place in April.