The new president of the Polish Tourism Organisation aims to modernise the country’s tourist marketing strategy and encourage Brits to put Poland on their bucket list.
Rafał Szlachta has recently been working with the Polish government to support the country’s tourism industry amid the pandemic, including launching a domestic tourist voucher scheme.
Previously, he was director of the tourism department Poland’s economic development ministry until January 2020.
He said: “The Polish Tourism Organisation needs to become a modern marketing agency that responds quickly to ongoing changes.
“Promoting Poland abroad is our key priority, in addition to supporting business affected by the pandemic.
“I will be supporting the implementation of new technology into our digital marketing strategy.
“My goal is to increase our annual budget so that we are able to compete with our counterparts across Central Europe and beyond.”
He said British visitor numbers have grown over recent years and the UK is one of Poland’s top source markets.
More than 500,000 Brits visit each year, and, despite the pandemic, more than 150,000 visited from January to August this year.
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First-time visitors tend to go to well-known cities such as Warsaw and Krakow, but those who explore further will visit cities such as Wroclaw, Poznan or Gdansk.
“These destinations have become more popular amongst people who like to experience an urban holiday with nearby eco-experiences, such as the Kashubian region,” he said.
“Over the last month, we have been running numerous digital campaigns aiming to build Poland’s brand profile and push bookings.
“This approach has allowed us to not only build up the current image of Poland as one of Europe’s most desirable travel destinations but also to encourage the British to add Poland to their 2021 bucket travel list.”
Poland’s 2021 marketing strategy will focus on the open green spaces within cities, as well as architecture and culinary attractions.