I would like to express my deep gratitude to the university authorities and academic colleagues for awarding me with this prestigious title. I feel honoured to have received it. Thank you very much. I consider it an expression of recognition for the work of the whole team that supports Polish-Bulgarian cooperation in numerous areas of tourism and science. Cooperation and dialogue with all tourism communities is the basis of my daily work. I am open to sharing good practices and solutions aimed at the development of tourism",

– said Deputy Minister Gut-Mostowy during the ceremony.

The academic title is an acknowledgement of the engagement in the safe development of tourism as well as innovative solutions supporting the industry, also during the pandemic.

“The situation of the tourism industry in Poland and worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic was very difficult, e.g. due to two-year limitations in the sector’s operation. In that difficult period, I was responsible for the development of assistance programmes: the Polish Tourist Voucher, the Travel Refund Fund, the Tourism Aid Fund and a package of parliamentary acts comprising the Anti-Crisis Shield. The instruments ensured a number of horizontal solutions for the tourism industry”,

– pointed out the Minister.

He also added:

“The pandemic required quick decisions and efficient action. The Polish Tourist Voucher was a rection to the epidemiological situation in 2020, which affected our country, Polish businesses and citizens. It has been a socially significant programme.”

The Polish Tourist Voucher has proven to be an economic and social success. This is confirmed by the statistics contained in the reports generated by the ICT system of the ZUS Social Insurance Institution. As of 31 March 2023, the total number of activated vouchers was almost 4 million, i.e. over 88% of all vouchers to which beneficiaries were entitled. The vouchers were used for the benefit of about 7.3 million children, including over 220,000 children with disabilities. It has been a major support for families.

The voucher programme was offered by over 28,000 tourism service providers from across Poland. The overall amount received by them throughout the duration of the programme was about PLN 3.2 billion.

Over the last few years, major changes in the tourism sector have taken place due to the growing demand for destinations accessible by car and located close to natural areas offering recreation possibilities.

“The Polish Health Resorts Programme has been available to at all municipalities with health resorts and the status of protected resort area. 50 health resort municipalities across Poland have received non-refundable funding of up to PLN 5 million within the fourth edition of the Polish Health Resorts Strategic Investment Programme. In total, over PLN 240 million were allocated to local governments with health resorts particularly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. The Polish Health Resorts Programme was developed in cooperation with the Association of Health Resort Municipalities and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister”,

– reminded the Deputy Minister .

The programme of support for municipalities from the mountain regions during the COVID-19 pandemic has also been mentioned. There was a call for applications for funding from the support programme introduced in January 2021 by the resolution of the Council of Ministers on support to investment tasks of local governments. The programme was a tool aimed at reducing the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. Applications were filed by 202 municipalities from the mountain regions.

In his speech, Andrzej Gut-Mostowy also emphasized the role of the regions:

“The tourism potential lies primarily in the regions. They have the natural and cultural assets, and the local communities whose representatives take action. Such potential should be discovered and used to create commercialised tourism products, and this is our challenge. The role of local governments in the development of tourism is of fundamental importance.”

The Ministry of Sport and Tourism is also going to publish a scientific journal entitled “Tourism - Management, Administration and Law”, which opens possibilities for international cooperation. The journal will contain articles from such areas as law, physical culture, management and quality assurance, administration, social and economic geography and spatial planning.

“We have invited a large scientific community to cooperate with us. We have been supported by national scientists and those from abroad, including, in particular, the academics from Bulgaria. I would like to thank you for this again and invite you to publish your articles in our journal. There is a number of scientific initiatives at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and I encourage you to take part in them. We should consider signing a letter of intent that would set out the principles of close cooperation with the International Business School at many levels. The Director of the Department of Tourism, Dr Dominik Borek, has been designated by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism to coordinate the scientific cooperation with the International Business School.”

Second bilateral meeting of Tourism Experts

Deputy Minister of Sport and Tourism Andrzej Gut-Mostowy took part in a Polish-Bulgarian bilateral meeting in Sofia.

The Bulgarian delegation was headedd by Deputy Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva. The talks focused on tourism cooperation, promotion of tourist attractions, and prospects for the development of cooperation between our countries.

Andrzej Gut-Mostowy invited the participants to the Second European Congress of Sport and Tourism to be held in Zakopane in October.