The Polish market is approaching 1 million but... Plenty of demand, no planes

Continuing its rapid rise, the number of tourists coming from Poland has increased fourfold over the past three years, reaching 880 thousand. However, the demand has remained limited to the coastal regions. TÜROB has taken action to increase demand in this market, whose potential cannot be tapped due to the lack of affordable flights, and to spread it to İstanbul in particular and other destinations.

As the number of tourists coming from Poland to Türkiye has quadrupled over the past three years, tourism professionals have taken action to increase demand—which has remained limited to the coasts due to inadequate air transport—and to spread it to other regions as well. The Association of Turkish Hoteliers (TÜROB), which held a workshop in the Polish capital Warsaw, put this market under the microscope. A report prepared following the workshop, which TÜROB held under the 'Endless Turkey' theme with the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and in cooperation with THY, noted that the Polish market had reached 880 thousand tourists and that this demand was concentrated in the coastal regions. TÜROB President Müberra Eresin, whose views were included in the report, emphasized that Poland, which is among the countries in Europe with the fastest-growing rate of travel, also holds great tourism potential for Türkiye, saying: "Despite the existing passenger and demand potential, problems with scheduled air transport between the two countries persist. This leads to the potential—particularly in İstanbul—going untapped. We are experiencing a 'there are tourists, but no planes' situation. Putting forward solutions on this matter will significantly increase the number of tourists coming from Poland. Poland could enter the ranks of our largest tourism markets."

Only 60 thousand Poles came to İstanbul

Eresin stated that there is no obstacle to operating charter flights on the Warsaw-İstanbul route and that they hope Turkish companies will organize charter flights on this route. Recalling that the number of Polish tourists, which set a record at 510 thousand in 2014, experienced a sharp decline in 2016, Eresin provided the following information about the market: "From 2018 onward, the market not only reached its former performance but climbed even higher. However, of the 880 thousand tourists, only 60 thousand came to İstanbul. Our aim is to increase demand and spread it to other regions as well. If the number of affordable flight options increases, demand will rise and spread to destinations such as İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Cappadocia, Sapanca and Southeastern Anatolia. Because this demand exists. Other types of tourism also need to be effectively promoted. Winter tourism, shopping tourism and sports tourism should be addressed as a priority. In 2017, the number of Polish tourists going abroad on holiday was 6 million. In 2017, Türkiye ranked fourth among Polish tourists' preferences, after Greece, Bulgaria and Spain. In 2018, Türkiye made a significant leap to become the second preference after Greece."

Solution proposals from TÜROB

Eresin made the following suggestions for overcoming the transport difficulty: "From Poland, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizzair operate flights at very affordable prices to many EU countries, particularly Spain, Italy, Greece and France. This negatively affects demand for İstanbul, whose transport costs run far above those of rival destinations. The promotional and marketing activities organized on behalf of our country also fail to meet the expected interest in the market; participants see the transport problem as a major obstacle and approach it with prejudice. It appears possible to increase the number of flights between Türkiye and Poland operated by THY and LOT, and to overcome the restrictions imposed by the Polish side—out of concern over THY's transit passenger carrying capacity offered at attractive facilities and prices at İstanbul Airport—by granting flight permits to İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Antalya, Dalaman and İzmir points. The two countries mutually lifting flight restrictions on private-sector air carriers would also enable an increase in flights from Poland with destinations in Türkiye, and from Türkiye with destinations in Poland."

Nearly a thousand meetings were held

Meanwhile, 19 hotels from İstanbul, Antalya, Kayseri, Sapanca and Afyonkarahisar, along with 2 Turkish agencies, took part in the workshop held in Warsaw. Nearly a thousand meetings were held at the event, which was attended by Poland's leading travel agencies and tour operators. TÜROB President Müberra Eresin, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Warsaw Culture and Promotion Counselor Volkan Akgül, and THY's Poland General Manager Erhan İpek shared their hopes and expectations for the development of tourism between the two countries. Warsaw Embassy Counselor Hakan Abacı emphasized that if air transport alternatives between the two countries were increased, a significant rise in the number of tourists would be recorded.

It became one of the fastest-growing tourism markets of the past 3 years

Hotels that participated in the workshop

All Seasons Hotel

Armada Hotel İstanbul

Barın Hotel

Clarion Hotel Golden Horn

Club Nena

Eresin Hotels İstanbul

Hilton Cluster Hotels (Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus&Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus)

İstanbul Marriott Hotel Şişli

Lazzoni Hotel

Le Meridien İstanbul Etiler

Mercure İstanbul The Plaza Bosphorus

NG Hotels

Novotel&Ibis Hotel İstanbul Zeytinburnu

Ottoman Hotels Group

Point Hotel Barbaros

Point Hotel Taksim

Radisson Blu Hotel Kayseri

Wishmore Hotel İstanbul

Yaşmak Hotel Collection