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| Europejski Fundusz Hipoteczny President and CEO Miroslaw Wierzbowski |
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Polish hotel investment company Europejski Fundusz Hipoteczny has experienced very robust growth for more than a decade as the country emerges as one of the more popular business and tourist destinations in Europe thanks to its consistently growing economy and rich cultural heritage.
"Poland has great potential for golf courses. We are one of the biggest countries in Europe and we only have 18 golf resources. Finland has about 400 golf courses, so Poland has the capacity to build many more. I believe that if we have more golf courses in Poland, then more tourists will come," says President and CEO Miroslaw Wierzbowski.
With 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites, Poland is becoming increasingly popular among tourists from around the world. In fact, the country has yet to reach its full potential.
"According to the Hotel Market Report for 2007, there are only 35 hotel beds for every 10,000 inhabitants in Poland. For that same ratio, the Czech Republic has 220 beds and Austria has 703," says Wierzbowski.
Europejski Fundusz Hipoteczny is developing property around Poland in Warsaw, Zakopane, Leba, Worliny, Bochnia, Kazimierz Dolny, Falenty and Mikolajki.
"Mazuria is a region known for lakes and we’re developing a golf course there as well as apartments and a hotel. We also have a project in Malbork, which has the biggest castle in Europe. We call these special destination areas," says Wierzbowski.
"We are also focusing on Mikolajki because The World Rally Championship will be held there and the local government built a special racetrack for this event," he adds.
While Poland’s tourism industry has shown huge potential, it still is a developing market and thus needs foreign investment.
Another reason for strong growth in the Polish tourism industry is the UEFA European Football Championship to be held in six Polish cities in 2012.
"I believe that having more international investors will truly help. Having lived in Japan, I know that Japanese investors will make perfect partners for us. They make up the majority of the tourist population of the world and are avid fans of golf," says Wierzbowski.
www.efh.com.pl
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