Krakow

About 11.4 million tourists from home and abroad visited the southern region of Malopolska last year, including the historic city of Krakow - 4 percent more than in 2009.

The Malopolska region, which also includes the winter holiday resort of Zakopane, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Poland. In 2010, Malopolska earned 9.3 billion zloty (2.4 billion euro) on tourism.

“It’s an attractive destination both for Poles and foreigners but we cannot rest on the laurels. We constantly plan to improve our offer. Tourism is one of our priorities,” Witold Latusek from Malopolska regional authorities told the PAP news agency.

According to a poll by PBS DGA, in which 6,000 tourists participated, the number of tourists visiting Malopolska in 2010 increased by 4 percent and the number of those who decided to stay in Malopolska at least two days for almost 2 percent in comparison with 2009.

 Foreign tourists who visited southern Poland included the British (25 percent), Germans (12 percent), Slovaks (8 percent), Italians (7 percent) and the Irish (5 percent).

Tourists spent on average six days in Malopolska with Poles spending on average 524 zloty (134 euro) per person and foreigners 1,479 zloty (379 euro) per person. (mg)

Source: PAP