DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN GREATER POLAND:

ADAPTATION OF SELECTED INDICATORS FROM THE EUROPEAN TOURISM

INDICATOR SYSTEM

Anna Królikowska-Tomczak

Jan Amos Komenski State Higher Vocational School in Leszno,

Institute of Tourism

Poznan University of Technology, Institute of Inginiery of

Management, Poland

Abstract: Europe, from the beginning of the history of

contemporary tourism, has been the main tourist destination in

the world. In the 21st century we are facing several changes

regarding tourism development trends: globalization and

individualization at the same time, culture and sport, local

culture and international links. One of the strongest trends in

tourism is that Europe is beginning to lose its prominence as a

tourist destination. It still accounts for over 51 % of

international tourist arrivals (UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2013:

2) but is developing less dynamically than other destinations.

Europe wants and needs to maintain its competitive position.

This can be obtained by developing tourism in a sustainable

way. As tourism is an important sector of the European Union's

economy, the European Commission on Tourism has commissioned a

document, a kind of guide, known as the European Tourism

Indicator System, which aims to contribute to improving the

sustainable management of destinations by providing tourism

stakeholders with an easy and useful toolkit.

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The aim of the article is to show the need for

sustainability in developing tourism, in Greater Poland as

well, and identify some key issues that need to be introduced

to achieve this state. It is based on the analysis of the

European Tourism Indicator System and its adaptation for

Greater Poland. The article also aims to show the achievements

of this region in the sustainable development of tourism, as

well as the failures.

Keywords: Sustainable development, destinations management

INTRODUCTION

Great Poland – bringing the region near

Great Poland or Grater Poland (both names are being used in

English) is one of 16 Polish provinces as well as historical

region and geographically - Lake District, situated in the

heart of Poland and Europe as well. As far as it name is

concerned, it has historical origins. In the middle ages the

first state structures of Poland had been created and first

capital settled on the territory of today’s Great Poland. As

Latin was its language, its name was Polonia. Its etymology

comes probably from the description of tribes settling this

area, called Poles (Polans). Later on, when the capital of Poland

had been relocated and transferred to Cracovia ( Cracow) to show

the historical sequence, the area of today’s Great Poland was

named in latin Polonia Maior ( the first, the older) and the

neighborhood of Cracow – Polonia Minor ( the younger). Now

days, its inhabitants are proud about the history of the

region which is the oldest part of Poland, the region where

polish state actually had been settled. What is Great Poland

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in the XXI century? What have we preserved from this

“greatness”? Let’s try to prove that quite a lot.

Socio demographic profile of Great Poland

The population of Great Poland is 3, 4 million people, which

is 9% of the population of Poland. The number of inhabitants

in Greater Poland tends to rise, which could be an argument

regarding its attractiveness (it has a positive migration

balance). The population of the region is comparatively young

– 20 % is aged between 18-39 years old. The population of

urban areas is about 1, 9 million people, and accordingly, 1,

6 million lives in rural areas. Great Poland used to be called

an “agricultural land” due to the percentage of rural

landscape. Poznan – the capital of the region is one of the

biggest cities in Poland, with 550, 7 thousands of inhabitants

(5th in Poland). The rate of registered unemployment is

comparatively low – due to GUS ( Main Statistic Office of

Poland) in the end of December 2013 it was 9,8 % in Great

Poland and about 4% in the capital –Poznan. The GDP rate in

Great Poland is 103, 8% of the average national GDP( based on

GUS Poznan, 2013). According to “Social Diagnosis of Poland

2013” ( Czapiński J. Panek T. 2013) Poznan is the third best

city to live in Poland – after Warsaw and Torun.

Table 1. Poznan and Great Poland in the rank of cities and

regions

Feature Poznan(the number represents place in the rank of cities according to the given feature)

Great Poland(the number represents place in the rank of regions accordingto the given feature)

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Civilizationlevel

2 8

Social wellbeing 11 8Material/ financial wellbeing

5 10

Social capital 4 11Physicalwellbeing

8 6

Mental wellbeing 1 2Source: based on “Social Diagnosis of Poland 2013” ( Czapiński J. Panek T.

