IT WILL BE A GOOD YEAR FOR WARSAW
Although 2023 is just getting started, there is no doubt that it will be an excellent year for Warsaw. Only a few days ago, Warsaw was awarded the prestigious title of European Best Destination 2023 (and several other awards, as described below), in a record-breaking edition of this international competition (more on that in a moment). And we, as very Warsaw-centric Breweries, are very happy to tell you what this success and the title won mean for the promotion of our city.
A RECORD-BREAKING EDITION, WORLDWIDE CONSISTENCY
Warsaw triumphed in an exceptional edition because of its turnout of votes. A record 686 244 votes were cast - nearly 25% more than in the record-breaking 2022 edition. What is more - for the first time in the 24-year history of this most important tourist competition, as many as 52% of the votes came from outside Europe! During this challenging edition, as many as 142,081 votes were cast for Warsaw from more than 135 countries around the world, which is the best result in the entire history of the competition! And when we mention that Athens (the runner-up) received 91 023 votes and the Polish capital left behind among others Prague, Vienna, London and Rhodes, you can realise the scale of the victory.
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WHAT MAKES WARSAW SO SUCCESSFUL?
By winning the title 'European Best Destination 2023' Warsaw has become a city that the press around the world will be writing about for weeks to come. The results of the competition are commented on in media such as Forbes USA, Condé Nast Travelers, National Geographic and Corriere Viaggi. As a result, this year Warsaw will be at the top of the recommended European destinations to visit. Winning this competition means that the city's reputation as an interesting tourist destination will be strengthened and the number of tourists visiting the winning cities will increase (from a dozen to several dozen percent). And after the pandemic and the outbreak of the war in the neighbouring country, this kind of growth is of tremendous importance for the city.
OTHER ‘BESTS’ IN OUR HANDS
In addition to the title "European Best Destination 2023", which was determined by this year's results of the competition, Warsaw was also recognised and awarded by the organiser in four other categories: "Best Cultural Destination", "Best Destination for Food Lovers", "Safest Destinations in Europe" and in the category "Best Destinations for a city break". And this is excellent news for, among others, Warsaw Breweries, because food lovers and fans of city breaks, are potential guests of the new culinary and entertainment heart of the Warsaw's Wola district. By the way, also in terms of "best cultural destination", Warsaw Breweries is no different from what is offered by other popular cultural scenes all over the capital during the holiday season.
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WHAT IS ALL THIS EUROPEAN BEST DESTINATION
"European Best Destination" is an organisation set up in 2009 to promote tourism and culture in European cities and regions, which organises their annual competition with the same name. The jury selects 21 of about 400 European destinations to the shortlist based on, among other things, the growth in popularity of these cities in social networks, growth in tourist numbers, quality of life indicators and year-round cultural offerings. In other words, only 5% of destinations is shortlisted. And that is quite a success. However, the fact that Warsaw received more than 20% of the votes in this record-breaking edition is a success which should make the residents and friends of Warsaw really proud.