The University of Silesia in Katowice has become a partner of the consortium implementing the project ‘exPLo AI – Intelligent tourist activity analyser’. The agreement with the National Centre for Research and Development was signed on 11 June 2026. The ceremony was attended by, among others: Krzysztof Gawkowski, PhD, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitisation, Jakub Rutnicki, Minister of Sport and Tourism, Marcin Kulasek, PhD Eng., Minister of Science and Higher Education, Prof. Marek Gzik, Deputy Minister of Science, Piotr Borys, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and Prof. Jerzy Małachowski, Director of the National Centre for Research and Development.
The project will be implemented by the Kielce University of Technology in a consortium with the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Kielce-based company Altar.
The project aims to develop an intelligent, innovative system for comprehensive analysis and advanced prediction of tourist activity in Poland. The solution will support the analysis of the spatial distribution of tourist traffic, forecasting its changes, and interactive visualisation of tourist load and flows in near real time.
The exPLo AI project utilises advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, machine learning, and big data analytics. The platform will integrate and analyse diverse data sources not previously used in tourism. The project will support national tourism policy and serve tourists and entrepreneurs.
The University of Silesia’s participation in the project is particularly significant for the research and analytical components of the endeavour. The University of Silesia team will contribute expertise in tourism geography, socio-economic geography, spatial analysis, regional and environmental research, and the interpretation of data describing tourism phenomena. The work conducted by the University of Silesia will focus on, among other things, identifying, analysing, assessing, and verifying data sources and indicators useful for monitoring tourism activity in Poland.
The project manager for the University of Silesia is Sławomir Pytel, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof. Other project participants include: Elżbieta Zuzańska-Żyśko, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., Adam Hibszer, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., Bartłomiej Szypuła, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., Michał Sobala, PhD, DSc, Michał Apollo, PhD, Agnieszka Piechota, PhD, Marta Chmielewska, PhD, and Łukasz Małarzewski, PhD.
The project, valued at PLN 30 million, was selected for funding under the 8th call for proposals for the INFOSTRATEG programme, implemented by the National Centre for Research and Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The programme supports the development of Poland’s artificial intelligence potential and the creation of tools that address the strategic needs of the economy and public administration.
Materials of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
