Polish regions demand equitable share in proposed tourism tax funding

Eighteen municipalities in the Warmian‑Masurian voivodeship were awarded grants under the "Łączy nas turystyka" competition. The first round allocated a total of 300,000 zł to twelve projects, including bike‑stop facilities, green zones, and recreational infrastructure, while a second round provided an additional 120,000 zł for six reserve projects.

At a convention in Opole, voivodes from several Polish regions issued a joint statement on a draft tourism‑financing system. They argued that the proposed tourism fee, which would direct 80 % of revenues to gminas and 20 % to the Polish Tourism Organization, overlooks the substantial contributions of voivodeship and regional tourism bodies. The marshals called for the inclusion of regional entities in the distribution and suggested renaming the mechanism to a "fund for development and promotion of Polish tourism". They emphasized that the fee should be "universal, obligatory, enforceable, proportional, and based on a transparent and fair redistribution mechanism" and capable of supporting crisis‑related tourism interventions.