Large sports and recreation facilities in the tourism space of Łódź

Abstract

With the growing number of sports and other types of cultural events held in Łódź, there is a demand for new sports and recreational facilities, such as football stadiums and sports and entertainment halls. The aim of this article is to show the importance of the largest sports and recreational facilities located in the tourism space of Łódź. The analysis is mainly based on an inventory of stadiums and multi-purpose arenas in Łódź. In addition, the article provides a review of the literature related to sport tourism in cities, with emphasis on definitions of sport tourism and tourism space. Another category of information used by the author includes data compiled by institutions managing the facilities and bodies responsible for the organization of sports events in the city. The sport facilities of interest are also classified according to selected criteria. Finally, the discussion is supported by statistics about tourist traffic during sports and cultural events associated with the analysed sport and recreation facilities. The analysis indicates that the largest sports and recreation facilities play a role in the tourism space of Łódź but it is not as significant played by Piotrkowska Street or the Manufaktura shopping and service center.