The CEO of travel behemoth TUI forecasts that Poland will emerge as a burgeoning summer tourism hotspot due to the effects of climate change propelling vacationers further north. With a coastline stretching 770 kilometers (480 miles), much of which boasts sandy beaches, Poland is poised to capitalize on this trend.
Sebastian Ebel, the CEO of TUI, has revealed plans to channel investments into expanded package holiday offerings in regions around the Baltic Sea, as well as the Netherlands and Belgium. Ebel cited the growth potential these areas provide during a media conference involving outlets such as the , Reuters, and The Telegraph.
This announcement follows a summer marred by heatwaves that wreaked havoc on holidaymakers in southern European nations, notably Greece, which faced a series of devastating wildfires prompting mass evacuations. TUI itself was compelled to evacuate 8,000 customers from Rhodes Island.
Although Poland’s Baltic coast has traditionally been a favored destination for local Polish tourists during the summer season, it has increasingly attracted international visitors in recent years. Last year, The Telegraph lauded the sandy, tree-fringed Hel Peninsula just north of Gdańsk as an “unlikely slice of beach holiday heaven in sunny Poland.” The peninsula has also gained recognition as a top travel destination in Poland by readers of The Guardian.
Data from the first quarter of the current year, furnished by Statistics Poland (GUS), a government agency, indicate that tourist stays have already exceeded pre-pandemic levels. From January to March, a total of 7.02 million tourists sought accommodations in Poland, including 1.35 million international visitors. Both figures surpass the numbers recorded during the same period in 2019, which were 6.7 million and 1.29 million, respectively.
Although these figures pertain to the winter holiday season, GUS figures for the latest available month, May, illustrate that 602,000 foreign tourists ventured into Poland (including day visitors). This marks a 31% increase compared to the previous year.
Nonetheless, Poland has a substantial journey ahead to catch up with Europe’s premier vacation destinations. European Union data reveals that foreign tourists collectively spent 18.7 million nights in the country’s tourist accommodations in 2019. This figure ranked Poland 13th in the bloc, trailing behind leaders such as Spain (299 million), Italy (221 million), France (136 million), and Greece (120 million).
In addition to potentially elevating Poland’s appeal as a vacation spot, the escalating temperatures attributed to climate change are also projected to bolster the nation’s burgeoning winemaking industry.
