On 10 November 2021, Polish Tourism Organisation (POT) President Rafał Szlachta and Volunteer Water Rescue Service (WOPR) President Paweł Błasiak signed a cooperation agreement at the WOPR headquarters.

POT and WOPR will work together to promote and develop water tourism in Poland, including through the joint organisation and promotion of tourist, recreational and competitive events held in Poland and abroad. The agreement is also aimed at building and promoting safety in tourism, developing tourist traffic to places connected with water, i.e. riverside hostels, lakes, marinas, bathing resorts and nature reserves, in the summer season and for short stays.

“Every year millions of Poles take advantage of the waterside attractions offered by our country and its natural resources”, points out POT President Rafał Szlachta. “We want to promote active forms of recreation and at the same time to educate younger as well as older fans of water tourism about how to behave at the Baltic seaside, on lakes and at bathing resorts. I am very pleased that we have signed this agreement. It will enable us to work even more closely together on various planned projects”, he added.

One major element of this cooperation will involve educating active water tourism enthusiasts and propagating water safety rules through campaigns on POT’s online and social media. Joint activities will also include the Mobile Education Centre — Tourism School, in which WOPR will present animations and an educational workstation.

The agreement also provides for the continuation of the Safe Water public awareness campaign, targeted at children, teenagers, teachers and families with children, in 2022.