Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.
2024: Torun Sees Record Year Despite Challenges
Nearly 2.5 million tourists visited Toruń in 2024. This is a record number of tourists, which confirms the growing attractiveness of Toruń. The city also faces challenges in the form of additional parking spaces and public toilets.
“Looking at the tourism industry as an informal cluster, we in Toruń must be aware that it is almost the third employer in our city, which shows that this sector is very important and looking at the number of entities in Toruń, we can safely say that Toruń is a tourist city,” said the deputy mayor of Toruń Adma Szponka.
On March 26, 2025, the results of the tourist traffic monitoring in 2024 were announced. Toruń recorded a record number of nearly 2.5 million tourists last year. The challenges facing the city are providing adequate infrastructure, in particular parking spaces and public toilets, to meet the growing demand and ensure maximum comfort for visitors.
So what kind of tourist visits Toruń the most? The study reveals the dominance of domestic tourists aged 27-40, travelling individually or with family, with the main purpose of sightseeing and relaxation. Toruń is also increasingly a place where people spend more than one day and arrive in the city by car or train, spending an average of PLN 181 (Polish tourist). In Toruń, tourists feel safe.
“We have returned to the magic number of 2.5 million tourists and that is pleasing. Since December 2, 2024, the Tourism Development Office has been operating within the structures of the Toruń City Hall, and it is focused on cooperation with the tourism industry and the development of tourism in our city. Since February, we have been meeting with representatives of the tourism industry: with managers of Toruń tourist attractions, with tourist guides, with hoteliers, and yesterday we had a meeting with entrepreneurs selling souvenirs and gingerbread. We are collecting comments that are very consistent with what the report presented,” said Ewa Banaszczuk-Kisiel, director of the Tourism Development Office of the Toruń City Hall. “As an office, we have also returned to trips to fairs and this year, together with the Polish Tourist Organization, in March we were in Berlin at the largest fair in Europe, ITB, and at the Road Show in the Czech Republic. This shows that we notice those destinations where people are interested in Toruń and Poland and we bring them closer to the attractions of our city.”
The report on monitoring tourist traffic analyses the use of various forms of tourist services, such as catering, accommodation and guide services, emphasizing the high level of satisfaction with catering. At the same time, it indicates the need for further development and modernization of other elements of infrastructure to meet the growing demand.
“For 20 years, the Tourist Information Centre in Toruń has been conducting research on tourist traffic in the city. Every year, we update the list of all accommodation facilities in Toruń, including apartments,” said Mateusz Ruciński from the Tourist Information Centre in Toruń. “At the end of 2024, there were almost 9 thousand beds in Toruń. Which indicates an increase compared to previous years.”
What will we learn from the report?
92.3% of tourists in 2024 were Poles, and 7.7% were foreign tourists. Among foreign tourists, the most numerous were Germans (32.7%) and British (28.8%). Other significant groups came from the Czech Republic and Sweden.
The majority of domestic tourists (21.8%) came from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, followed by the Masovian Voivodeship (11.8%) and the Greater Poland Voivodeship (also 11.8%). The largest age group among domestic tourists in 2024 was the 27-40 age group (38.2%), followed by 19-26 age group (26.9%). The largest age group among foreign tourists was the 27-40 age group (35.9%), followed by 41-50 age group (24.5%).
Tourists come to Toruń by car (44.2% in 2024) or by train (36.6%). The main purpose of the visit was sightseeing (79%), followed by relaxation (65.1%). Other reasons include visiting loved ones (16.6%), shopping and business trips.
Foreign tourists were more likely to have longer stays (66.7% of stays lasting several days), while domestic tourists were more evenly distributed between short (50.4%) and longer stays (49.6%). Overall, 50.9% of tourists had short stays.
The report also includes data on tourist satisfaction with various aspects of Toruń, such as the availability of parking, friendliness of residents, the atmosphere of the city and tourist signage. This data includes numerical ratings from surveys conducted among domestic and foreign tourists. Specific areas of dissatisfaction are also indicated.
The average expenditure per person during the stay in different years was analyzed, showing the fluctuations over time and the differences between domestic and foreign tourists. The average in 2024 was PLN 181 for domestic tourists and PLN 330 for foreign tourists.
The number of tourists visiting Toruń increased significantly in the years covered by the report, reaching 2.487 million in 2024, over 300 thousand more than in 2023. A similar number of tourists (as in 2024) was registered in 2019.
Toruń Fair Offers Free Admission
Once again, the Toruń Free Fair will be hosted at the New Town Square. The local products market - healthy food and handicrafts - will take place next Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 10:00 to 15:00.
Regardless of the weather, the Toruń Free Fair attracts crowds of customers to the New Town Square. The Healthy Life Foundation and the Toruń City Center Office invite you this coming Sunday for honestly produced, healthy food, original handicrafts and ecological products: home-made cold cuts, cheeses, traditional bread and sweet pastries, natural cosmetics, vegetarian and vegan delicacies.
