Almost 450 travel agents and tour operators took part in the first online training course for the Italian market, Polonia Specialist, organised by the Polish Tourism Organisation in Rome. The workshops were designed in the innovative format of 10 training modules and quizzes about Poland.

The participants of the Polonia Specialist course, which was run by the Polish Tourism Organisation International Office in Rome, had the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of Poland, from basic practical knowledge, through a variety of tourism products, to options for creating unique routes for future clients. The modules, each covering a different topic, presented Poland’s major historical cities, its cultural and UNESCO-recognised offering, nature tourism, religious tourism, active tourism, thermal spring and spa facilities, and gastronomy.

Completion of the course was rewarded with Polonia Specialist certificates; eight travel agents among those who completed the process successfully have been chosen for an autumn study visit to Poznań and the Wielkopolska region, organised in association with the Poznań Local Tourism Organisation and the Wielkopolska Tourism Organisation.

The Polonia Specialist course was very well received by the Italian tourism sector; it was promoted through many different channels: newsletters, banners, news briefs and articles in trade journals as well as social media. In all, the message about Poland reached over 6.5 million users.