REPORTS — COMPTES-RENDUS — SPRAWOZDANIA
„TURYZM" 1992, z. 1
S tanisław L isze w sk i
GEOGRAPHY OF TOURISM IN POLAND
LA GÉOGRAPHIE DU TOURISME EN POLOGNE GEOGRAFIA TURYZMU W POLSCE
1. IN TR O D U C TIO N
The beginnings of tourism geography in Polish universities date back to the interw ar period, and more exactly to 1936 when the Centre of Tourism was opened a t the Jagellonian University in Cracow ( J a c k o w s k i 1991). The Centre operated until 1939 and it was the only chan nel through w hich graduates could be trained for ¡the tourism sector a t university level in Poland as it then was. It published among others, the journal „Turyzm Polski” for the years 1938— 1939.
In the period following World War Two the development of tourism geography lagged behind that of other geographic sciences, which found expression also in the organizational structure of Polish geography. The geography of tourism was undertaken during th at time w ithin the sub- -discyplines of economic geography, regional geography or meteorology
and climatology („Prace Geograficzne” 1981).
The seventies were a turning point in the development of tourism geography in Poland. At that time the D epartm ent of the Geography of Tourism was opened at the Jagellonian University (1979), as well as a university specialization carrying the same name. During that period the Colleges of Tourism and Recreation w ith quite extensive program mes of tourism geography were also set up in the Academies of Physi cal Education in Cracow and Poznań in response to pressures from geo graphers. At the same time the Postdiploma Centres of Tourism were also opened a t the University of Wrocław, Łódź, and Gdańsk, which were to provide education for future specialists in various areas of the
tourist economy. Finally, at the beginning of the eighties was establi shed the second university departm ent in Poland conducting both re search work and didactic activity in the field of the geography of tou rism. It was 'the D epartm ent of the Geography of Towns and Tourism opened at the Institute of Economic Geography and Space Organization at the University of Łódź in 1981.
This brief review of the history of tourism geography in Poland shows th at this sphere of geographic sciences is quite young in Poland from the organizational point of view. The absence of separate organiza tional units dealing w ith it for a lenghty period did not mean, however that no research work was carried in the field of geography of tourism. The best proof is the large num ber of publications. The bibliography of Polish geography of tourism to be found in the reviews of J a c k o w s k i (1974) and L i s z e w s k i (1987) encompasses over 400 publications from this area of geography.
2. THE STATE OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF TO URISM IN PO L A N D A T THE
BEG IN N IN G OF THE 1990s
The present state of tourism geography in Poland is a result of the development of this sphere of geographic sciences mainly in the 1970s and in the 1980s. The activity of Polish geographers dealing with tou rism can be seen in three fields, i.e., in didactic, research and organiza tional activities, including editorial work.
Academic specializations in the geography of tourism were being offered to students of geography a t two Polish universities in 1991. Such specialization at the Jagellonian University was first offered in 1977 and at the Łódź University in 1982 ( L i s z e w s k i 1989). It is available to students who have completed the second year of their geographic cour ses. The annual enrolm ent in Cracow is 20 to 25 students and in Łódź some 12 to 15. The courses last three years (six semesters) and end w ith the production of a M aster’s thesis in the geography of tourism and a M.A. exam. A fter graduating the students obtain an M.A. diploma in geography with specialization in the geography of tourism. The cu rri cula at both universities differ and they are subject to constant modi fications. The Jagellonian University places emphasis on the humanities and hence there are a large num ber of class on the history of art, etno- graphy, or history of tourism ( G r o c h 1990). On the other hand, spe cialized courses in the geography of tourism at the U niversity of Łódź are of a comprehensive character and students acquire knowledge in
four m ajor areas: (a) physical and psychic abilities and needs of a tou rist; (b) tourist resources of Poland and the world; (c) organization of tourist events and leisure time; (d) techniques of research and practical application of research findings in professional work (L i s z ew s k i 1990).
The second form of didactic activity conducted by geographers of tourism are the Postdiploma Courses of Tourism. They were offered by two centres in 1991: at the University of Wroclaw (established in 1972 but operating w ith intervals) and at the University of Łódź operating continuously since 1977. The postdiploma courses last one year and their students are persons who have completed higher education earlier, but with different specializations, and are professionally or voluntarily in volved in tourism. The Postdiploma Centre of Tourism at the University of Łódź which has been running the longest has had a total enrolm ent of 453 students from different parts of Poland, and 230 have completed the courses involving the preparation of a diploma dissertation ( D z i e g i e ć 1985). Among its students are both employees of tourist bureaux and institutions, persons involved in social-welfare activity, such as ho liday organization and teachers in different types of schools. For a p art of the students the courses mean revising and deepening their tourist knowledge, for others they create an opportunity to acquire completely new knowledge.
A part from the above mentioned forms of didactic activity organized as regards curricula and classes, geographers of tourism also participate in the training of specialists for the tourist sector a t the Academies of Physical Education and the Academies of Economics. These include the Academies of Physical Education in Cracow, Poznań, and Gdańsk with their strong teams of geographers, and the Academies of Economics in Warsaw, Poznań, Gdańsk, Cracow, and Jelenia Góra, where, however, the participation of tourism geographers in educational programmes is somewhat limited.
Questionnaire surveys carried out at the University of Łódź among graduates of tourism geography and the Postdiploma Centre of Tourism show th a t the former, in about one-third of cases take up jobs in tourism, while a fu rther one-third are employed in schools which can also be considered work corresponding to their specialization. G raduates of the Postdiploma Center of Tourism stress the great applicability of know ledge derived from the university courses, which finds reflection both in the practical application of qualifications acquired during the univer sity courses in organizing num erous tourist events, and in the practical utilization of findings of their diploma research projects ( D z i e g i e ć , L i s z e w s k i 1990).
