The summer holidays of 2025 brought a clear revival on the Polish Baltic coast. According to the latest data from Statistics Poland (Główny Urząd Statystyczny), in July and August 2025 the coastal areas welcomed 2.1 million tourists, who in total used 9.0 million overnight stays. Compared with the previous year, this represents solid growth – 6% in the number of tourists and 3.3% in the number of overnight stays.
This is a continuation of the recovery trend in domestic seaside tourism which, after years of slowdown and economic fluctuations, is once again attracting both Polish and foreign visitors.
Coastal municipalities – a small area with major tourism importance
According to Eurostat’s methodology, Poland’s coastal areas include 55 municipalities located in the following voivodeships:
- Pomeranian (26 municipalities),
- West Pomeranian (23 municipalities),
- Warmian-Masurian (6 municipalities).
Although they cover only 2.5% of the country’s territory, they generate more than one fifth of all tourist traffic during the summer holidays. They are home to around 1.6 million residents, which also illustrates the pressure placed on local infrastructure in the high season.
Accommodation base: more properties, more beds, strong seasonality
At the end of July 2025, the coastal areas had 2,437 tourist accommodation establishments in operation – this accounts for 21.9% of the entire accommodation base in Poland, meaning every fifth tourist facility in the country.
Key observations:
- 66% of establishments operate seasonally, while the national figure is only about 30%.
- The year-on-year growth in the number of establishments was 4% (93 additional facilities).
- The largest group consisted of guest rooms/private lodgings (929 facilities, 38%).
- Holiday resorts (424) and holiday cottage complexes (276) also played an important role.
- The share of hotels remains much lower than in the country as a whole: 10.3% at the seaside vs. 23.7% in Poland overall.
Accommodation capacity
In 2025, the coastal areas offered 238,200 bed places, or 26.9% of all bed places in Poland – 9,600 more than a year earlier.
The highest capacities were provided by:
- holiday resorts – 71,500 places (30%),
- hotels – 44,500 places (18.7%),
- guest rooms/private lodgings – 28,500 places (12%).
Importantly, the average seaside establishment was larger than the national average:
98 bed places vs. 80 bed places in Poland overall.
Tourists: rising demand and a growing share of foreign visitors
Who spent their holidays by the sea?
- 2.1 million tourists in July and August 2025 (1.0 million in July and 1.1 million in August).
- This represents 21.7% of all tourists staying overnight in Poland in that period.
- 81.4% were domestic tourists, while 18.6% were foreign visitors.
Year-on-year dynamics (2024 → 2025):
- domestic tourists: +5.6%,
- foreign tourists: +8.0%.
Most foreign guests came from:
- Germany – 198,700 (50.3% of all foreign tourists),
- Czechia – 29,200,
- Sweden – 24,500,
- Norway – 20,400.
This structure confirms that the Polish coast remains particularly attractive for visitors from the Baltic Sea region and culturally close countries.
Overnight stays: 9 million bookings and increasingly longer holidays
In July and August 2025 there were:
- 9.0 million overnight stays (31.6% of all overnight stays in Poland),
- a year-on-year increase of 3.3%.
Domestic tourists accounted for 7.7 million overnight stays, while foreign tourists used 1.3 million.
The largest numbers of overnight stays among foreign visitors were recorded for:
- Germans – 770,400 (60%),
- Czechs – 112,600,
- Swedes – 53,100.
Length of stay
- at the seaside: 4.2 nights per person,
- national average: 2.9 nights.
This shows that the Baltic coast remains a destination for longer holidays compared to other regions of the country.
Use of bed places – better than the national average
In 2025 the utilisation rates were:
- July: 60.7% (Poland: 50.2%),
- August: 61.9% (Poland: 53.1%).
These utilisation levels are close to record seasons and point to stable demand regardless of changes in prices, infrastructure or weather conditions.
Kołobrzeg and Gdańsk as undisputed tourism leaders
Kołobrzeg – number one on the Baltic
- 985,800 overnight stays,
- 176,400 tourists,
- per 100 residents there were 423 tourists and 2,229 overnight stays.
Kołobrzeg remains a leader both in spa tourism and in typical summer holiday travel.
Gdańsk – second place with rapidly growing traffic
- 952,500 overnight stays,
- 372,000 tourists,
- per 100 residents there were 72 tourists.
For years, Gdańsk has seen dynamic development of its hotel stock and tourism services, attracting a growing number of city-break visitors and foreign guests.
Other top holiday municipalities in 2025
| Municipality | Overnight stays (thousand) | Y/Y dynamics | Share in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rewal | 683.8 | +15.1% | 7.6% |
| Władysławowo | 559.1 | –2.4% | 6.2% |
| Mielno | 555.7 | +4.1% | 6.2% |
| Świnoujście | 529.1 | +5.2% | 5.9% |
| Ustronie Morskie | 413.5 | +3.9% | 4.6% |
| Kołobrzeg (rural municipality) | 408.5 | +4.6% | 4.6% |
| Międzyzdroje | 402.6 | +9.0% | 4.5% |
| Łeba | 368.8 | +35.4% | 4.1% |
Łeba gained the most – a year-on-year increase of 35.4% makes it one of the biggest winners of the 2025 season.
In total, these municipalities accounted for more than 60% of all overnight stays in the coastal areas.
Conclusions and outlook: the Baltic Sea is gaining importance despite competition
The data analysis shows that:
- the Polish seaside is steadily increasing its share of domestic tourism, both in terms of the number of tourists and the number of accommodation facilities.
- foreign visitors have returned in greater numbers, especially from Germany.
- the increase in accommodation supply has not halted the growth in occupancy, which indicates rising demand.
- the average length of stay at the seaside is clearly higher than the national average, which is crucial for local revenues.
- competition between municipalities is intensifying, while the leaders – Kołobrzeg, Gdańsk, Rewal – are strengthening their position through investments in infrastructure and a comprehensive tourism offering.
Summary
The summer season of 2025 confirmed the dominance of the Polish coast in domestic tourism. The growing number of tourists, the expanding accommodation base and the rising interest from foreign visitors all indicate that the Baltic Sea is consistently building its brand as an attractive, dynamic region that is well prepared for high occupancy levels.
