Although Statistics Poland (GUS) has so far published data only for the first half of 2026, we already know that tourists spent more than PLN 40 billion in Poland. Of this amount, as much as approximately PLN 12 billion was spent on accommodation. If market conditions remain equally strong in the second half of the year, hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers could close 2026 with record results, generating more than PLN 30 billion in accommodation revenue.
Tourist spending has been growing very noticeably for several years. In the first half of the year, domestic and international tourists spent a substantial amount of more than PLN 40 billion across Poland’s tourism sector, according to GUS estimates. This represents an increase of almost 12% compared with the previous year. The growth has been supported by increasing tourist traffic, as well as rising prices for tourism and accommodation services.
This could be a record-breaking year
These figures are already impressive, but they become even more interesting when Poland’s statistics are compared with those of other European countries. Such comparisons place Poland at opposite ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, Poland has the lowest number of accommodation places in hotel establishments in the EU, while on the other, this figure has been growing faster in Poland than anywhere else in the EU.
It is important to note that these figures are GUS’s preliminary estimates for only the first six months of the year. In other words, they do not yet include the summer holiday period, when tourist traffic reaches its peak.
If the growth rate recorded in the first half of the year continues in the coming months, total tourist spending in Poland could exceed PLN 105 billion in 2026. This would be a record result. For comparison, tourist spending amounted to approximately PLN 95 billion in 2025, PLN 86 billion in 2024 and PLN 78 billion in 2023.
It is also worth recalling that before the pandemic, in 2019, tourists spent significantly less in Poland – just under PLN 68 billion.
Three regions account for almost half of the tourism market
GUS’s experimental data provide not only nationwide estimates of tourist spending, but also a breakdown by individual regions. This shows that during the first half of the year, tourists spent the most in the Małopolskie region (PLN 7.2 billion), Mazowieckie (PLN 6.7 billion) and Dolnośląskie (PLN 4.1 billion).
Together, these three regions accounted for more than 44% of total tourist spending. At the other end of the scale are regions such as Opolskie, Świętokrzyskie and Lubuskie, where tourists spent almost half as much in total as they did in Dolnośląskie alone.
Accommodation accounts for just under 30% of tourist spending
Importantly, these estimates cover only trips lasting at least two days, meaning trips for which accommodation was also required. This does not mean, however, that tourists spent the previously mentioned nearly PLN 41 billion on hotels or guesthouses during the first half of the year.
Based on GUS data, it can be estimated that accommodation accounts, on average, for just under 30% of tourists’ travel budgets. In 2025, according to estimates by 5S Invest, accommodation accounted for approximately 29% of total tourist spending.
If this year’s figures follow a similar pattern, it can already be estimated that tourists spent around PLN 12 billion on accommodation by the end of June – and this was before the summer holiday period was taken into account.
If the stronger market conditions seen this year compared with 2025 continue in the coming months, tourists could spend more than PLN 30 billion on accommodation in 2026. This would be a record and would represent an increase of more than ten percent compared with 2025.
Once again, however, this depends on the increased demand for accommodation continuing throughout the second half of the year. Although July data suggest that the market is moving in this direction, it is still far too early to make such a forecast with certainty.
5S Invest Analysis Team
