Poland Outbound Tourism Essay Example

offering cheap deals to foreign countries encouraged more people to travel. Many things can be a reason for travelling abroad. Business relationships, a desire to visit new places, to explore another culture. (OECD Tourism Trends and Policies, 2010 ).

Until the early 1990s the tourism industry in Poland was primarily represented by internal tourism and, to a much lesser extent, by outbound and inbound tourism. Outbound and inbound tourism are poorly developed mostly for political reasons. The formation of a new system of market relationships in Poland had an undeniably positive impact on the tourism industry and market development. In 1990s, the number of Poles crossing the Polish border when travelling abroad was growing dynamically.

Participation of Polish citizens to travel abroad for period 1999- 2001 is higher than period 1996-1998. The largest number of Polish people travelling abroad is in 2000 which is related with numerous trips to Italy for celebration of the Millennium (Ministry of Tourism 2004)

A considerable drop was recorded in the following years – in 2004, the number of tourists travelling abroad represented 66% of outgoing tourism recorded in 2000. The participation of Poles in foreign trips has been increasing dramatically during the last two decades, with Polish tourists increasingly present in all of the major world tourist destinations.

Like the residents of other European countries, Poles travel most frequently to neighbouring countries, while the domestic market dominates Poland’s tourist sector. Long-haul destinations account for 8% of Polish outgoing tourism according to information of Globaltrade.

Rasing the standard of living is also a leading factor for travelling abroad. A large number of Polish travellers have

yet to start travelling abroad and there are a wide number of destinations that remain unexplored. Typical tourist purposes usually account for half of Polish foreign departures. In 2010 it was 52% stays with families and friends kept the level at around 25%, while the share of business trips was 20%. In 2009 and 2010 slightly more than 20% of Poles travelling abroad have used travel agents to purchase package services. The gross departure rate for foreign holiday travel remains quite low at 16%, which does not include the millions of Poles who are going abroad to look for work and commuting back and forth.. All of the above factors combine to make Poland a market with above-average growth potential for outbound travel over the next 15 years. (Polish Institute of Tourism 2011)

Curiosity, search for something new - new experiences, diversity, new places are a leading reasons for travelling abroad According to “Tourism Economics” it is possible to establish that the market set to generate the greatest absolute growth in outbound travel is Poland, with roughly 1.8 million more outbound trips per annum by 2020. In this developing outbound market, destination choice remains in Europe with Mediterranean countries standing out as favourites. North African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia are also popular tourist destinations. Countries in close proximity are among the more traditional visited, where short breaks can be taken by car. There is a low incidence of long time travel which is for business tourists and more affluent Polish consumers.

3.2. Schengen Agreement A second major boost to outbound tourism was created when Poland signed the Schengen Agreement in December

2007. This landmark policy removed border controls between all countries that signed it, allowing the free movement of people between countries from May 2008. In 2008, many Polish citizens seized the opportunity to travel more freely, without the need for visas, pushing total outbound trips up to 7.6 million, according to the Polish Institute of Tourism (INTUR, 2009).

2.3 Flights Regional airports have been pivotal, making air travel more accessible to Poland’s population. In the airline sector, strong rivalry between Wizz Air and Ryanair will keep airline prices low, sustaining some growth in outbound travel to an extent. Polish travellers will become more adventurous in destination choice, as airline connections expand. Air departures have quadrupled in the last decade to a 2005 level of 2.8 million. Most outbound flights from Poland land in the European Union. Poles travel out of Europe as well. Total capacity at Polish airports is rising, as its government attempts to modernise the country’s transport infrastructure. The socio-demographic profile of travellers using the low-cost airlines was mainly delineated by such variables as: income, education, age and profession.

According to predictions from the Civil Aviation Office concerning the numbers of passengers using air transport, Poland should achieve a mobility indicator of 2.13 by 2030 (Government of Poland, 2009).

There will probably not be much variation in the growth rates among the destinations. They are all projected to grow at below the overall rate of increase in outbound travel, as interest will shift to typical package tour destinations such as Spain, Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Tunisia. Furthermore, many departures to Germany are currently linked with further travel to other

Western European countries, while Poles travelling to south and south eastern Europe usually go via the Czech and Slovak Republics. However, this is already changing, as budget airlines and tour operators are opening up direct scheduled and charter services to destinations in the Mediterranean countries.

2.4 Price Price is a major determinant in the development of the Poland outbound market. As in most countries, foreign travel is limited to those who can afford such a discretionary purchase. Polish consumers are extremely budget-conscious, however, and will seek out travel bargains and promotional deals. Average wages in Poland are low by Western European standards – a factor that drives many Poles to migrate abroad each year, so travel budgets are also modest by comparison. Nearby destinations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria offer relatively cheap getaways.

Package-holiday deals to Egypt and Turkey have become more popular because they provide value for money. Exchange-rate changes that weaken the value of the Polish Zloty abroad can easily deter travel to that destination. Polish travellers are not lavish in nature and most will opt for more modest accommodation even if they can afford to trade up. They are highly adept at organising their own trips and the Internet has become a prized tool, enabling them to hunt down last-minute deals and ensure that each Zloty delivers value for money. After a period of robust economic growth, which saw Poland avoid recession, its economy began to slow down in 2011. Outbound travel to leading destinations has largely increased, with the exception of the UK.

The more difficult economic climate in general, however, has lowered consumer confidence, forcing

Poles to economise when travelling abroad. Arrivals leading destinations have continued to increase, with the exception of the UK, however lower consumer confidence has curbed expenditure as travellers are forced to economise. INTUR reports a decline in levels of outbound trip expenditure prior to the trip as well as at the destination. While the short-term prospects for the outbound market are uncertain, there is still considerable scope for development in the long term. Poland changes rapidly- structurally, socially, economically and politically.

Having diverged from its socialist roots, it has readily embraced capitalism, and living standards for the majority of its citizens have improved significantly in the last 20 years. The years 2004–2007 were a time of unprecedented growth in the mobility of Poles – the number of emigrants as estimated by the Central Statistical Office grew in that time from approximately 1 milllion to 2.3 million. It is estimated that 80% of them left the country for income-related purposes (other reason for emigration is studying abroad). The greatest outflow of employees from Poland occurred in 2005–2006 (when 450,000 and 500,000 people, respectively, left for work)(Central Statistical Office- Poland, 2007).