Cities are multifunctional by definition, and an increasingly significant function is the tourist function. City tourism is one of the most dynamically developing forms of tourism. Tourists’ decisions regarding choosing a destination are influenced by a number of factors determining the subjective assessment of the tourist attractiveness of a given city, and one of them may be the state of air pollution, as it can have a negative impact on the health of both city dwellers and tourists. This article is an attempt to determine whether potential tourists consider information about the level of a city’s air quality in the assessment of its tourist attractiveness and the impact of this information on their travel decisions. The article presents the results of surveys conducted among a group of 509 respondents from Poland. On this basis, an assessment was made of the extent to which information on the condition of air quality in a given city is relevant for persons planning a tourist trip. In the conducted research, decisions regarding both business and private trips were evaluated. In addition, information on factors that could increase the respondents’ interest in the condition of air quality in the city of the intended trip (e.g., trip with children, trip length) was collected. Due to the fact that tourism is a significant source of income for many cities, the research results presented in the article may be of significant importance for entities creating the urban tourist product and responsible for its management. The article also draws attention to the fact that reducing pollution in cities can contribute to increases in their tourist attractiveness.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the European Union tourism policy has been increasingly focused on initiatives in the field of social tourism, which are one of the ways of achieving sustainable development in the European tourism economy. Most of the research projects that have so far been conducted in the field have focused on the benefits for its participants (subjective one: Children and youths, seniors, disabled people, people (families) with low incomes and/or unemployed, big families). However, there is a lack of research on the analysis of the place of social aspects of tourism in the general socio-economic policy of the state and, in a detailed aspect, in the sectoral policy represented by tourism policy, as well as its potential impact on the development of the national economy and meeting tourism needs of the society. The authors tried to fill this research gap in this study. The aim of the study is to differentiate the issues related to the social aspects of tourism policy from the entire socio-economic policy pursued in the European Union and selected member states (Poland and Slovakia). The article is of a theoretical–analytical–conceptual nature. Empirical research, due to the nature of its issues, was conducted with the use of qualitative research methods. The results of the conducted research showed that activities in the field of social tourism policy are conditioned by organizational solutions for the entities that undertake them, as well as economic ones, especially in the field of financing. Moreover, they made it possible to propose the concept of a model social tourism policy with an indication of its place in the European policy on the basis of the past and future EU financial perspectives.

Introduction. City tourism is one of the most frequently chosen forms of tourism consisting of many motives for doing it. On the modern tourist market, there are many negative phenomena that significantly affect the functioning of urban tourist destinations but primarily have an impact on the decisions of potential tourists about choosing cities as a tourist destination. These phenomena pose a threat to the development of both cities and tourism. They are conditioned by endogenous factors, which result from the functioning of the city, and exogenous ones, i.e. those related to socio-economic relations of the city with the environment, including tourist traffic. Cities, as a destination or transit tourist destination, are characterized by high concentration of tourist traffic; hence, the negative phenomena often affect urban tourist space with great intensity. The aim of the study is to present the author’s concept of sustainable urban tourism policy assumptions. After presenting the concept of sustainable urban tourism development policy, the following issues will be discussed: basics of tourism policy, urban tourism, sustainable tourism, classification of threats related to the sustainable development of urban tourism. Material and methods. The study is of theoretical and conceptual nature. The following research methods will be used: critical analysis of the literature and methods of logical operations. Results. The effect of the considerations is to propose the assumptions of the concept of sustainable urban tourism development policy. Conclusions. The most important problems related to the functioning of sustainable tourism were indicated, taking into account the impact of tourism on the natural environment and on overtourism.

