Lokalne Organizacje Turystyczne jako czynnik rozwoju regionalnego – ocena funkcjonowania
Tourism Organisations as a factor for regional development: Functional assessment

Summary/Abstract: Tourism development is perceived as one of the strategies with a positive impact on national and local economies Following global trends these three levels was introduced in Poland in 2000 for organisations devoted to the development and promotion of tourism. This paper focuses on tourism development at the local level, i.e. Local Tourism Organisations (LTOs). It aims to assess whether the 3-tier tourism development system complies with its purpose at the LTO level. In 2013, questionnaires were sent to all LTOs registered in Poland (only 30 of 130 LTOs participated in the research), and next to members of these LTOs, which completed the survey (88 of 500 participated in the research). Study results suggest that LTOs do fulfil their primary task of contributing to the development of tourism in the region. The main advantages of membership are marketing benefits and the consolidation of activities with other members. Moreover, the presence of LTOs on the local market supports activities associated with tourism promotion. Despite the positive study results, the functioning of LTOs in Poland requires corrective measures. Organisations should place stronger emphasis on the integration of the various stakeholder groups in the region and become more involved in inter-regional cooperation and the development of new tourism products.

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