Poland looks to 2012
Poland is aiming to put a nine per cent fall in 2009 tourism figures behind it with three consecutive years of major events and promotions.
This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin, the country’s favourite musical son, while 2011 will see Poland take its turn as official country partner for ITB Berlin, and in 2012 it will co-host the European Football Championships along with Ukraine. This year’s Chopin bicentennial celebrations will include hundreds of concerts, festivals and exhibitions, especially in Warsaw and Zelazowa Wola, the composer’s birthplace. Meanwhile, Poland will use its role as official ITB partner country next year to launch the official countdown to Euro 2012. “The tournament is a unique opportunity for Poland to be introduced as an attractive tourist destination in central Europe,” Polish Tourist Organisation president Rafal Szmytke told an ITB press conference earlier this week.
Poland has invested heavily in improving its transport links ahead of Euro 2012. An upgrade of the rail link between Warsaw and Gdansk will halve journey times to 2.5 hours and a motorway between Berlin and the Polish capital is also being built. More than 200 new hotels are expected to open before the tournament starts.
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Wednesday, 08.09.2010
