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Post by Jaga on Mar 9, 2014 23:08:53 GMT -7
Polish newspapers are writing how many hits this short youtube movie has.... and it does show beautiful scenery but, it is not realistic. There are some places on the movie which I visited, but it was hard for me to recognize it, since it was so perfect.
I miss the pictures or real Polish villages, it shows either mountains, Baltic coast, some cities (starting with German-style Gdansk). See and let me know what do you think:
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Post by pieter on Mar 10, 2014 11:56:00 GMT -7
Jaga,
Most of these smooth, touristic movies to show a country for tourists are unrealistic, because they show a farytale image of a country, without the charm of the real life, the real people and the fact that time has reshaped places. These polished images only show a part of the country to attract tourists. I can't blame the tourist offices for doing that. It's their bread. But we know that the real Poland is different. This looks more like a compilation of Scotland, Ireland, Croatia, Belgium and Germany. It has no specific Polish atmopshere. I would have made a different movie. Poland, like the Czech republic, Hungary and the Baltic states is a relatively new Western country with 'Freedom and Democracy'. Part of that free society is that it is easier commercially, social-cultural and human-entertainmentwise accesable for tourists than it was during the communist (or 'socialist') times of the Polish Peoples republic. To attract Western tourists from Western-Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia and other Western countries, Polish Tourist organisations will use marketing techniques, destination branding of that Western people they want to attract. This tourist video is specific directed towards American, British and Western tourists in general I think. The video looks similar to touristic video's of other countries. Or slightly different. In the same time Poland attracted and attracts wealthy Ukrainian and Russian tourists from the Ukrainian and Russian middle classes and high classes. In Krakow in 2004 the signs in trams and busses were in three languages; Polish, English and Russian. Krakow is a very tourist friendly place and will grow as a touristic city, due to it's historical significance, it's cultural character, it's excellent horeca (restaurants, hotels, pubs and café's), it's good public transport (busses, trams and taxi's) and because it is simply an attractive city with nice shops, good supermarkets and music too. Krakow is the Prague and Budapest of Poland.
Here some other examples:
This isn't the Germany I know, it shows a tiny part of Germany. But tourists love it!
Like this video says nothing about the Netherlands at all. Also a touristic add.
I love to go to authentic places in other countries. Often that are places where no tourists go. I don't like mass tourism. These video's are directed at mass tourism. About 'Poland is beautiful'; It is a beautiful panoramic short video of nearly 5 minutes for eco-tourists, sport tourists and nature lovers who want to go to Poland for it's woods, lakes, mountains and far off destinations. I like to see a country like you see a good Art House movie: "American, Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, French or German, that doesn't matter." Looking at countries and places like good photographers, photojournalists and moviemakers gave me more of an insight than to go to touristic destinations or behaving like a tourist. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate or dislike tourists! In the contrary. Where I grew up in the South-West of my country German tourism, Belgian-, French- and Dutch tourism brought great wealth and prosperity. And tourists enjoying their time there, using our horeca, our shops and supermarkets and buying local arts & crafts products and art of professional artists stimulated and supported the local economy. So I like tourism, will defend tourism and actually as a journalist and person spoke in favor of tourism. I hope for Poland that it's tourist industry works well and that Poland attracts good tourists and that these tourists will attract other good tourists via Marketing buzz. You attract strangers via an initial advertisement, you make friends of these strangers, because you gave them good serice, qualtiy and a good stay. These friends become your clients, and these clients become your best ambassador's. Quality tourism, cultural tourism, business tourism -combining work with holidays-, and various kinds of tourism in general are important for Poland. If Poland is an attractive place to stay with a good hospitality, good hotels and restaurants and pubs, congress halls, internet facilities (Wifi/free acces to internet), luxery shopping malls, wellness centers and a business hub for central-Europe, it will attract tourists. And I know Poland is a good place to go from only two experiences in the 'New Poland'. Krakow 2004 and Warsaw 2006. Two weeks, one week in each city. And they made me an ambassador of Modern Poland. To my Dutch compatriots: "He folks I have been to Poland, it is a great place to stay. Modern, but with historical interesting places to go, good horeca, good internet facilities -for instance-, very nice and friendly people (hospitable), and a wonderful culture." "It is a great alternative for Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey, the holiday destinations you usually go to as Dutch people." Most countries in Europe don't want low budget tourism (backpackers, and busloads of drunken British, Dutch, German or Russian tourists), they want families, older people who spend money (elder couples) and business travels (-combined with tourism -like short inland journey's, Museum visits and going to art galleries-). Amsterdam for instance was fed up a decade ago of attracting to much low budget tourists and invested in quality tourism, to attract more high income tourist. They invested in the city infrastructure and reshaped shabby neighborhoods in the centre.
This smooth Polish touristic video is very beautiful from an esthetic, perspective, image point of view, but not from a historical, cultural, anthropological, sociological, Polish (Humanistic and Roman-Catholic), political (what is in the best interest of Poland) and authentic point of view. Because like you pointed out Jaga, it lacks the Polish quintessence, the Polish atmosphere, the Polish cosyness, the typical Polish charm of Polish towns, cities and villages and the Polish cultural landscape (created by centuries of work of Polish farmers), the Polish reality of Poland today (the Polish society of 2014 with the Polish people of 2014). It is more a beautiful environmental movie, which could have been shot in Slovakia, Lithuania, Czech republic, few of the very beautiful places in Germany, Belgium, France or even Great-Britain.
Cheers,
Pieter
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Post by Jaga on Mar 10, 2014 21:52:28 GMT -7
Pieter,
I agree, some people commented this video in similar way - it does not show a specificity of the country, it is so general and perfectly beautiful without any atmosphere!
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Post by kaima on Mar 11, 2014 0:22:15 GMT -7
Pieter, I agree, some people commented this video in similar way - it does not show a specificity of the country, it is so general and perfectly beautiful without any atmosphere! Sadly I must agree. It was beautiful, but I did not watch it to the end. Kai PS. For my purposes it would have been far more interesting if the sights had been identified and region identified. Then I might have put some on my 'to do' list. That happened with the Slovak Paradise. I bought a really impressive picture book on it a long time ago; it was another 5 years perhaps before my first visit, but I have been back to visit 5 times or so since. |
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