Terytorialne pochodzenie turystów w wybranych pasmach górskich Sudetów

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the results of the study on the territorial diversity of the origin of tourists visiting the mountain ranges of the Sudety Mountains. The study was conducted in years 2006–2009 and some references to the earlier elaborations from the 1990s were also made. This enabled to determine the directions from which the tourists arrive, the diversity of the arrivals in relation to different parts of the Sudety Mountains as well as the verification of tendencies of the trend within the last years. Domestic tourists clearly dominate in the structure of tourist movement in the studied mountain ranges of the Sudety Mountains. In the Karkonosze and Stołowe Mountains, the participation of foreign tourist is around 10% (it is undetermined, whether part of that value is affected by the Poles permanently residing abroad) and has been maintained at this level for many years. In the Ślęża Massif, which is the main weekend recreational site of Wrocław’s inhabitants, tourists from abroad occur sporadically. In the Karkonosze Mountains, the majority of foreign tourists come from Germany. In the Kłodzko Region, the citizens of Czech Republic are the most numerous group among foreign tourists. It is noteworthy, that there are no tourists from the Baltic states and from Eastern Europe. It seems that these regions should be considered as a potential new market for the tourist industry in the Sudety Mountains. The biggest share of tourists visiting the Sudety Mountains is among the inhabitants of south-western Poland. Other regions of the country are re-presented by people from large cities (Poznań, Warsaw, Gdańsk, Upper Silesian conurbation), although the visitors from Wielkopolska originate more and more frequently from smaller municipalities. The number of tourists from central and eastern Poland is at a minimal level (with the exception of Warsaw). A better promotion within the Łódź agglomeration seems particularly prospective for the development of tourist industry in the Sudety Mountains. The Ślęża Massif has been the main site of holiday recreation for the inhabitants of Wrocław for over a hundred years and this fact still remains valid today. The overwhelming majority of tourists in this location come from the Wrocław region.