2013)

According to the National Report on Social Development ( 2012)

created on the basis of research conducted for The Ministry of

Regional Development Great Poland is placed as the 4th region

in Poland due to LHDI ( Local Human Development Index).

Geography

Great Poland is situated centrally in Poland, with a very good

communicational connections to the Western Europe (the distance

Poznan – Berlin is about 240 km).

Picture 1: Situation of Great PolandSource: pl.wikipedia.org

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Picture 2: Situation of Great PolandSource: www.targeo.pl

The surface of Great Poland is 29 826,51 km² and this is

second, after Mazowsze Region (Warsaw) , biggest region in

Poland. It surface can be compared to the surface of Belgium or

Brandenburg region in Germany. There are two major geographic

regions: a lake district in the north, characterized by post-

glacial lakes and hills, and a rather flat plain in the south.

There are 13 natural parks and 1 national park, which represent

and protect post- glacial landscape. Natural parks have various

character, most of them represent natural landscape with lakes

and forests. Generally, these areas have a strong potential for

developing various forms of active tourism. The average

forestation of the region is about the national average, which

is 27%. There are some areas, though, especially in the

northern part of the region, where the forestation reaches 50%

of the surface.

Tourism and tourist attractions

Although Great Poland does not have such a strong tourism brand

as polish coastline or mountains it is consequently building

its tourist image. There have been a few very interesting brand

tourism product created and are promoted on the national and

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international market. Following resent tourism trends worldwide

these products face the need of ambitious and aware travelling

and give the possibility to experience the region, get to know

its culture, cuisine and nature. The Regional Tourism

Organization – WOT (Wielkopolska Organizacja Turystyczna)

provides potential tourist with publications regarding various

tourist product in several languages – English, German, Russian

and French. One can choose from the vast range of attractions –

from active (water, bike, equestrian) tourism, wooden

architecture trails, railway tourism, protected areas tourism,

family outgoing and more. Most popular and interesting tourist

attractions of Great Poland have been presented in the table

below.

Table 2. Most interesting tourist attractions in Great Poland:chosen examples

Poznan: the capital ofthe region

Monuments of all architecture styles, from early medievalCathedral, Renaissance Town hall, parish Baroque Church ofSt. Mary Madeline to modern architecture examples likeknown worldwide The Center of Old Brewery, sport andcultural events, 8 theaters, galleries, museums ect.

Other cities :cultural centers

Kalisz- known as the oldest city in Poland ( firstmentioned by Ptolomeus in his chronicle )Gniezno – with its Gothic Cathedral, known as thenecropolis of polish kings and the place of the baptism ofPoland (potential)Leszno – with its baroque old market square, baroque townhall and churches, known for its mulitireligiouscharacter in the past, with one of the best preservedlapidarium

Natural sites

13 Natural Parks, 1 National Park, over 100 naturereserves

Monuments of technique

Wolsztyn – the Locomotive Depot: wit 13 working enginesand “ Beautiful Helena “ among them – the fastest polishsteam engineNarrow Gauge Railway of Gniezno, Trolley Railway ofKrzywin, Grodzisk

Castles, palaces and country mansions

Antonin – the haunting lounge , wooden palace from XIXcenturyGołuchów – inspired by Loire Castles, with picturesquepark surroundingsRogalin – Baroque palace from the end of XVIII century,

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with beautiful French and English gardenMuseums and heritage parks

Dziekanowice, Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park: representingthe countryside architecture, dated from XVI till XIXcentury, one of the biggest in EuropeSoplicowo Movie Park: the most know polish poet, AdamMickiewicz, used to visit Wielkopolska during hislifetime: in the 1990ties there was a movie created byAndrzej Wajda based on his art. The park is the scenery ofthe moviePuszczykowo: Museum and Work Studio of Arkady Fidler, -polish travelerRakoniewice, The Wielkopolska Museum of FirefightingSzreniawa: The National Museum of Agriculture and FoodIndustry

Source: the author’s own study

From the institutional point of view, it seems that tourism in

Great Poland is gaining more attention of the local

authorities. In the Strategy of Development of the City of

Poznan 2030 one of the strategic objectives is “increasing the

importance of the city as the center of knowledge, culture,

tourism and sports”. One from the eighteen operational programs

is called “ Touristic Poznan” and its priorities are:

obtaining the rank of international center of culture and

tourism , and

creating one of the leading centers of urban and culture

tourism on the national and European level.

