The outspoken boss of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, has reportedly upset Polish tourism bosses after declaring that the city of Gdansk has little to recommend it except “the shipyard wall”.
According to a report in The Times newspaper, the brazen comment came as O’Leary was attempting to explain why Ryanair was unlikely to significantly expand its services into eastern Europe and former Soviet states.
He is quoted as stating that there is little to see for western tourists, adding: “Take Gdansk. Who wants to go to Dansk? There ain’t a lot there after you’ve seen the shipyard wall.”
A spokeswoman for the Polish Tourist Board countered: “The people of Gdansk are a proud people. They will be very upset. He (O’Leary) must know very little about Poland. It is really annoying that people say things like this without even checking. Gdansk is more than a shipyard.”
A spokesman for Ryanair is quoted as saying: “I don’t think Michael was intending to insult the people. It was just an example.”
Gdansk’s shipyard achieved worldwide fame during the 1980s uprising led by Lech Walesa.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
