In light of the discussion surrounding the report ‘Polish Self-Portrait’, we wish to set the record straight regarding the role of the Polish Conference and Congress Association (SKKP) and the use of funds from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
On 5 June 2025, the SKKP signed an agreement with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism to carry out the public task ‘Poland Brand – Tourism Sub-Strategy’. The agreement was the result of an open call for tenders under the ‘Tourism Support Programme – 2025 Edition’.
The project comprised: the preparation of the document ‘Poland Brand Strategy – Tourism Sub-Strategy’, containing research and expert work: focus group studies, in-depth interviews, sentiment analysis – a cross-sectional analysis of tourists’ opinions, the preparation of a report on the focus group studies, the preparation of a brief summary of the strategy’s key assumptions and conclusions (executive summary); organising the ‘Future of the Poland Brand’ conference; organising expert workshops and discussion panels, as well as design thinking workshops; the participation of experts in work on the sub-strategy; and administrative tasks.
The grant amount utilised in the project totalled 179,738.19 PLN.
The report ‘Polaks: A Self-Portrait’ was not part of this public task; it was not commissioned by SKKP under the contract with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, nor was it funded as one of the project’s outputs.
In accordance with the contract, we were obliged to submit a full report on the implementation of the project by the end of January 2026. This report, together with the documents covered by the contract, was accepted by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
Dr Barbara Mróz-Gorgoń was the project’s subject-matter manager. Together with other experts, she was selected by us for this role as early as the stage when SKKP submitted its tender. The basis for the involvement of all subject-matter experts was their documented professional and academic experience, which corresponded to the scope and substantive objectives of the project.
The report ‘Polaks: A Self-Portrait’, which became the subject of public debate, was not a document commissioned under the SKKP’s contract with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, nor was it a document submitted by the Association to the Ministry as a result of, or as part of the settlement for, this grant.
