Skopje, 25 November 2022 (MIA) – The Agency for Promotion and Support of Tourism (APPT) is one of the participants in the 28th annual International Travel Show TT WARSAW in order to promote Macedonian tour destinations and increase the number of tourists coming in from the Polish tourist market. Over 50 countries and 450 exhibitors are taking part in the fair, as well as 130 tour operators and 20,000 visitors looking to pick an attractive holiday destination. The Polish tourist market, according to the APPT, is among the five fastest growing markets. Next year, the Agency expects an increase in Polish tourists of 15-20 percent. “In addition to the APPT, the co-exhibitors MakSan, Touring Macedonia, Experience Balkans and DMC Balkans are participating in the Macedonian stand, whose branding reflects the tourist destinations. At the invitation of the APPT, the Macedonian stand was visited by acting Ambassador Ilija Psaltirov. Several meetings were held with tour operators from Poland, and thanks to the cooperation with SIPPO, a Swiss export promotion program, a brochure was prepared with the participants of the Macedonian stand. This Info booklet has been sent as a promotional email to tourism entities through the ESEAT network in Poland. In cooperation with IME – the program meant for increasing market employability, 3D videos were made with the opportunity to show visitors the virtual reality of the beauties of North Macedonia. They will be able to virtually dive in the Bay of Bones, fly with a paraglider, etc.," the APPT says. From January to September this year, compared to the same period last year, a 16 percent increase in the number of tourists and 15 percent of overnight stays was recorded in the Polish tourist market. Polish tourists account for five percent of the total number of tourists in the country in the first nine months of the year. The APPT's promotional activities for increasing the number of Polish tourists, in addition to participation in events of the fair, include the realization of the first and second part of a media campaign, as well as informative trips for journalists, influencers and tour operators. And in the second part of the media campaign, the Agency plans to direct the promotion to electronic media, with 100 percent online advertising. “An analysis of visits to the website https://www.macedonia-timeless.com gives us information about the successful implementation of the online promotional campaign in the past period. The peak of visits to the website from Poland is in May and June, when the media campaign for the promotion of North Macedonia on the Polish tourist market was in progress. The total number of visits in the period January-October 2022 has increased by 48.9 percent compared to 2021," the APPT says. dk/ba/