Greece maintains its status as the hottest tourist destination for Poles

Polish tourist agencies see surge in customers, with Greece being the top spot to holiday.

Greece is the most popular destination for Polish tourists, according to a new study carried out by 30 leading travel agencies.

The research shows that from June 1 to September 30, almost 30 percent of travel agency customers chose Greece as a place to spend their holiday. Turkey is in 2nd place with 20 percent, a three-fold increase from last year. Bulgaria, Spain, Egypt, Albania, Tunisia and for the first time Macedonia, are also on the list of the ten most popular destinations for Polish tourists

According to the survey, most Poles like to plan their summer vacation well in advance, with 35 percent of respondents saying they plan their vacation at least 4 months ahead.

The Polish tourist will spend on average 1,030 euros. during their vacation, compared to a Swiss tourist who will spend around 2,710 euros. However, the average spending for European tourists for a two-week vacation stands at 1,957 euro. The average time Poles spend on vacation is around two weeks.

Last year proved to be successful for Polish travel agencies with 2.57 million Poles choosing to use their services to organize their holidays. The total revenues of the 30 largest tour operators in Poland reached nearly PLN 6.7 billion, up 27.7 percent from last year.

The Polish Tour Operators Association also published a study on Polish vacation preferences, which shows that Poles also like to visit exotic destinations such as Thailand, Tanzania, The United Arab Emirates and Cape Verde Islands.

But 45 percent of Poles said they prefer to spend their summer hols in Poland. Of these, 58 percent chose the beaches of the Baltic Sea as their favorite place, while 34 percent of respondents said hiking in the mountains was their perfect vacation. Only 20 percent said they preferred to spend their holidays in the city.