Arabs continue to storm Zakopane. But their spending has changed
The winter capital of Poland has once again attracted many tourists from Arab countries. However, the highlanders pointed out that the habits of the guests are changing.
For several years now, Zakopane, the winter capital of Poland, has been one of the favorite destinations for tourists from Arab countries. They also come here in the summer.
“Every tourist makes us happy. And I would also like to remind you right away that they were already here before the pandemic and then it was indeed exotic for us in some way, but there were definitely fewer of them then. This year we can definitely see that there is an absolute growth in this market. These are mainly tourists from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait,” Elżbieta Wójtowicz, president of the Tatra Chamber of Commerce, told “Wprost” last year.
Tourists from the Middle East still love Zakopane
How is it this year? Zakopane will certainly not complain about the interest of guests from these directions. The winter capital of Poland adapts its offer to them.
– In fact, this year we have more guests from the Arabian Peninsula than in previous years. Analyzing the statistics for June, we can see that the number of guests from Arab countries was twice as high as in June 2023. The peak of guest arrivals from Arab countries is July, August and early September, so we will see if this trend continues in the coming months – Emilia Glista, who cooperates with hotels and guesthouses in Zakopane in acquiring customers, told the eska.pl portal.
Arabs on Krupówki Street Pay Attention to Prices. “They Couldn’t Understand”
The highlanders have noticed, however, that the habits of tourists from the Middle East are changing. “Gazeta Wyborcza” writes that, according to the highlanders, tourists from exotic countries are no longer so inclined to throw money around, and even try to haggle with the locals.
Mr. Jan, one of the drivers on Krupówki, could not explain to the family from Abu Dhabi that they had to pay more for a ride in a cab than on Gubałówka. “They could not understand that the cab drivers there only take tourists around the area for a few dozen minutes, while we take them for over two hours around Zakopane,” he explained.
This does not change the fact that, despite certain differences, local entrepreneurs are very happy with these guests. According to Emilia Glista, the share of tourists from Arab countries in June has already reached almost 20 percent.
