Growing holiday abroad trend creating negative trade balance

photo - East News/Glow Images

The number of Poles going for a foreign vacation in 2013 was 1.7 million higher than the number of foreign tourist visits to Poland, according to sector research company TravelData.

As a result, the foreign trade balance in the tourist services sector has become negative.

While a surplus of 400 million zloty (95.5 million euro) was recorded in 2011, last year brought a deficit of as much as 9.6 billion zloty (2.3 billion euro).

“We estimate that this year's foreign deficit in the sector will be close to 12 billion zloty (2.9 billion euro),” TravelData's Andrzej Betlej told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

One of the reasons behind this situation is that a growing number of Poles choose to vacation abroad as they can now afford it. It is also becoming easier to buy a foreign trip, thanks to new specialized websites.

There is also the weather aspect and the lack of sufficient promotion of Poland abroad.

“A lot points to the view that the promotion of our country on other markets in insufficient. Plus our country is not seen as one that you would visit on a planned vacation,” said Agata Basińska-Zych from the Poznań School of Banking.

She also stressed that prices in Polish holiday resorts are growing at about 10 percent annually. This makes a lot of Poles look for other options, usually abroad. (kw/pg)