Interview with Katarzyna Sobierajska - Director- Promotions Department of Polish Tourist Organisation (PTO)

Ms. Katarzyna Sobierajska is a graduate of The Main School of Commerce in Warsaw (the faculty of Home Trade) and postgraduate of Polish-Dutch Diploma (University of Warsaw and University in Maastricht). She started to work in tourism in 1994 when she was employed in State Sports and Tourism Administration. After two years she became a deputy of director dealing with marketing.

Currently, Katarzyna is the Director of the Promotion Department with PTO and here she shares with us the role PTO has to play in promoting Poland as a tourist destination.

When was the Polish Tourist Organization (PTO) established and what are the objectives of PTO?
PTO was created by an act of Parliament and begun its work in the year 2000. At the same time it entered the world market of National Tourist Offices. Polish Tourism Organization is responsible for promoting Poland as an attractive tourist destination and for creating and developing tourist information infrastructure. We try our best to maintain a positive image of our country abroad.

How long have you been the Director of PTO and how has tourism to Poland grown during this period?
I’ve been in the tourism industry since 1994. At the very beginning when PTO was established, I was appointed as the Director of Foreign Markets Department, then in 2006 when the structure within the company changed, I was appointed the Director of Promotion Department. Of late we have seen a positive growth not only in the economy of our country but also growth in terms of tourism and tourist arrivals into Poland. In the year 2000, we had 50.7 million arrivals and in 2006 this figure has grown to 65.1 million arrivals. In terms of inbound tourists, in 2006, we had 17.7 million tourist arrivals which we expect to grow to 20 million by 2012. We expect changes in structure of inbound tourism in terms of the generating countries as well as purpose of visits. We expect a faster growth in leisure and business travellers over those on transit, a growth in shopping oriented and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) trips as well as we expect a significant growth in the use of commercial accommodation.

What are your responsibilities as Director of PTO ?
Being head of the Promotion Department of PTO, I am responsible both for promotion of Poland in all foreign markets as well as for developing our position in world business travel. Excepting the activities in overseas markets, Promotion Department coordinates work of 13 branch offices of PTO abroad- 11 in Europe, one in US and one in Japan. We are about to open one more office in Kiev, Ukraine. One of our major activities at PTO is the Convention Bureau of Poland, which is also a part of the Promotion Department. We do our best to sell Poland as a destination for organizing conventions and conferences.

Which is the largest incoming market into Poland and which are the three new markets you are looking at promoting in the near future?
Definitely the largest market for Poland is Germany with 5.44 million tourist arrivals in 2006. The emerging markets for us are China, India and countries in South America, particularly Brazil.

What are the initiatives taken by your company to ensure that there is increasing awareness about Poland in the Indian outbound market?
We are still in the first stage of promotion of Poland in India. This is why we are gauging the market to try and establish whether Indians are ready to set off to Central European destinations. It seems that the Indian traveller has already visited many Western-European countries and destinations within South-East Asia. I believe it’s high time to taste something completely different and undiscovered by citizens of the Indian subcontinent. So far we’ve concentrated our efforts on organizing press trips for journalists and fam tours for selected Indian Tour operators willing to showcase Poland as Destination Next for India. In December 2007, we plan to organize workshops where Polish Tour Operators will meet their Indian counterparts in New Delhi and Mumbai. In 2008, we plan to expand our activities – organize more fams, maintain contact with Indian travel industry and be more visible in the Indian outbound market.

For a first time traveller who has got 8 to 10 days, which are the places that you would recommend to see and experience in Poland?
I would recommend visiting Polish cities like Krakow, Warsaw, Torun and Tricity which are Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia , as well as the great UNESCO sites of Poland such as the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Malbork Castle and Bialowieski National Park to name a few. I would surely suggest experiencing Polish wildlife as in many regions of Poland there are still natural sites preserved in their primeval state rarely encountered in other parts of Europe.

