Poland

For the full 2020 data please visit our 2020 inbound data page here. For Q1 (January -March 2020) data please visit our UK and regional quarterly data pages.

Visitor characteristics

Almost all business visitors are male but Britain attracts more female than male leisure visitors
34% of Polish visitor spend comes courtesy of visits to friends and/or relatives, 34% from business visits
Almost half of holiday visitors are making a repeat visit to Britain (excluding British nationals)
97% of visitors from Poland are either 'likely' or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a holiday or short-break

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Sightseeing of Famous Buildings/ Monuments

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	9.2
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	36
Number of outbound visits (m)	18.7
Most visited destination	Italy

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2021
Population (m)	37.9
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	32,783
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	3.0
Annual GDP growth (%)	4.9

Poland Market Profile (PDF, 0.97MB)

Read about the preferences of Europeans towards tourism (PDF, 1.65 MB, Published March 2015)

Find out where visitors from Poland to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 176KB, Published 2018)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 5.5528 PLN

As of 25 November 2021

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from Poland

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Total nights spent

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Average length of stay (Nights)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What the Polish think about Britain

Poles have a positive view of the UK ranking it overall second out of fifty nations in 2019.
Their most positive perceptions are in relation to 'contemporary culture', 'culture' in general, 'vibrant city life', 'sports', 'cultural heritage', and 'historic buildings', but areas of comparative weakness include perceptions of 'welcome' and of the UK's 'scenic natural beauty'
The UK is strongly associated with music, films, and museums
Although many Poles see Britain as having a strong culture and heritage offering, this is equally true of their view of France and Italy
Activities that appeal to potential Polish visitors include 'riding the scenic 'Hogwarts Express' (Harry Potter train) through the Scottish Highlands', 'enjoying a traditional afternoon tea', 'driving through the countryside of England', 'visiting Madame Tussauds', and 'going hiking on the South West coast'

Caring for visitors

Visitors appreciate information being available in their own language
British food is not a major draw for Poles, but British pubs are popular
Ownership of credit cards is relatively low compared with Western Europe and many Poles prefer to pay with cash
Around 65% of individual Polish travellers book 3-star hotels, B&Bs or hostels, although they usually book 4-5 star accommodation when on package tours

The leisure & travel trade

The Polish tourism market is dominated by many small businesses
The large tour operators research their main programmes between February and April
If you commit to the Polish market, you will need to visit your contacts at least once or twice a year

Access to Britain from Poland


Measure	2019
Weekly aircraft departures	471
Weekly seat capacity	88,518
Airports with direct routes in Poland	13
Airports with direct routes in Britain	20

Three in five visits from Poland to the UK are made via plane
641,000 of the annual 1.8 million visits from Poland are by those driving a lorry to/from Britain
13 airports in Poland served 20 airports in Britain in 2019
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic led to 44% reduction in seat capacity from Poland to the UK in 2020
The current rate of Air Passenger Duty for visitors departing Britain for Poland is £13

Markets

Poland