Zakopane tourist bed capacity rises 60% over a decade to reach 48,500 registered places

Decade of accommodation growth

The number of registered tourist beds in Zakopane reached over 48,500 by the end of September 2026, marking a 60% increase compared to approximately 29,000 beds recorded in 2016. Municipal data indicates that unclassified accommodation facilities, which include private rooms, rental apartments, and mountain chalets, saw rapid growth throughout the year. Between January 2026 and late September 2026, operators registered more than 3,300 additional beds in the town. In January 2026, the municipal register contained 45,112 beds, whereas the total rose past 48,500 across 4,333 distinct properties nine months later. Apartments alone account for 6,031 tourist beds within the resort town under Mount Giewont.

Regional registers and categorised facilities

In addition to municipal records for unclassified lodging, the Marshal of the Małopolska Voivodeship maintains a separate registry for statutory categorised accommodation. This regional register includes hotels, guesthouses, motels, campsites, and mountain shelters. According to information released by the municipal office, the regional registry encompasses 61 categorised facilities in Zakopane, including 36 full-service hotels. Together, these categorised properties provide more than 6,000 beds for visitors. The overall accommodation stock in the resort consists of these regional hotel units alongside the much larger pool of municipally recorded private rentals.

Drivers of capacity expansion

City officials attribute the decade-long statistical surge to two distinct phenomena: physical investments after the pandemic and the legal formalisation of previously unrecorded properties. Town authorities noted renewed private capital moving into hospitality construction, which added newly constructed buildings to the town. At the same time, existing operators have increasingly resolved formal paperwork to declare their accommodation capacity to the municipality. Zakopane City Hall spokesperson Mateusz Pajek detailed the dual nature of these registration figures.

It cannot therefore be assumed that the entire increase in the number of registered places means the creation of new accommodation places. It is the sum of the actual development of the accommodation base and the gradual disclosure and formalisation of places that were not previously in the records.

Municipal officials also noted administrative confusion among some operators as a reason for delayed registration. Many hospitality providers had registered their commercial operations in the central business register CEIDG without realising that individual lodging sites require separate municipal registration. Pajek addressed this regulatory gap in municipal compliance.

There are also cases of entrepreneurs who previously registered business activities in CEIDG, but were not aware that providing hotel services in another facility also requires reporting this facility to the appropriate register.

Digital tools and upcoming national regulations

Local technological changes and impending national legislation have accelerated the pace of formal property registrations in Zakopane. The town introduced the Travelhost electronic fee system alongside the integrated Tourist Card, known locally as Karta Turysty. The software facilitates local tax collection for property owners, while tourist discounts attached to the card encourage guests to choose officially registered rentals. In addition, Polish lawmakers are working on regulations for the short-term rental market, including the creation of a Central Register of Tourist Accommodation Facilities. The prospect of mandatory reporting rules for booking platforms and property hosts prompts operators to exit the informal economy.