Postawy społeczności lokalnych wobec turystów i rozwoju turystyki – przykład gmin Beskidu Śląskiego
Attitudes of local communities towards tourists and tourism development – the example of municipalities in the Silesian Beskidy Mountains

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe the opinions and attitudes of the residents of selected municipalities in the Silesian Beskidy Mountains – Brenna, Istebna, Ustroń and Wisła – towards tourists, local tourism development and local goverment actions aimed to stimulate tourism, as well as to determine tourist pressure, as perceived by local communities. The results of survey conducted using a random group of n = 614 individuals indicate high social awareness of the problems usually associated with the development of tourism. The factors that determine the attitudes of local residents towards tourists were found to include the subjectively felt nuisance of tourism and awareness of the economic importance of income from tourism for the local community. The factor differentiating individual attitudes towards tourists and opinions on the commitment and actions taken by local authorities is the amount of financial benefits obtained by the respondents from tourism. A community’ s perception of tourist pressure depends on local geographical conditions, degree of urbanization as well as the seasonal and geographic distribution of incoming tourists. Despite the significant impact of tourism on the local natural and social environment, the surveyed communities continue to desire more local tourism development.

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