How is a tourist changing in Krakow?

According to the data collected by Kraków Direct, which studied international inbound tourism arriving in Krakow, such tourism has still not attained its potential from the year 2019 although it is worth noting that the number of tourists visiting the capital city of Małopolska continues to increase.

There are some interesting differences if we compare the final quarters of 2019 and 2022 respectively. In the last year before the pandemic, more tourists than today opted for individual tourism at the expense of group tourism. Active tourism and event tourism have also declined slightly compared to previous years.

Among those visiting Krakow, English-speaking tourists continue to prevail but, particularly in December, there was a significant increase in French-speaking tourists. Still the most numerous groups come from Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece and Romania as well as from other parts from Poland.

The data also highlighted the fact that tourists stay in Krakow for 2-4 days on average, during which they mainly use the main attractions of the region. Faced with shorter stays, they often visit the Wieliczka salt mine as one of the local attractions, at the expense of visiting Oskar Schindler’s Emalia Factory. There is also much more interest in the Podhale region, which is very noticeable in the increase in active tourism. In turn, a reverse trend can be observed when it comes to pilgrimages, which tourists visiting Krakow currently find less interesting.

The purpose of the Krakow Network initiative is to create a strong group of entities representing various sectors of tourism whose actions will contribute to an increase in the number of business events taking place in the capital city of Małopolska. Information exchange is one of the tasks of the Krakow Network. Many members of the network collect data, which can be used to build operating strategies of entities from the MICE sector, not just those who are part of the Krakow Network. The Krakow Network PR Group is in charge of the collection, processing and distribution of such materials.

Kraków5020 is a municipal company established by the Krakow City Council and responsible for the building and management of the city’s image and its promotion in cooperation with numerous partners. The main objective is to strengthen the brand of Krakow as a European metropolis that is attractive, open and tolerant, a city with the global cultural heritage and a thriving academic centre. The name of Kraków5020 refers to the location of the city that lies at the intersection of the 50ºN parallel of latitude with the 20ºE meridian. Business co-ordinates and new hospitality are the buzzwords underlying the idea of Krakow’s development in areas such as the economy, innovation, science and culture. Some of the responsibilities of the company include the ICE Krakow Congress Centre and the hybrid studio located there, the VOD PLAY KRAKOW city platform, PLAY KRAKOW NEWS and projects such as the Krakow Network and Power of 4, the ICE Classic and Good Morning ICE Krakow cycles, Krakow Story in the Wyspiański Pavilion and the InfoKrakow Official Municipal Information Network.