ECEAT-Poland (European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism) has been pioneering agritourism as an opportunity for Polish small-scale eco-farmers for fifteen years. It was established in 1993 and registered in January 1994. Along with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, Turkey and Holland, it is a member of ECEAT-INTERNATIONAL.

Today’s growing interest in agritourism offers a broad range of opportunities for landowners and rural communities alike. Our mission is to promote organic farming through ecological tourism and enhance farmers’ ecological awareness.
ECEAT-Poland members are certified organic farmers who offer farm stays, home-cooked meals, camping areas, farm-animal petting zoos, hiking and bird watching as well as food produced with the use of organic systems.

Today’s fast-paced lifestyles are driving travellers’ preferences for visits to rural areas. That’s where agritourism comes in. For guests, farm visits offer a unique experience as farms are alive with sound, smell and character.

Our goal is to promote tourism in eco-farms, enhance pro-environmental behaviours, develop an understanding and appreciation for the natural, cultural, historical and environmental assets of the land and the people working on it.

We are an international organisation, thus a large number of tourists visiting our farms are foreigners, mainly from Holland, UK and Belgium.

More and more people are interested in immersing themselves in agricultural-related experiences and in buying agricultural products. They are looking for a change in climate and scenery, a slower pace, cleaner air, quieter surroundings. Below are just a few of the letters and e-mails ECEAT-Poland farmers have received from their guests:

“We have come back here again and found what we’ve been looking for: peaceful and quiet holiday in a natural setting, lovely hosts and fabulous Polish food. Thank you.”

“Beautiful place, breathtaking views, great hospitality”

“We thought we lived in a quiet place but it is here that we have found a truly pristine nature and a world that seems untouched by civilisation.

ECEAT-Poland has so far successfully completed many projects promoting organic farming, ecological awareness, new forms of village-town interaction and local community diversification and enhancement through ecotourism. In light of the large number of female-headed households, we have promoted the economic and social empowerment of women (Stryszów Project). We know that many travellers look for experiences that stir emotions so we promote hiking, cycling and horse riding in the Karkonosze and Carpathians and encourage farmers to organise music and craft-related activities (wood carving, clay modeling and casting). We also help an innovative consortium of the owners of ecology-friendly farms called “Domy Zielone Porta Lubavia” to improve the quality and diversity of their tourism services, thus building up the reputation of the “Domy Zielone Porta Lubavia” brand.

We also support experience sharing among farmers from France (Provence), Romania (Transylvania) and Poland (the Beskids and Sudety Mountains regions) and organise training sessions for agritourism trainers.

ECEAT-Poland is a multi award winning organisation. In 2001 we won the prestigious “Tourism for Tomorrow” award in recognition of best practice in sustainable tourism, being selected from among 150 organisations from 48 countries.

In the opinion of the jury, our project called “Ecotourism on organic farms” was a model one, combining four key elements: ecology, education, tourism and agriculture.

While agritourism may still be new to some, it has been practised by ECEAT-Poland members for several years, so if you are looking for a perfect way to truly discover the beautiful rural regions, see your surroundings in perfect peace and want to spend some time living traditional rural lifestyles, far from tourist crowds, there is no better way than to do so on one of the ECEAT-Poland farms.