Turystyka w Karpatach Polskich w świetle współczesnych kierunków rozwoju

Tourism in the Polish Carpathian Mountains in the light of contemporary directions in tourism development

Summary: Tourism in the Polish Carpathian Mountains has been undergoing significant changes in recent years. The direction, size, and structure of tourist traffic is increasingly being driven by the needs of people living in cities on the northern fringe of the mountain belt. Longer vacations are giving way to weekend tourism and one-day excursions. Tourism in the region is expanding beyond traditional tourist towns. The most important forms of tourism that are undergoing significant changes are rural tourism, cultural tourism, spa tourism, and ski tourism. There are about 2,400 agro-tourism farms in the Polish Carpathian Mountain region, most of which are found in the Malopolska Province, the Podkarpackie Province, and the Slaskie Province. It is estimated that there are about 15,000 "second homes" in this region. The key drivers of rural tourism in the Carpathians are an attractive natural landscape, an authentic traditional folk culture, the presence of many small yet diverse farms, the farms' ability to pursue EU funds for tourism development, and finally the development of ecological tourism. Folk culture, despite its tendency to fade in modern times, is still an important element of the Carpathians' attractive power. The main centers of folklore-based tourism are small heritage sites such as those found in Sanok, Nowy Sacz, and Zubrzyca Gorna. An important role in the promotion of cultural heritage is played by so-called living folklore centers. These include villages where lace as well as wooden toys are produced. Other unique activities include artistic metal forging, relief wood carving, and pottery making. The folklore and customs of Carpathian inhabitants are on display during local cultural events. The largest folklore event in the Carpathians is the International Mountain Folklore Festival. There are twelve certified health spas in the Polish Carpathian Mountain region with 15,000 patient beds at their disposal. The largest health spas are located in Krynica, Ustron, Muszyna ze Zlockim, Iwonicz-Zdroj, and Polanczyk. In many cases, these are multifunctional tourist centers that offer a growing number of services other than therapeutic treatments. Since the 1990s, a growing number of hotels have been offering their guests recreational spa treatments - a major departure from the traditional health-based approach taken by certified spas. One hundred and thirty three Carpathian towns possess ski lifts - thirty seven of which are classified as ski stations. As of the end of 2008, the ski infrastructure in the region included 557 ski lifts and 587 ski trails with a total length of 370.9 km. The number of ski lifts has almost tripled since the early 1990s. The best ski infrastructure can be found in the Zakopane region (Tatry Mountains and Podhale region) and in the Silesian Beskidy Mountain region. An important driving force behind the modernization of ski lifts has been competition from other ski centers in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The rate of development in the region would be far higher if it were not for the many legal, ownership, functional, and environmental barriers that hamper growth. Examples include: - development of a protected site network called Natura 2000 - lack of county funding for the ski industry and related infrastructure - conflicts concerning the ski industry at large ski stations - lack of legal regulations governing the relationship between land owners and ski infrastructure operators - unstable snow cover.

Domański B., Kurek W. (red.), 2009, Gospodarka i Przestrzeń. Prace dedykowane Profesor Danucie Ptaszyckiej-Jackowskiej, IGiGP UJ, Kraków, s. 77-97.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

ISBN 978-83-88424-45-8

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