To show that Poland is an attractive country for tourism and at the same time a good destination for investment-these are the main goals of the organizers of the Polish exhibition at the Expo 2005 World Exposition, due to begin in Aichi, Japan at the end of March.

World expos have a history that goes back more than 150 years. The first Expo took place in 1851 in London, and later editions were held in other major administrative, science, culture and business centers around the world. To date, Poland has participated in four Expos. During the latest universal World Exposition, Expo 2000 in Hanover, the Polish exhibition attracted more than 3.2 million visitors over five months, ranking Poland fourth among 189 participating countries and organizations.

Unlike the Hanover exposition, Expo 2005 in Aichi will feature no freestanding national pavilions erected by individual countries. National presentations will be held within facilities built by the hosts, and participating countries will be responsible for arranging and equipping the premises, in addition to designing and building an attractive and characteristic facade.

National pavilions at Expo 2005 will be located on exhibition grounds as part of six Global Commons. Each Common represents a different continent: Asia (excluding Southeast Asia); The Americas; Europe (with the Mediterranean); Europe (northern); Africa; Oceania and Southeast Asia. Global Common 4, the site of the Polish Pavilion, will also include the national pavilions of Ukraine (in a module shared with Poland), Russia, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Ireland, Lithuania, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, a joint Scandinavian pavilion and a joint Caucasus pavilion.

The main theme of Expo 2005 is "Nature's Wisdom." Marek Kłoczko, secretary-general of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG) responsible for organization of the Polish pavilion at Expo, says the Polish motto for Japan will be "Notice the Beauty." Poland's main concern is to attract Japanese tourists to Poland, encourage Japanese investment and broaden knowledge of Poland among the Japanese, Kłoczko says.

This Japanese focus results from the fact that Expo 2005 is expected to attract at least 15 million visitors, 90 percent of them Japanese, according to estimations by the organizers. Obviously, the overall promotion of Poland through the design of the exhibition and planned cultural programs will also be addressed to visitors from other countries.

The guiding idea of Poland's participation in the exhibition, "Notice the Beauty," should be understood in many different ways: the beauty of nature, the beauty of wise coexistence between civilization and nature, the beauty of art and freedom of creation, the beauty of creativity deeply embedded in and inspired by nature, and finally the beauty of humankind-particularly that manifested in interpersonal relations.

The Polish presentation will select and focus on a few elements, featuring multimedia presentations and various fringe events divided into two main sections: Chopin and Wieliczka. The total cost will be zl.34 million.

In the Wieliczka section, the walls of the hall will be made from rock salt brought from Poland. In the Chopin section, the heart of the exhibition will be a glass sculpture presenting a piano. The Polish exhibition will refer to Frédéric Chopin's music, among other aspects. Polish piano producer Calisia hopes to take advantage of the musical character of the exhibition. A Calisia instrument will be used by musicians participating in concerts promoting Polish culture. Calisia is preparing to sell pianos in Japan.

Other Polish companies also hope to promote their products. "The Japanese encouraged us to buy all material on the spot, but we want to use the services of Polish suppliers to the greatest possible extent because this is a good way of promoting Polish businesses," Kłoczko said. More than 10 companies are helping to prepare Poland's presentation in Aichi. These include the builders of the pavilion and producers of promotional items. However, companies which are not cooperating with the KIG in the organization of the exhibition will also have an opportunity to present themselves in Japan.

Many promotional events, of an economic, tourist, scientific, technological and cultural nature, are also expected outside the Expo compound in other Japanese cities, including Tokyo and Osaka. This results from the relatively high costs of travel from Poland to Japan, making it necessary to take the best possible advantage of the presence of politicians and people from the business, scientific and cultural community to intensify the promotion of Poland in major centers around Japan.

During Prime Minister Marek Belka's recent visit to Japan, both Polish government officials and Japanese politicians agreed that the Polish pavilion at Expo 2005 in Aichi and the planned presentation of Polish culture in Japan accompanying the exposition should contribute substantially to the development of mutual understanding between the two nations and encourage citizens in both countries to visit. Poland's accession to the European Union opens new roads for bilateral cooperation. An increasing number of Japanese investors are eyeing the Polish market, but efforts are needed to improve investment conditions.