Tourism: Zakopane, the Polish station which attracts the wealthy Gulf

At the foot of the Tatras mountains, the famous Polish mountain station in Zakopane, with its traditional wooden chalets and its renowned ski slopes, experiences a spectacular transformation with the appearance of brands in Arabic. These changes testify to an unprecedented tourist boom from the Middle East. Reservations for 2024 already have an increase of 20% compared to the previous year, Arab visitors now representing 15% of tourism attendance.

Faced with this evolution, local shops are adapting quickly. Restaurants have displayed menus in Arabic in particular and highlight their Halal offer, Poland being one of the main European producers of halal meat.

This new clientele, renowned for its higher purchasing power than that of traditional European tourists, contributes significantly to the local economy. Zakopane merchants report higher average expenses from Gulf visitors, especially in high -end restaurants and luxury stores.

According to Karol Wagner of the Tatras Chamber of Commerce, this transition is facilitated by the use of modern translation tools, allowing effective communication with this new clientele from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

If the arrival of the first Arab tourists had initially aroused some reluctance, the local population today recognizes the economic benefits of this diversification, in particular compensating for the drop in attendance of Russian and Belarusian tourists since the Ukrainian conflict. The phenomenon also extends to other Polish tourist regions, especially on the Baltic Coast, where the first requests for Saudi visitors are beginning to emerge.

This change in the Polish tourist landscape illustrates a broader trend observed in central and eastern Europe. While traditional destinations like Switzerland and Austria become saturated, wealthy travelers in the Gulf are looking for new experiences, combining authenticity and high -end services. Poland, with its competitive prices and its preserved heritage, seems to have found the formula to attract this demanding customers.