The city of Krakow is, no doubt our jewel in the crown. It used to be Polish capital till the 16th Century. The city has a very artistic ambience as it was build and decorated by generations of artists living in Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau times. Krakow is also the seat of the oldest University of Poland- Jagiellonian University established during the 14th Century. You can be sure of one thing- Krakow never fails to attract and amaze many tourists that come there every year. Krakow in fact is the most frequented city in Poland. Krakow has the largest European Medieval Square- The Main Market Square –occupying the central part of The Old Town. The city offers to its visitors not only best views and wonderful architecture- it’s lots of fun as well! Pubs, clubs and restaurants flourish literally everywhere in the Old Town. Indians would love to visit Polish mountain ski resort Zakopane.

It is well hidden in the highest Polish mountains - the Tatras and provides excellent vistas and accommodation along with experiences of international quality. Highlander’s cuisine and folklore appeals not only to Polish natives but also is admired by all who have visited this beautiful region. As for Warsaw, I would definitely suggest visiting The Old Town. Elegant and charming Royal Baths Park and former summer residence of Polish kings – Wilanow. Something truly unique is the Wieliczka Salt Mine, over 800 years old, the oldest salt mine still in operation. It consists of 300 kilometres, out of which just 2 km are part of the tourist route. It’s like an underground town, set on several levels of depth - with rock salt chapels, galleries, sculptures, concert hall, restaurant and a sanatorium. It’s unbelievably marvellous!

There are wonderful “Pure Escapes” like the Bialowieski National Park with wild bisons and oldest primeval forest in Europe, Slowinski National Park located at the Polish seaside where you can stroll among wandering dunes, changing its shape with strong winds blowing from the Baltic. There’s plenty to do and to see and what I have mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg.

Which is the best time of the year to visit Poland?
The best season to see Poland is thru May until October. We start with the green and lush Spring Season when all trees are in blossom. At that time especially the cities present themselves with charming atmosphere. During summer, the days are long, the temperature is nice and pleasant usually hovering around 25 degrees celsius. It’s indeed the best time to visit the Polish seaside or even go trekking in the Tatra Mountains in Southern Poland. Starting from September comes the Autumn with very clear sunny weather at most of the times and naturally with beautiful golden leaves falling. It’s also great time to experience outdoor activities and hang out in the Polish cities. Poland’s climate ensures favourable conditions for leisure activities throughout the year as winter is a great time for skiing.

As April to July is the peak outbound travel time from India, what are the activities and experiences one can do in case a traveller from India wants to travel to Poland?
One may try many things: city break is one of them. The Polish cities have plenty on offer for Indians- great European cuisine, excellent shopping malls, well maintained tourist attractions like castles, palaces, parks and outstanding nightlife. Poland boasts of plenty of UNESCO sites that are located in the vicinity of bigger urban areas- so while being in a city undoubtedly one should try visiting them. The outstanding and unique Wieliczka Salt Mine, Malbork Castle, Auschwitz Birkenau Nazi concentrations camp are places which are worth visiting. For active travellers, I would recommend visiting one of the 23 national Parks- among them the very picturesque Tatra National Park with plenty of tourist trails to go hiking or Bialowieski National Park protecting the oldest primeval forest in Europe where wild bisons can be spotted – the biggest living mammals in Europe.

What is the estimated incoming traffic you see into Poland in the near future from the Indian and the Asian market?
From our observations the tourist traffic form Asian countries continues to grow since the past few years. We know that as the awareness of Poland as a destination increases, so will the numbers. In 2006, we received over 53000 tourists from South Korea, over 40000 form Japan, 15000 from China and 10000 arrivals from the Indian market. We expect all these numbers to grow substantially in the coming years.

Why is Poland a value for money destination for Indian travellers and what are the experiences that the country has to offer to the Indian traveller ?
As you know Poland doesn’t belong to EURO zone yet but we are full members of EU since 1st of May 2004. And that simple fact makes us very competitive in every field of European economy. In the travel industry, this results in cheaper accommodation, food, transportation and other services compared to Western Europe or Euro countries. As for the individual traveller one can expect the best value in terms of shopping in Europe. Our shopping malls sell all the major international brands as well as high quality local brands. You have to remember that these shopping facilities are undoubtedly the most modern ones in Europe- as most of them were stared in the past two or three years. Poland is also very famous for its amber jewellery, the so called Gold of the Baltic Sea. I know that Indians love to shop and they have great spending power! So Poland in this aspect is a combination of great value for money, best architecture and superb international quality.

