Poland welcomes Middle Eastern tourists with AI-generated Arabic signs

Signs in Arabic, created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), have appeared around the Polish mountain resort town of Zakopane as local businesses prepare for a record number of tourists from the Middle East this year, reports Notes from Poland.

Zakopane, located at the foot of Poland’s southern Tatra Mountains, has become a popular destination for Arab visitors. Last year, they were the largest group of foreign tourists, and this year bookings are even higher. “We have around 20 per cent more reservations from this direction [the Middle East] than in the same period last year,” Karol Wagner of the Tatra Chamber of Commerce was quoted as saying.

Visitors from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait dominate among Arab tourists in Zakopane, Wagner told Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Arab tourists in the mountain resort of Zakopane have been giving local Polish children money as they celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha with its tradition of gift-giving.

The Tatra mountains are a popular destination for Arab visitors to Poland https://t.co/9WfURZaJoZ

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 14, 2019

In anticipation of visitors from the Gulf – who are bigger spenders than Polish or other European tourists – local businesses have prepared Arabic-language material, including signs advertising halal food. Poland is notable for being one of Europe’s biggest producers of halal and kosher meat.

“This is a consequence of the innate skill of Podhale entrepreneurs combined with the most modern AI solutions,” added Wagner. “Thanks to tools that enable error-free communication in Arabic, we can create ads, menus and information in Arabic quickly and completely free of charge.”

Initially, there was some apprehension among locals when Arab tourists began to arrive. “Everyone is first afraid of something they don’t know,” said Agata Wojtowicz, head of Zakopane county council. Now, these visitors are welcomed. “These billboards [in Arabic] are another step in our flexibility,” she added.

The influx of Middle Eastern tourists has helped fill the gap left by the absence of Belarusian and Russian visitors following the war in Ukraine. Emilia Glista from a local marketing agency noted the positive impact on local tourism. Moreover, Arab tourists are also showing interest in the northern Baltic coast, with inquiries from Saudi Arabian citizens noted.

READ: Brazil looks to boost tourism from Muslim-majority countries