From January to June, travel agencies in Poland reported serving nearly 4.5 million customers compared to 4.13 million during the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Insurance Guarantee Fund.
“This year is shaping up to be a record-breaker for outbound tourism. The last peak year was 2019, which saw 4.18 million clients. This surge has also been reflected in the number of contracts signed. This year, we have already exceeded 1.55 million contracts, compared to 1.44 million in 2023 and 1.39 million in 2019,” the report detailed.
The most popular travel destinations for Poles in 2024 are Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and Greece.
Over 40 percent of foreign holiday offers were sold through early booking discounts. Rainbow Tour, a travel agency, noted that its revenue for the first half of the year increased by over 25 percent to nearly 1.65 million zloty (€384,000). Similarly, Itaka Travel Office also reported better-than-expected sales. Last year, Itaka served 1 million customers in Poland and with other markets included, the figure rose to over 1.4 million. This year, they anticipate serving more than 1.5 million customers.
“Income levels in Poland are beginning to increase significantly. People now have money to spend on goods other than just food and bills. As a result, we have seen a 20 percent increase in sales of international travel packages,” said Mirosław Sikorski, CEO of Almatur.
According to experts cited by the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper, another reason customers are returning to travel agencies is for safety, i.e. protection against the financial failure of tour organizers. The Guarantee Fund’s account now holds nearly 400 million zloty (€93 million), an increase of 100 million over the previous year. Additionally, customers can count on support in case of unforeseen events, such as the frequent fires in many countries.
The influx of customers to travel agencies is also impacting the market, leading to the establishment of new agencies. As of June, there were over 5,000 travel agencies operating, up from just under 4,800 last year at this time.
