Zakopane breathed a sigh of relief. The long-awaited decision has been made
After the resumption of direct flights from Saudi Arabia, Zakopane is counting on the return of tourists from the Persian Gulf. However, the industry has reasons to be concerned about this year’s season.
After a break of several weeks, direct air connections between Poland and Saudi Arabia are back. As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from July 2, LOT Polish Airlines will restart direct flights from Warsaw to Riyadh. A few days earlier, On June 24, the connection between Krakow and the capital of Saudi Arabia operated by Flynas will also be resumed.
Good news for Zakopane. Important flights are back
This is important news for Zakopane and the entire Podhale region, because tourists from the Persian Gulf countries have been among the most welcomed guests in the region for several years. The reason is primarily the benefits for the local economy, because guests from this region often stay in Poland longer than the average tourist and are more willing to use the hotel, catering and tourist attractions.
During the suspension of connections, travelers from Arab countries still reached Poland, but had to use transfers and more complicated routes through European airports. – Despite the difficulties, many tourists from the Arabian Peninsula still visited Krakow and Zakopane, but the journey was much less comfortable and required additional transfers – emphasizes Karol Wagner from the Tatra Chamber of Commerce in an interview with PAP.
However, the biggest problem turned out to be limiting the sale of new trips. Some customers canceled their plans to travel to Poland, and travel agencies temporarily suspended the organization of some holiday packages. Now the offer is back on the market, but not all reservations will be recovered.
Zakopane is fighting for tourists from the Bay. New data
According to industry estimates, interest in holidays in Poland among tourists from Arab countries is currently significantly lower than a year ago. – We estimate that the summer occupancy rate from this direction will be at the level about 50 percent last year. However, the booking window for long-distance travel is longer than 30 days, so most holiday purchase decisions have already been made. Reservation data indicate that this will be a worse year when it comes to guests from Arab countries, explains Karol Wagner.
Industry representatives have no illusions that a full return to the record results from last year will take time. In their opinion, the reconstruction of traffic from Arab countries will be a process spread over subsequent seasons and will largely depend on the stabilization of the situation in the Middle East and the maintenance of regular air connections.