Which are the other destinations one can combine in case a traveller wants to visit Poland combining neighbouring countries?
As we do not have direct flight connection yet I suppose the best option is to either try to combine your stay in Poland with southern destinations- like Austria or Saxony in Germany thru Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa or with our Northern neighbours- Scandinavia by flying into Europe by Finnair. I believe these combinations will be ideal for Indian travellers to visit two or three countries in one go. In either of the cases, the connections to Poland are very frequent and convenient. Tour Operators can offer flights to Krakow, from where one can also explore Zakopane and its vicinity, or Wroclaw with the picturesque Silesia region and later on continue to Prague or Vienna. When offering Scandinavia you cannot miss visiting the Tricity area of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot spa resort which is just a 60 minutes flight from Scandinavia across the Baltic Sea. Here you will also find the famous UNESCO site castle of Malbork- the biggest medieval fortress in Europe and later you can spend a couple of nights in Warsaw – the dynamic capital of Poland.

What are the initiatives taken by the Visegrad or V4 group in terms of promoting tourism to the V4 region?
Annually four of us that is the Hungarian National Tourist Office, Czech Tourism, PTO and Slovakian Tourism Board sign a protocol on cooperation in the field of tourism. We showcase ourselves as EUROPEAN QUARTET - ONE MELODY. V-4 promotes the whole region, especially in selected overseas markets such as China, Japan and USA. We organize common stands on selected fairs, prepare fams for journalists to visit all 4 countries, publish common brochures and also have a common website. As the cooperation has proved to be very successful and yielded results, we have decided to expand our field of cooperation and launched our campaign in the Russian market by organizing road shows for V-4 and Russian tour operators. There are some tentative ideas to include India and South America into our promotional activities as well. At present, our priority is to promote Poland as a stand alone destination especially in the Indian outbound market.

What is the awareness about Indian people in Poland and how does PTO plan to address areas such as language barrier, food habits and other challenges faced to ensure large number of tourists visit Poland?
You would be surprised to know the extent of awareness of India in Poland! India is under the category of exotic destinations amongst the Polish people - not only for young backpackers but also for the more wealthy and well travelled Polish people. There’s more and more departures to India each year. With more Poles visiting your country the awareness within Poland is growing. There are many Indian shops offering Ayurveda treatment, yoga schools, Bollywood parties and shows, bestselling Indian books translated into Polish, and Indian restaurants as well! Besides Kajol and Aamir Khan visited Poland last year because some scenes for the well known bollywood movie FANAA were shot in Zakopane! People in Poland are well aware of that. Seriously, I am sure Polish travel industry have lots of things to learn about demanding Indian travellers but step by step they will succeed and I am not only optimistic but confident about it.

Which is your preferred holiday region in Poland in summer and in winter?
Usually I spend couple of weeks with my family in Beskidy Mountains for skiing and during summer holidays obviously we go to the seaside. The Baltic coast is very different from the Mediterranean. The weather and water is not so warm. However our beaches are amongst the most beautiful. The sand is white and delicate with wandering dunes behind you and beautiful pine forests that adorn the beach around you.

On your personal side, how long have you been in tourism and which are the areas of tourism you have been involved in prior to being the Director of PTO?
I have been already in the travel industry for 13 years now. Most of the time I spend working for National Tourist bodies, even before PTO was established. From the very beginning I was devoted to spreading the word of the beauty and charm of Poland and showcasing it abroad.

Lastly your message to readers.
I truly encourage your readers to visit Poland! In my opinion travelling, meeting other people and experiencing different cultures is one of the most precious things one can do to enrich one’s life. And Poland should be your DESTINATION NEXT!

COMPACT TRAVELS is the first company in India that has been promoting Poland as a stand alone destination since 2006 and the team at COMPACT TRAVELS will be glad to offer customized packages to those interested in exploring Poland.