Poland is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing number of visitors, particularly after joining the European Union. Tourism in Poland contributes to the country's overall economy. The most popular cities are Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń, including the historic site of the Auschwitz concentration camp near Oświęcim. Popular destinations include northeast Poland's Mazury lake district and Białowieża Forest. Poland's main tourist offers are sightseeing within cities and out-of-town historical monuments, business trips, qualified tourism, agrotourism, and mountain hiking, among others. Poland is the 14th most visited country by foreign tourists.
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History
The first Polish tourists were pilgrims traveling to shrines, both in Poland and abroad. The development of commercial tourism began in the 19th century. The most popular regions were mountains, especially the Tatra Mountains, explored by Tytus Chałubiński. In 1873 the Polish Tatra Society and in 1909 the Polish Sightseeing Society were established to organize and develop tourism. The 19th century was also the time of the rapid appearance of spa resorts, mostly in Sudetes, Beskids and along the Baltic Sea coast, with some of them associated, since 1910, with the Polish Balneology Association. After Poland regained independence in 1918, Polish tourism boomed and was encouraged by the government. The first professional Polish tour operator, Orbis, was founded in Lwów in 1923, followed in 1937 by Gromada tourist organization and tour operator.
After World War II all tourist organizations were nationalized by the new communist government. The Polish Tatra Society and Polish Sightseeing Society were combined into Polish Tourism-Sightseeing Society (PTTK) and most of the tourist infrastructure was handed over to the newly-created Workers Vacations Fund (FWP). Tourism was limited to the Comecon countries. This was the era of governmentally-founded tourism, characterised by mass but low-standard tourism. A typical sight was a holiday village composed of tiny bungalows belonging to one of the large state-owned companies. Holidays for children and teenagers were organized by Juventur. After the fall of communism much of the infrastructure was privatized, although many of the company-owned resorts were downgraded because of their unprofitability. The early 1990s saw the foundation of many new tour operators, the majority of which soon declared bankruptcy. Some of them prevailed, however, and strengthened their position on the market, being able to compete with multinational tour operators like TUI, or Neckermann und Reisen with branches in Poland.
Tourist attractions of Poland
Poland, especially after 1990 and joining of the European Union, became a place frequently visited by tourists. Most of the tourist attractions in Poland are connected with natural environment, historic sites and cultural events. They attract millions of tourists every year from all around the world. According to Tourist Institute's data, Poland was visited by 15,7 mln tourists in 2006, and by 15 mln tourists in 2007. [1].
Natural environment
Poland has a diversified natural environment, which is relatively not affected by the impact of the encroaching civilisation. Visitors are attracted by mountains, sea coast and lake reserves, among them: Tatra Mountains, Karkonosze, Puszcza Białowieska, Dunajec River Gorge, Bieszczady, Pojezierze Mazurskie, Kampinos and many others.
Historic buildings and places
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Cultural Events
Tourist Resorts
There are several sea resorts on the coast of Baltic Sea like Wolin island, which is located close to the German border, and the coast of Pomerania. In southern Poland there are resorts for skiing and hiking in the Karkonosze mountains, which is part of the Sudetes mountain range and in Carpathian Mountains. Karkonosze includes the touristical centres of Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba. Other famous resorts for skiing and hiking include Zakopane in the Tatra mountains, Szczyrk, Krynica in Beskides or Szczawnica and Krościenko in Pieniny mountains.
Transportation in Poland
Since the fall of communism transportation in Poland is slowly improving. There is acceptable tourist infrastructure, especially in larger cities and in major tourist resorts. Most major Polish cities have airports with connecting services with the Frederic Chopin International Airport in Warsaw. Intercity travel includes the PKP's intercity or eurocity train, PKS's overland bus service, and slower PKP longdistance or local trains or numerous coach services.
See also
References
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