The first session of the Tourism Blogging Championships committee was staged in the seat of its founder, the Polish Tourism Organisation. The meeting wrapped up the first stage of the rivalry - an open competition of applications, which involved close to 60 Polish bloggers.

Poland’s only initiative of this kind, the Tourism Blogging Championships is aimed at promoting the country’s 16 regions through a contest of bloggers. Each influencer will represent one region and prepare corresponding promotional materials, which will then be published on a specially dedicated website and blogs of the participants. The compiled promo materials are intended to provide inspiration for leisure tourists arranging their stay in Poland on their own (without the help of travel bureaus) and social media users looking for travelling ideas online.

Held in the seat of its founder - Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna - POT) - on 4 July, the first session of the Tourism Blogging Championships committee featured its members picking 16 representatives, who will participate in the second stage, out of a total of 58 bloggers.  

The list of committee members includes Agnieszka Jędrzejczyk-Wojciechowska (Vice President of Polish Tourism Organisation - committee chairperson), Jacek Janowski (POT’s Head of Department for the Promotion of Domestic Tourism), Krystyna Hartenberger-Pater (General Manager, Pomeranian Regional Tourist Organization), Agnieszka Załęska-Franus (Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler), Iwona El Tanbouli (Art Director of National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler), Marcin Nowak (independent third-party expert - a blogosphere representative, member of Social Tourism Council), Adam Mikołajczyk (destination marketing expert), Anastazja Obarczuk (online marketing expert - commiteee secretary).

“It was not easy to choose the final sixteen participants of the Tourism Blogging Championships. The bloggers who submitted their applications represented a similarly high level. As a result, the session could be described as tumultuous but a consensus was eventually reached. I am convinced that the select bloggers will show the full range of their abilities when competing for the main prize”, said Vice President of POT Agnieszka Jędrzejczyk-Wojciechowska.

The picked bloggers will now prepare scenarios in cooperation with regional tourism organizations and then arrange tours of the most attractive destinations of a given region. Next, Internet users and committee members will evaluate their materials. The eight highest-ranked bloggers will take part in the third stage, where they will be conducting final tasks, including shooting videos.

The work of all the 16 bloggers who successfully proceeded to the second stage will be remunerated by POT. Additional cash awards and a print publication are planned for the final three Championships winners. For more information visit www.mistrzostwablogerow.polska.travel.

Below you will find a list of first-stage finalists:  

1. DOLNOŚLĄSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Łukasz Kędzierski
Łukasz Kędzierski. Podróże i fotografia
2. KUJAWSKO - POMORSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Alicja Rapsiewicz
LosWiaheros. Podróżuj. Odkrywaj. Inspiruj
3. LUBELSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Karolina Siwkiewicz
Love-Krowe
4. LUBUSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Agnieszka Trolese
Taste&Travel by Agnieszka Trolese
5. ŁÓDZKIE VOIVODESHIP
Paweł Florczak
Ready for Boarding
6. MAŁOPOLSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Szymon Nitka
Znajkraj
7. MAZOWIECKIE VOIVODESHIP
Aleksandra Świstow
Pojechana
8. OPOLSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Ewelina Gac
W poszukiwaniu
9. PODKARPACKIE VOIVODESHIP
Bartłomiej Szaro
Paragon z podróży
10. PODLASKIE VOIVODESHIP
Przemysław Czatrowski
TroPiMy
11. POMORSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Anna Żuchlińska
Wszędobylscy
12. ŚLĄSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Damian Berłowski
Rowerem po Śląsku
13. ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Michał Maj
Zycie jest piękne
14. WARMIŃSKO – MAZURSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Dorota i Jarek Kowalscy
Szalone walizki      
15. WIELKOPOLSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Agnieszka Ptaszyńska
Zależna w podróży
16. ZACHODNIOPOMORSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Kaja Wolnicka
Moi mili