The State of Air Pollution as a Factor Determining the Assessment of a City’s Tourist Attractiveness—Based on the Opinions of Polish Respondents

Aleksandra Łapko, Aleksander Panasiuk, Roma Strulak-Wójcikiewicz and Marek Landowski
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Aleksandra Łapko: Faculty of Engineering and Transport Economics, Maritime University of Szczecin, H. Pobożnego 11 St., 70-507 Szczecin, Poland
Aleksander Panasiuk: Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Prof. S. Łojasiewicza 4 St., 30-345 Kraków, Poland
Roma Strulak-Wójcikiewicz: Faculty of Engineering and Transport Economics, Maritime University of Szczecin, H. Pobożnego 11 St., 70-507 Szczecin, Poland
Marek Landowski: Faculty of Computer Science and Telecommunications, Maritime University of Szczecin, Wały Chrobrego 1-2 St., 70-500 Szczecin, Poland

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: city tourism; tourist attractiveness; tourism management; air pollution; sustainable tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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