Polish Tourism Organisation promoted Poland’s incoming offer at The New York Times Travel Show, which also involved POT’s partners: LOT Polish Airlines, Real Poland, Poland Culinary Vacations, AMTA, as well as the PURO hotel chain.

Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna - POT) made its annual return to The New York Times Travel Show in January. The stand it developed also featured the offer of Real Poland (Polish travel bureau specializing in individual travel), Poland Culinary Vacations (Florida-based Polish American travel bureau specializing in food tourism), and American Travel Abroad (Polish American travel agency). In addition, delegates of LOT Polish Airlines were present to spread news about the new direct flights from the U.S. to Poland, whose launch is scheduled for 2020. As a result, routes from New York to Kraków, Washington to Warsaw, and San Francisco to Warsaw will now be available for passengers.

Numerous potential tourists and industry and media representatives visited the Polish stand, inquiring about the potential impact of Poland joining the U.S. visa waiver programme on the tourism flow between the two destinations. The list of frequently asked questions also included, i.a. tourist highlights, the offer of major Polish cities, transportation, cuisine, active tourism options, as well as the SPA offer. Searching for roots was an important subject matter, as more than 10 million U.S. residents are of Polish descent.

The Polish Tourism Organisation team took the trade show stage to host the “Visit Poland in 2020” presentation intended to answer why Poland is worth visiting this year. Magdalena Żelazowska, Head of POT’s International Office in New York discussed, i.a. the forthcoming Chopin Competition, the planned launches of brand-new highlights, and the international distinctions acknowledging Poland, such as Kraków being picked as one of New York Times’ 2020 prestigious ‘Places to Go’. Courtesy of the PURO hotel chain and LOT Polish Airlines, the audience could compete for an award in the form of a trip for two to Poland. Winners will tour, i.a. Warsaw, Łódź and Kraków.

The New York Times Travel Show is the premier travel trade show in the East Coast and one of the largest events of its kind in the whole of North America. Each year it draws several hundred exhibitors and approx. 30,000 attendees, including tourists and media and travel industry representatives.

On the day before the travel show, the Polish Tourism Organisation International Office in New York took part in International Media Marketplace workshops for representatives of U.S. and Canadian media. The event was attended by several hundred journalists, influencers and TV show producers who thus had a chance to become familiar with Poland’s tourist must-sees and top events planned for 2020. International Media Marketplace offers a programme of meetings between media representatives and national tourism organisations from all over the world. It is also an excellent chance to establish bilateral cooperation on publications dedicated to tourism.