Foreigners spending billions in Poland

Photo: sxc.hu

In the first three months of 2014, foreigners spent about 7.7 billion zloty (about 1.8 billion euro) in Poland, according to data from the Statistical Office in Rzeszow, the first such study that includes visitors from across all Poland's borders.

Visitors from Germany hold the top spot as they spent 53 percent of the above mentioned sum. Other spenders came from Ukraine (16.9 percent), Belarus (11.3 percent), the Czech Republic (6.3 percent), Slovakia (5.5 percent), Russia (3.5 percent) and Lithuania (3.4 percent).

Foreigners coming from EU member states spent the highest amounts on car fuel, which stood for as much as one-fourth of their total expenses. Polish petrol prices are lower than the ones in Germany or in the Czech Republic, though higher than those in east European countries.

Another important position in the spending of tourists from the west was cigarettes. For visitors from Germany, they accounted for one-fifth of total expenses. (kw)