Top visitor attractions include the Royal Łazienki Park, the Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów, the Royal Castle, the Copernicus Science Center, and the National Stadium.
Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski took pride in Warsaw's designation as the "European Best Destination 2023," and expressed his aspiration for the city to become increasingly attractive for both its residents and tourists.
He highlighted ongoing investments in the "new center of Warsaw," including the creation of a Museum of Modern Art, a major cultural institution, the reconstruction of the historic Chmielna Street, and the anticipated opening of a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge to the capital's Praga district on the right bank of the Vistula.
Based on the study Tourism in Warsaw, tourism growth surged by 78 percent compared to 2021, now just 11 percent shy of the 2019 benchmark.
The capital saw an influx of 7.1 million domestic tourists, essentially signaling a return to pre-COVID-19 traffic.
International visitors totaled 1.9 million, with the British and Germans leading the pack.
The report's creators used insights gleaned from large-scale data gathering for the first time, reflecting, for example, smartphone user behavior to estimate the number of day visits without overnight stays.
When combined with tourist arrivals, the total visits to Warsaw in the past year reached 14.8 million. This data does not account for Ukrainian nationals, the majority of whom did not visit for tourism or business purposes.
Paweł Moras, director of the Warsaw Tourism Office, noted the positive impact of tourism on the city's residents, with over 80 percent acknowledging its beneficial effects on their lives.
The lodging sector expanded with 239 additional accommodation facilities, including three hotels, adding over 4,000 guest spots.
Currently, a further 15 hotel projects are under way or planned in Warsaw.
The MICE (Meetings Incentives Conferences and Events) sector has also seen a revival, with nearly 9,000 events, including conferences, fairs and exhibitions, drawing over 1.2 million participants, though the industry has not quite rebounded to its pre-2020 vitality.
The Tourism in Warsaw report has been published annually since 2015, offering insights into the city's thriving tourism industry.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP