OUTDOOR TOURISM, KAYAKING, TOURISM POTENTIAL AND TOURISM OPERATIONS IN CENTRAL- EASTERN EUROPE: THE CASE OF POLAND

Abstract

This article aimed to describe the potential of outdoor tourism in Poland, with emphasis on kayaking tours. Reports and strategy documents generated by the Polish Tourism Organization (PTO), spatial data, and information about tourism operators in Poland were processed and analyzed. An analysis of geographic data and business registers revealed considerable differences across Polish regions and the absence of a sustainable tourism development strategy in Poland. The results do not justify PTO’s recommendations for promoting the development of outdoor tourism operators in selected Polish regions. The study demonstrated that in some Polish regions, the development of the tourist industry is contingent on the efforts made by local entrepreneurs, whereas other regions do not tap into their tourism potential despite ample natural resources for the development of water tourism. Entrepreneurship indicators in the outdoor tourism sector have generally increased in the last 46 years, but considerable differences are noted across Polish voivodeships. The study revealed that the development of outdoor tourism is highly fragmented and that strong local hubs of tourist activity exist at the local level. The interest in water tourism has increased markedly in the last two years because this form of active recreation promotes social distancing and can be safety practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article was to describe the potential of outdoor tourism in Poland, with emphasis on kayaking tours. Reports and strategy documents generated by the Polish Tourism Organization (PTO), spatial data, and data about tourism operators in Poland were processed and analyzed. The study revealed that the development of outdoor tourism is highly fragmented and that strong local hubs of tourist activity exist at the local level. Tourists preferences for participating in kayaking tours in different voivodeships do not match the recommendations of the PTO.