Central Europe is not a monolith. When it comes to travel patterns in Saudi Arabia or Qatar, the differences between neighbors are staggering. While Czechs embrace the outdoor adventure, the Polish market is still largely dominated by generic coach tours. But this model is fading. Read my new blog post to understand the crucial shift towards "Soft Adventure" and "Slow Travel" among Polish clients, and how your DMC can adapt to stay ahead.

The Middle East smells of cardamom, hot asphalt, and—increasingly—the kind of money destined to transform the desert into a tourism paradise. Watching groups land in Doha or Jeddah, I witness a fascinating theater of differences.

We Poles still travel with baggage loaded with a certain anxiety. We like the exotic, as long as it is "tamed." Our Bedouin must speak English, the camel must be photogenic, and the hotel—crucially—must have its air conditioning set to arctic blast, so we can breathe after colliding with the Arabian heat. For years, the Polish offering for this region has been like a safe capsule: a coach bus, a Polish tour leader holding up a flag, quick photos at a monument, and a retreat back to the comfort zone. We were "ticking off" the Middle East instead of tasting it.

Meanwhile, right next door, at the same hummus table, sit our neighbors

The Czechs? They pulled their worn trekking boots out of their backpacks ages ago. For them, Saudi Arabia isn't about gleaming skyscrapers, but canyons and trails where you can lose your phone signal. They aren't afraid of dust. Where a Polish agency worries if a desert restroom meets standards, a Czech agency simply sends people into the mountains.

The Hungarians? They look at the world pragmatically, through the lens of the Wizz Air route map. They treat a flight to the Gulf like a trip to a shopping mall—fast, intense, without unnecessary philosophy.

But something is cracking. I see it in the questions that are asked more frequently once the dust from the "coach rally" settles.

Poles are starting to suffocate in the "see everything in 7 days" formula. The new generation, as well as the older, wealthier one, no longer wants to just look at the Orient through glass. They want to sit down. They want to drink that damn sweet mint tea and talk to the carpet seller, even if the conversation is in sign language. They want "slow travel," even if they don't call it that yet.

For tour operators wanting to send us to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, this is a turning point. The time for generic tours is over. If you want to buy us, don't sell us just another "5* Hotel." Sell us a story.

Give us a night in the desert, but one where the silence rings in our ears. Give us a "stopover" in Jeddah so we can get lost in the alleyways of Al Balad and then safely return to the airport. Allow us to feel a bit like explorers and a bit like aristocrats. Because we Poles like adventure, but the kind you can take a hot shower after.

Whoever understands this will win our hearts and wallets. The rest will be left on the bus, which is slowly driving off into the past.

• The end of the marathon approach. Fewer kilometers logged in a coach bus, more time for coffee in the shade of a date palm.
• Luxury isn't about golden door handles. Luxury is a private desert dinner and a guide who tells compelling stories instead of reciting Wikipedia.
• Courage. The Czechs are proving this region can be sold actively. Poles are ready for it too, it just needs to be delivered in safe packaging (so-called "Soft Adventure").

Saudi Arabia is opening its doors wide. The question is: will we, as an industry, enter along the old, beaten track, or dare to step off the worn path?

Because the client is already waiting for us there. Often tie-less, but with an appetite for real adventure.