The tourism market is characterized by a high level of competition. Hence, the entities providing tourism services and creating their offers in tourist destinations take actions aimed at satisfying the consumers’ (tourists’) needs. These activities are realized by achieving the appropriate level of marketing orientation. In terms of behaviour, marketing orientation is based on the implementation of a marketing concept focusing on customers’ needs and also on the achieved economic results. In cultural terms, marketing orientation should be understood as a type of business culture. The study is of theoretical, empirical and conceptual nature. The theoretical part presents the following issues: genesis and essence of marketing orientation and methods of its measurement, the concept and the scope of the tourism market, along with the implementation of marketing orientation issues necessary to assess the functioning of entities on this market. The concept of a system of connections of a selected type of tourist market entity with other entities in terms of shaping marketing orientation was presented. An example of the research on the level of marketing orientation on the tour operator market in selected European countries was presented in the empirical part. Tour operator market entities in Poland are characterized by a slightly higher average marketing orientation than entities from other European countries. Tour operators operating on the Polish market are also more diversified in terms of the level of marketing orientation than entities from other surveyed European countries. The main aim of the study is to adapt the theoretical and methodological issues related to the assessment of the level of marketing orientation to the entities operating on the tourism market. The specific aim is to analyze the level of marketing orientation of the entities on the tour operator market. The following research methods were used: a critical analysis of the literature on the subject, methods of logical operations; observation, quantitative methods, and diagnostic survey based on a standard questionnaire.

PURPOSE: This study explores the relationship between the resilience of the hotel industry (an underdeveloped concept) and the factors that support the development of this industry. It examines whether the resilience of the hotel industry varies regionally and whether it is influenced either by the characteristics of the hotel industry or by regional economic conditions. The study focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic, which particularly hit the hotel industry. METHODOLOGY: The clustering method is used to identify regions in Poland with similar pre-pandemic hotel industry development are identified. Secondly, Potthoff’s analysis and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn’s tests are used respectively to identify variations in the resilience responses of the industry in different regions and to examine the antecedents of these variations. FINDINGS: The data collected indicate variations between clusters in terms of resilience response. Not all factors that support the development of the hotel industry in a particular region are equally conducive to its resilience. Our study shows that the pandemic was not an isolated or unique event but rather a catalyst that brought long-standing issues for the hotel and tourism sector. IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE: This study contributes to the development of resilience theory by providing evidence-based arguments for separating the domains of resilience and development and for a more granular exploration of the trade-offs between them. From the perspective of the hotel industry, insights into narrowly channeled agglomeration externalities during a crisis could inform strategic decisions regarding the location of hotel investments, the value proposition created, and business model diversification. Therefore, there is a need for more resilient crisis management strategies that can be applied across the tourism sector. These strategies should encompass effective supply chain management and a robust framework for labor security. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The findings suggest that hotel industry development factors, which include both industry characteristics and regionally shaped economic conditions, provide mixed support for the resilience of this industry. The study revealed clear tensions between development and resilience impacts by highlighting existing trade-offs. Focusing attention on trade-off tensions advances both the conceptual validity and application potential. Although the present study was defined for the specific circumstances of the hotel industry, this approach can be replicated in different industries that are components of the supply chain of the tourism market and its value chain.

Crimea is a very attractive tourist destination with a high rank of tourist values, being natural and cultural heritage, with high recognition on the international tourist market. Since 2014, the tourism economy has been in a protracted crisis, caused by both internal and external reasons. The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in March 2014 significantly exacerbated the problems of the functioning of the tourism economy, preventing its sustainable development. The Russian authorities are taking political as well as socioeconomic measures to rebuild the tourism economy of Crimea, by taking steps to increase tourist traffic in Crimea, especially within the country, i.e., from other regions of Russia. One of the directions of actions to overcome the crisis is information support by the Russian media, the analysis of which is presented in this article. The aim of the study is therefore an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of information support by the Russian media for the tourist destination of Crimea in 2014–2019. Media activities are part of the Russian government’s tourism policy in this area. The article deals with the following theoretical issues: tourism policy, sustainable tourism development, heritage as the subject of tourism policy impact, information management, crisis management, the role of information in crisis management. The empirical part presents: the genesis and development of the crisis in the tourist destination of Crimea, the activity of the Russian authorities in terms of impact on the crisis, an analysis of the use of information by the Russian media in overcoming the crisis in the Crimean tourism economy.