Region turystyczny w ujęciu systemowym a potrzeba współpracy na rzecz rozwoju turystyki w regionie

Abstract

The paper presents theoretical deliberations on functioning of a tourist region as a spatial system. The aim of this study is to find grounds for the need of co- -operation in a tourist region and indicate difficulties related to it by portraying how complicated and mutually overlapped the relations occurring among units in tourist region system are. The co-operation, which is the subject matter of deliberations, for tourist regions is a competitive advantage factor. It can be a co-operation within or among sectors (units from public and private sectors). Activities undertaken in co-operation are, for example, counselling, consulting, or mutual infrastructural investments. Marketing activities aiming at mutual promotion of a tourist region occur most frequently. Some examples of co-operation forms in Polish tourist regions are among others: Local/Regional Tourist Organizations, Euro-regions, relations/agreements among districts, or various partner groups etc. The paper consists of four parts. The first is an introduction to undertaken deliberations. In the second part the characteristics of a tourist region as a system has been done – its variables have been discussed: composition (sub- -systems), surrounding and structure. It has been stressed that a tourist region is an economic system an, as such, is purpose-organized, hierarchical and structuralized, it has sources of exogenous and endogenous factors transforming them into goods and services, is relatively distinguished from the surrounding, and at the same time open and capable of independent definition, choice and modification of targets. On this basis, stressing first of all that none of sub-system individually is able to reach the target in the form of creating a regional tourist product the significance of co-operation has been highlighted. In the third part the complexity and chaotic nature of a spatial system which is a tourist region have been referred to. Using the theory of integrated systems (elaborate) and chaos and complexity theory it has been shown that the tourist region does not function only as a dynamic, adaptive and non-linear system. It is also a chaotic system in which occurring phenomena cannot be totally predicted and controlled. It has allowed to find stronger grounds for the need of co- -operation, and also point out the source of problems, which may be related to its development. The last part consists of a conclusion where conducted deliberations have been recapitulated.