górne tło

Regional Operational Programme for the Malopolska Region

Project Name: Museum product for selected cities around the world - promotion of museum routes in Europe

Business tourism is currently gaining more and more importance and has been developing more dynamically since Polish accession to the European Union. This branch of tourism economy is very important and, at the same time, very profitable. It may contribute to the economic development of the City and the region. Wishing to match foreign cities, Polish cities should develop this kind of tourism, create tourist products and intensively promote them.

What is of general importance to the economic development of the City and the region is the skilful undertaking of measures in the area of territorial marketing, including the proper selection and application of promotion tools.

Taking into consideration the above-mentioned aspects as well as the observed development tendencies in cultural and business tourism throughout the world, the City of Krakow prepared the 'Museum product for selected cities around the world - promotion of museum routes in Europe' project aimed at the promotion of Krakow with the Krakow museum routes. The project acquired the co-financing from the European Union resources. It was executed by the specially established project team operating at the Krakow Convention Bureau. The Programme Committee was also created to give advice on matters concerning the execution of this venture. The project was addressed to potential cultural and business tourists. The addressees included tourists from European countries for whom the cultural and business trips to Krakow provided an opportunity and a natural pretext to learn about its cultural heritage. The project was developed, for example, for the participants of congresses and conferences, as well as organisers of business meetings who look for original interiors and spaces, and attractive offers of spending free time. The project's recipients are the organisers and participants of congresses, conferences and business meetings, tour operators and tourists. The museum proposal was presented as six thematic routes: 'Krakow Museum Hits,' 'The Art of Young Poland,' 'Science and Knowledge Route,' 'Jewish Culture Route,' 'Life in the Past' and 'Castles in Małopolska,' and special museum offer addressed to business tourists. Over 100,000 promotional materials were completed to cover the above-mentioned issues concerning museums. The most important publication is the 'Museums - meeting offer' folder presenting the offer concerning the organisation of conferences, banquets, motivational events and other business meetings in museums.

The conducted ventures included multimedia presentations in ten European cities: Paris, London, Berlin, Bratislava, Vienna, Stockholm, Brussels, Cordova, Prague and Turin.

The key part of the project's execution was the advertising campaign for Krakow and Krakow museum routes carried out via Internet portals and trade press in ten European countries: Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Slovakia. The main goal of the campaign's execution was to promote Krakow with the use of Krakow museum routes as an attractive product for cultural and business tourism, and thus to increase the number of such tourists in our city and raise the number of organised congresses, conferences and motivational events. Specific goals included the establishment of an attractive and recognisable regional tourist product, Krakow museum routes, within the Krakow metropolitan area; the recognition of Krakow as an attractive place for business tourism, that is organisation of congresses, conferences, exhibitions and motivational events by the promotion of unique interiors of Krakow museums, their resources and opportunities provided by them; and strengthening of the Krakow's image as a city of culture and a centre of business tourism.

The advertising campaign took advantage of media dealing, for example, with urban, cultural and business tourism, and the leading tourist trade portals. The campaign was carried out in September and October, and covered 12 press titles and 23 Internet websites.

The project climaxed at the three-day international conference (16th - 18th September 2010) entitled 'The Time of Museums - Meet Live History' that was attended by about 350 participants from more than 20 countries operating on the market of tourist services and shaping tendencies in the global tourism, representatives of museums from large European cities, meeting planners, guides and journalists. Apart from the presentation of the tourist potential of the Małopolska Region and Krakow, its participants learnt about the offer of Krakow museums, as well as their products and methods of their promotion abroad. Discussions referred to the share of public sector in tourist promotion of museums and the model museum offer for a business client. The speakers included representatives of the UN World Tourism Organisation and the European Cities Marketing.

Apart from the above-mentioned ventures, the project also involved the design of the Krakow museums' logo, advertising spot, creation of advertising campaign and the www.museum.krakow.travel website with five language versions (the website is primarily to promote the offer of the Krakow museums).

The figure below presents the Krakow museums' logo that will also be used by museums after the project's completion.

Figure 2. Logotype of Krakow museums. The next figure presents the creation of the advertising campaign and the visualisation of promotional materials.

Figure 3. Creation of the advertising campaign promoting the Krakow museum routes and visualisation of promotional materials.

The project's execution has received honorary patronage of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO/OMT), European Travel Commission (ETC), President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Minister of Sports and Tourism, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and President of the Polish Tourism Organisation.

What was particularly essential for the project's execution was the preparation of the 'Partnership between museums and business tourism organisers as the challenge for the 21st century' scientific study. The objective of the study was to show the essence of partnership between museums and business tourism organisers operating on the Krakow market.

To sum up, one needs to state that the execution of the above-mentioned project will definitely contribute to strengthening the Krakow's image as an attractive place for both business and cultural tourists, while the idea of partnership embraced and continued as part of business and cultural tourism by all its participants may also bring measurable benefits to our City.

Total cost of the project: PLN 1 687 000,00
Co-financing: PLN 1 040 250,00
Own contribution of the City of Krakow: PLN 646 750,00

The oficial website of the project: www.museums.krakow.travel

Persons to contact:
Project Manager:
Beata Paliś
e-mail. Beata.Palis(at)um.krakow.pl

Coordinator of the conference:
Magdalena Jędrzejowska
Tel. +4812 616 60 72
e-mail: Magdalena.Jedrzejowska(at)um.krakow.pl

Coordinator for promotion and public relations:
Wioletta Wolak
Tel. +4812 616 60 53
Mobile: +48 519 533 196
e-mail: Wioletta.Wolak(at)um.krakow.pl

Internet Coordinator:
Marcin Drobisz
Tel. +4812 616 60 51
Mobile: +48 519 533 194
e-mail: Marcin.Drobisz(at)um.krakow.pl

Financial Coordinator:
Małgorzata Skowron
Tel. +4812 616 19 51
e-mail: Malgorzata.Przygorska-Skowron(at)um.krakow.pl

Other:
Dominika Witkowicz
Tel. +4812 616 19 46
e-mail: Dominika.Wikowicz(at)um.krakow.pl