By 2024, Poland's outbound tourism will return to pre-pandemic levels

Poland's outbound tourism figures shrank to a fraction of what they were in 2019, according to GlobalData, owing to strained tourist enthusiasm and stringent COVID-19 measures. 

According to the latest statistics from a leading data and analytics firm, outbound tourism from Poland fell by 62.7% year-over-year (YoY) between 2019 and 2020, with 6.8 million international trips recorded. International visits are expected to increase in 2022 and afterward as COVID-19 regulations are reduced worldwide.

According to the latest findings of GlobalData's 'Poland Source Tourism Insight, 2022 Update,' Poland's outbound travel is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, and international travel is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%, surpassing 18 million by 2025 from 13.2 million estimated transnational trips in 2022.

“Poland is a significant source market that is gaining in prominence owing to its embrace of low-cost options, such as low-cost carriers (LCCs),” according to Megan Cross, Associate Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData. 

"Polish consumers consider the cost to be an important consideration when selecting where to go on holiday. Furthermore, it is more essential than ever to provide digitalized services and products that appeal to the Polish market. 

More than a quarter (26%) of Polish consumers said they generally use internet travel agents when making reservations, which was the most prevalent booking technique.”

The sun and the beach destinations are two of the most popular categories for Polish visitors. In fact, 60% of respondents say they typically go on vacation in this manner.

In 2021, just 20% of respondents in the poll said they planned city break getaways, a tiny proportion in comparison to the rest of Europe's 39 percent average.

Concern about the pandemic being transmitted among passengers may explain why only 4% of Polish travelers are unconcerned about its spread.

“Demand for city break vacations is likely to be influenced in the short term by residual COVID-19 infection concerns, which may lead people to desire to explore rural areas," according to Cross. 

Croatia has overtaken Italy as Poland's most popular outbound tourism destination, with simple and straightforward connection routes between the two nations and numerous rural destinations such as Rastoke for people seeking for exciting active outdoor excursions.

“The travel industry players, such as hotels, tourism boards, and destination management organizations, would be negligent not to acknowledge the influence of the pandemic on the tourism sector since Polish visitors have distinct tastes that cannot go unnoticed.”