Poland launches tourist checks for seniors and children to boost eastern regions

Poland's Ministry of Sport and Tourism is introducing tourist vouchers to stimulate the economy in eastern regions affected by the war in Ukraine. The program, dubbed "tourist checks," aims to encourage domestic travel between September 1 and November 30.

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The check is a tool for stimulating the economy, while a voucher is more associated with a gift, something given without an economic purpose.

Seniors over 60 and families with at least three children will be eligible for the vouchers, which can be used for hotel stays of at least two nights. The ministry has allocated 6 million Polish zloty for the development of the online platform to distribute these checks and for the accommodation services themselves. The total value of the checks is expected to reach 12 million zloty.

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The effect of the program will be to support the tourism industry in the regions by creating demand for services, which will translate into increased economic activity in the regions and have a lasting impact on the level of income generated in the regional economy.

Ireneusz Raś, secretary of state at the ministry, explained that the term "check" was chosen over "voucher" to emphasize its role in economic stimulation. He hopes the program will help rebuild the tourism potential of border areas and regions that have seen a decline in visitors and investment. If successful, Raś plans to seek funding to extend the initiative across the entire country next year, underscoring tourism's importance to Poland's gross domestic product, which he equates to defense spending at over 180 billion zloty annually.

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It is worth supporting the domestic tourism industry, which brings development to the economy and annually feeds the gross domestic product with a sum equal to defense spending, which is over 180 billion zloty.