A Polish real estate and hospitality group has unveiled an unusual initiative aimed at tackling the country’s shrinking population by rewarding couples who conceive children in its hotels.
On its website, the Arche Group, which operates 23 hotels and numerous properties across Poland, lamented the ongoing demographic crisis. “The demographic crisis (is) resulting from the steady 12-year decline of Poland’s birth rate,” the group wrote, announcing its new scheme.
Under the programme, called Arche Generations, couples who can prove that a child was conceived during their stay at one of the company’s hotels will be entitled to free “special events” such as a baptism celebration.
In addition, parents who buy a home from Arche will receive a bonus of 10,000 zlotys ($2,754) for each child born after the purchase. Employees of the group who have children will also be eligible for bonuses.
The programme is strictly targeted at “couples (man and woman),” with the company stating that it is conditional on at least one partner being an adult Polish citizen and residing in the country.
Poland has struggled with a falling birth rate for more than a decade. According to the National Statistics Office (GUS), the population as of late June stood at 37.4 million, around one million fewer than in 2015.
Arche’s initiative is the latest in a series of attempts by businesses and policymakers to confront what has become one of the country’s most pressing social challenges.
