AN eccentric Polish tycoon has come up with a novel way to help solve his country’s plunging birth rate – PAYING guests at his hotels to romp and have babies.
Leading figures in Poland have long been searching for an answer to the country’s worrying demographic decline.
GettyWladyslaw Grochowski in Warsaw, Poland[/caption]
Grochowski and his wife, Lena, have recently announced a scheme to reward anyone who conceives a child
However, it appears that a solution may finally have come from an unlikely source.
Wladyslaw Grochowski and his wife, Lena, have recently announced a scheme to reward anyone who conceives a child at one of their properties.
The real estate magnate and owner of hotel chain, Arche, said: “In 2026, Poland will spend nearly 5 per cent of its GDP on defence. But what good is that if demographics wipe us out?”
Agnieszka Dylak, managing director of creative agency Nieszablonowa, told Wirtualne Media that this scheme was certainly “an unconventional approach to corporate responsibility.”
She continued that while it had undoubtedly sparked debate about an important social issue, it had done no harm to Arche’s brand recognition.
To qualify for the scheme, a couple – who must reside in Poland, with at least one of them being a Polish citizen – need to “demonstrate that conception occurred in connection with their stay at an Arche hotel”.
This can be done by providing a birth certificate that corresponds to the date when they stayed at one of the properties.
The scheme also extends to those, including company employees, who purchase property off the company.
Each homeowner can claim a sum of 10,000 zloty (£2,000) for every child born in the five years after they date of purchase.
This initiative aims to tackles Poland’s falling birthrate.
Domestic statistics reveal an average of 1.1 live births per woman in 2024, which is considerably less than the EU average of 1.38.
Only an alarmingly small number of countries such as Ukraine (1) and South Korea (0.7) report a lower rate.
Experts have warned that if this continues the country’s population of 37.5 million people could drop by 50% by 2100.
Such a decrease will likely have a negative effect on the economy, including public services and finances, as well as the overall quality of life.
In a similar move, Karol Nawrocki, Poland’s newly elected conservative president, proposed that parents raising two or more children should receive an income tax exemption up to 140,000 zloty (£28,000).
This comes after a petition was submitted to Nawrocki’s government calling for more financial support for mothers.
Submitted to government in the same week that the Grochowskis announced their interesting solution, the petition suggests that Polish mothers are paid a monthly fee of 2,333 zloty (£470) per child.
However, it is seem unlikely these financial methods will have the desired effect.
Last year, the Polish government revealed that a similar incentive-based solutions aimed at boosting domestic birthrates had not achieved the prized outcome.
Rising poverty rate and Poland’s near total ban on abortions were highlighted as major contributing factors as to why progress on the issue had been slow.
The scheme also extends to those who buy property from the company