Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Poland seems to have benefited from co-hosting the Euro 2012 soccer championships, at least in terms of income from tourism. In 2012, 14.8 million foreign tourists came to Poland and spent zł.11.7 billion in the country. The number of tourists was the highest in five years and the value of how much they spent was the highest since 2000.

Kinga Fromlewicz from tourism website eTravel said that the increase may be largely attributed to the Euro 2012 tournament. The event “increased interest in our country and caused the travel season to extend to September and October,” she told daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

The biggest increase was from tourists coming from the East and from Germany. Their number grew from 3.3 million to 4.2 million and 4.6 million to 4.8 million respectively. Poland has become a more attractive tourist destination because of the economic problems in Greece and Spain, and a significant increase in prices in Croatia.

The Institute of Tourism estimates that the number of tourists visiting Poland will continue to increase and exceed 16 million a year in 2017.

Poland A.M.