The number of tourists travelling to Poland is expected to rise by six percent in 2011, leaping from 12.4 million to 13.2 million visitors, according to the UN’s World Tourism Organisation.

Although companies specialising in the Middle East have suffered huge losses this year as a result of the political turmoil, according to the WTO, Poland's prospects echo a global upturn for the sector.

The Central Statistical Office (GUS) published figures yesterday showing that an equivalent of five billion USD flowed into Poland last year from foreign tourism.

As many as 1.1 million Germans stayed in Polish hotels and hostels during 2010.

The number of Germans was three times greater than that of the British, who came second in the rankings.

In tandem with these trends, Poland will be spending 30 million euro on a campaign to tie in with the International Tourist Fair in Berlin (ITB), the most significant global fixture of its kind. (nh)