THE POSSIBILITY OF OVERCOMING SEASONALITY OF POLISH COASTAL TOURISM – THE CASE OF THE POMORSKIE VOIVODSHIP

Abstract

Purpose – In the Baltic Sea basin a particularly serious barrier to the development of coastal tourism is its seasonality. Its consequence is a lack of opportunities for sustainable development, which leads to imbalance in terms of local economy, the environment and social inequalities and tensions. The objective of this paper is to present the possible methods of overcoming negative effects of seasonality in the Polish coastal regions, especially in the Pomorskie Voivodship. Methodology – The study used a number of analytical methods based on sources obtained through desk research: the critical analysis of materials from the subject’s literature, statistical reports and an analysis of official documents, normative acts and regional strategies. The empirical part, presented in the form of a case study, was developed on the basis of results of expert interviews, including IDI representative of the regional tourist organization. Findings – Infrastructure used by the coastal tourism sector and the previous offer and practice of coastal tourism on the Polish coast have created mass tourism with neutral price elasticity of demand. Such a character of demand eliminates the effectiveness of some marketing tools. Contribution – Critical analysis of documents from the EU to the local levels of governance of coastal tourism has shown that there is a gap in this linkage of documents. There are not any strategies or plans at the national level dedicated to coastal tourism. This means that the framework of activity set at the supranational level is not effectively used by Poland. Local solutions without national government support may not generate the expected results.