Poland at all universities, at the Academies of Physical Education and Academies of Economics mentioned above, and in the Institute of Tou rism. The strongest research centres in this area of geography appear to be the Cracow centre ( J a c k o w s k i , W a r s z y ń s k a 1987) and the Łódź centre ( L i s z e w s k i 1991).
W ithout going more deeply into research accomplishments of Polish geographers of tourism it is w orth mentioning at least the leading re search areas studied in Poland within this sphere of geographic sciences. An analysis of publications indicates that the research work of Po lish geographers of tourism is focussed today in nine main areas:
1. Theoretical foundations and research methods in the geography of tourism.
2. The n atu ral environm ent as a tourist attraction, the evaluation of its attractiveness, changes and protection.
3. The m aterial base of tourism and its spatial distribution. 4. Tourist settlem ents.
5. Regional tourist monographs (regional syntheses).
6. Suburban zones of large cities as areas of tourism and recreation. Problems of second homes.
7. The problems caused by tourist activity, especially in ru ral areas (tourist urbanisation).
8. Spatial and structural analyses of tourist traffic (i.e. pilgrimages). 9. Spatial organization of leisure time, especially of inhabitants of large cities.
The above research areas receive varied attention in different geo graphic centres. By way of example, it could be added that the stron gest research centre in the field of the methodology of tourism geogra phy and also regional syntheses, as well as pilgrimages, is in the C ra cow centre ( W a r s z y ń s k a 1986). These problems are studied also in the Warsaw, Wrocław, and Toruń centres. The Wroclaw centre spe cializes in analyzing the values of the natu ral environment, and prim a rily landscape for tourism. In turn, the main research emphasis in the Łódź centre is placed on tourist settlem ents, the tourist functions of suburban zones, tourist urbanization, and methodology of studies of tou rist traffic.
The research area of tourism geography in Poland has undergone quite significant changes in an attem pt to keep pace w ith rapid socio-
-economic change, which obviously influence tourism as well.
Polish geographers of tourism display a deep organizational involve m ent both on the international forum and inside Poland. It takes the form, first of all, of organizing conferences and scientific seminars, very often with foreign participants, and of editorial activity as well.
In the 1980s alone the following major scientific conferences were organized by Polish geographers of tourism:
1. In 1983 the D epartm ent of Geography of Towns and Tourism, Uni versity of Łódź, organized a symposium of the Commission of Geogra phy of Tourism and Recreation attached to the International Geographic
Union (4th— 11th September).
2. In 1985 the D epartm ent of Geography of Tourism, Jagellonian University, organized „The Carpathian Tourist Conference” in Cracow. (13th— 16th May).
3. In 1987 the D epartm ent of Geography of Towns and Tourism, Uni versity of Łódź, jointly with the University in Angers (France), organi zed in Łódź the F irst International Didactic Seminar on „Teaching Tou rism at University Level” (3rd—7th May).
4. In 1988 the D epartm ent of Geography of Towns and Tourism, U ni versity of Łódź, was an organizer of the Polish-French Seminar (Łódź— Aix) on „Contemporary Changes in Rural Space under Influence of Urbanisation and Tourism” (9th— 14th May).
5. In 1990 the Warsaw centre organized an International Seminar on „D eterm inants in Development of International Tourism in Countries of Central and Eastern Europe” (16th— 19th October).
6. In 1991 the D epartm ent of Geography of Towns and Tourism, Uni versity of Łódź, organized jointly w ith the University in Angers (France) the Third International Didactic Seminar on „Role of Traineeship and Field Studies in Educating Specialists for Tourism ” in Łódź (3rd—6th June).
Polish geographers of tourism participated also during this time in all the symposia organized by the Commission of Geography of Tourism and Recreation attached to the International Geographic Union in E u ro pe, among others in Aix-Provence (France 1981), Paris (France — 1984), West Berlin (1985), K lagenfurt (Austria — 1988), Prague (Czechoslova kia — 1989), and in m any regional and national scientific meetings.
It should be added that the D epartm ent of Geography of Towns and Tourism, University of Łódź, has regularly organized each year (star ting from 1984) field seminars in the geography of tourism with the participation of geographers involved in this sphere of geographic scien ces („Tourist Workshops”).
Polish geographers of tourism are also actively involved in editorial activity. At the beginning of the 1990s three Polish journals were beeing edited by geographers.
The oldest of them is the quarterly „Problems of Tourism ” published by the Institute of Tourism in Warsaw since 1977. Each edition of this journal is available in Polish with an English-French version.
The half-yearly „Tourism” published by the University of Łódź is the only Polish scientific journal entirely edited by geographers of to u rism. Between 1985 and 1990 were published regularly Acta Universi- tatis Lodziensis „Turyzm ” (7 editions in all). Starting from 1991 this publication has been replaced by a new journal, which has preserved the nam e „Tourism”. It is published in Polish with longer summaries in English and French. W henever necessary some series in foreign langua ges are also published.
„Folia Touristica” published by the Academy of Physical Education in Cracow since 1990 is the latest journal edited by geographers of tou rism.
In addition geographers of tourism either edit themselves or take part in editing both scientific publications of higher education institu tions and numerous regional publications.
The above brief presentation focussed on the geography of tourism in Poland should give the reader an insight into the state of the deve lopment of one of the youngest disciplines of geographic sciences in Po land.
REFERENCES
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Prof. dr hab . S ta n is la w L isz ew sk i W p ły n ęło :
Z ak ład G eo g ra fii M iast i Turyzm u 30 p a źd ziern ik a 1991 r.
In sty tu t G eo g ra fii E k on om iczn ej 1 O rg a n iza cji P rzestrzen i U n iw e r sy te t Łódzki al. K o ściu szk i 21 90-418 Łódź