The fair takes place in the New Town Square every two weeks, always on Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
From April – every two weeks – we invite you to the same place for Toruń's Vinted, or the Toruń Flea Market. A fair promoting the idea of giving second life to clothes and everyday objects. Concerts, a performance by Jerzy Mazzola, a chillout zone, coffee and good food are announced.
If you want to clean up your closets or give things a second life in the spirit of zero waste, please contact the organizer – the Healthy Life Foundation: jarmark@chwast.org .
Vistula River Cruise in Toruń Now Open for Registration
Registration for the rafting walk and Vistula whip cruise has started. The event, part of the "I love Toruń - Discover Toruń anew" campaign, will take place on April 5, 2025. Participation is free of charge.
We invite you to a presentation of rafting traditions strongly associated with Toruń. These - like the Toruń Old Town - have been entered on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. During the walking tour, we will visit, among others, the skipper's chapel (St. Barbara) in the Cathedral of St. Johns, the monument of a raftsman in the Old Town Market Square. The walking part of the tour will be led by an expert in the history of Toruń, guide Paweł Bukowski. The finale will be a rafting trip on the Vistula whips. Participants of the tour will board the boats on the Philadelphia Boulevard at the height of the Sailors' Gate. During the cruise, the Toruń raftsmen will talk about rafting customs, the river and the reconstruction of the boat. We will listen to stories of people who love the Vistula and Toruń, who are eager to share their knowledge about history and nature.
The start of the walking rally - Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the Flisak monument in the Old Town Square. Registration required - registration link .
Association is free of charge.
Counterfeit Chinese Pottery Threatens Bolesławiec Tradition
Trading platforms offer cheap ceramics made in China. What does the president of Zakłady Ceramiczne "BOLESŁAWIEC" have to say about this?
Recently, products that look very similar to original Bolesławiec pottery have started to appear on a large e-commerce platform (online trade). On the website, you can find plates, platters, vases, and even mugs that differ from authentic products of Zakłady Ceramiczne "BOLESŁAWIEC" only in minor details. What's more, the price of these fakes is very low - for example, an original mug, pattern ART-296, costs PLN 88.09 on the company's website, while a similar product produced in Guangdong, China, is available for only PLN 34.54.
Global market versus local tradition and handcrafted decoration
The international marketplace, founded in 2022 in Boston, allows consumers to access affordable products from millions of sellers and manufacturers around the world. This strategy gives Chinese manufacturers the ability to distribute their mass-produced products to global markets, which puts local manufacturers in a difficult position.
Opinion of the Ceramic Plant "BOLESŁAWIEC"
The President of Zakłady Ceramiczne "Bolesławiec”, Arkadiusz Grzesikowski , commented on the situation on the ceramics market:
When it comes to China, it is a global market with lower production prices. Bolesławiec produces by hand, which is an added value, but it is associated with higher prices. The Chinese market can certainly steal customers, but not premium customers. We have an advantage when it comes to quality - handicraft is culture, art. Chinese products are mass-produced, often in violation of certain laws. We will definitely not match them in terms of price. When it comes to distribution, China is ahead, and we have limited opportunities in this fight.
For Grzesikowski, emphasising authenticity and tradition is key. According to the president, in the premium segment, where the customer expects not only a product but also history and handicraft, Bolesławiec pottery remains unmatched. However, Zakłady Ceramiczne must invest in marketing to educate consumers and promote the uniqueness of their products.
“It is hard for us to match China in terms of price and distribution, but when it comes to tradition, premium segment, handicraft, they are unable to match us. Here, Bolesławiec has an advantage over them, in terms of unique designs and quality. We must strongly focus on marketing the authenticity of our products, emphasize their traditional production and development of online sales,” adds Arkadiusz Grzesikowski.
The problem of counterfeiting in international markets
The price differences between original products and counterfeits are huge. Mass production in China allows for lower costs, which translates into much lower retail prices. However, as CEO Grzesikowski notes, this price advantage does not translate into full replacement of traditional products.
“The Chinese market, as we know, is a market that is difficult to fight when it comes to counterfeiting. No such giants have failed when it comes to counterfeiting, and we as a company have limited possibilities, whether financial or legal, to compete strongly with it. We simply have to focus on our own authenticity and tradition. We must educate the customer with a product that is from a completely different shelf,” emphasizes the president of Zakłady Ceramiczne.
The Future Direction – Authenticity and Marketing
In conclusion, although counterfeits of Bolesławiec pottery from China pose a real challenge, the original products still have an advantage in terms of quality, tradition and uniqueness. It will be crucial for Zakłady Ceramiczne to continue investing in promotion and education of consumers so that they appreciate the value of true handicraft.
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