As far as the tourist infrastructure is concerned – it is

constantly developing (there were 703 hotels and motels,

offering 42,3 thousands of beds). The number of tourist

accommodated in thus was 1 616, 5 thousands. The number of

foreign tourists accommodated was 269, 7 thousands. Most of

them were German, other nations that tend to visit Great Poland

are: Dutch, British, Spanish, Swedish, Lithuanian, Italian

(based on Wielkopolskie Voviodship , 2013) There are some

innovative projects realized on the tourism field, some of them

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–like GPSWielkopolska supported with EU funds. The GPS

Wielkopolska is the system that enables getting to know the

region using tools co-working with Global Positioning System.

It contains information about the region, its tourist

attractions, facilities, maps. It offers an innovativen way of

visiting the region.

Quality of life in Great Poland

The perception of the quality of life may vary due to some

personal preferences and characteristics. Generally, describing

quality of life we should take into account a few zones of

everyday life, as well as the perspectives for a change ( for

better). There had been led a very interesting research on it

by the City of Poznan and Poznan University of Adam Mickiewicz.

The research has a continued character and have been realized

for 8 years (2002 -2010). The last report presents very

interesting data regarding quality of life, some of which is

strongly connected with sustainable development of the region.

The report states that the general appreciation of the life

situation among the population of Poznan is very positive. The

trend from 2004 (when the firs research had been led) is

rising. Regarding the possibilities offered by the city to its

inhabitants – the highest results has been achieved in the

field of cultural offer, education (40 tertiary schools in

Great Poland, 27 in Poznan) and leisure. The worst opinion was

given about medical services and the health zone. Another

feature that was assessed quite well was public transportation

– especially the net of connections. On the other hand, the

individual car transportation was rated very low. Bike

transportation was assessed on an average level- but the trend

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in this case is favorable: the development of the net of bike

ways can be observed almost everywhere in Poznan and the

region. The general safety is described as good, as well as the

cleanness of the everyday surroundings.

Regarding the environment the opinion of the respondents should

be compared to the objective indicators: this confrontation is

presented in the table below.

Table 3. The condition of an environment in Greater Poland.

Opinion of the respondents Objective indicatorsAir pollution: described byrespondents as “ average”

Number of days during theyear with the indicators ofPM10 surpassed is raising:in 2009 it was 67 days,while 2005 - 42

Noise level – described byrespondents as “ average”,in the city center – as “very bad”

During the day – 58 % of thecity surface is influencedby the noise of 70,1-75 Dbwhich is a borderline of thenorm

The quantity of waste: thecleanness in theneighborhood, of streetsparks and forests wasdescribed as generally good

The number of the municipialwaste collected per personfor the whole region is muchhigher and equals 270 kg peryear ( still much lower thanaverage in the UE)

The water cleanness and itsusage:Generally described asaverage, particularly –water in Poznan lakes wasassessed as bad and waterin Warta river – very badThe usage of water hasfallen down

The quantity of theindustrial and municipalwaste water has increased,and reached 238 hm3 in 2013The usage of water perperson in 2010 equaled 41m3, which was comparativelylow ( 2004 – 47 m3)

Source: authors own study based on Jakość życia mieszkańców miasta Poznaniaand Rocznik Statystyczny Województwa Wielkopolskiego, 2013

There were a lot of different aspects of everyday life

presented and assessed by the inhabitants of Poznan, compared,

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when possible to the whole region and confronted to the

objective indicators. To sum up this part there is one more,

very positive thing to quote – the inhabitants of Poznan

describe their connection to the city as very high and the

willing to move out as very low.

Great Poland as a one of the first polish regions started to

consequently build its brand. In the XXI century, when the

competition is not only between companies, but – maybe even

more likely among regions, it is essential to build a

recognizable image. The idea of creating the vision of “

innovative Great Poland “ must be built in a complex way,

connecting various fields of everyday life. Innovation on the

level of everyday life is changing for better, facilitating..

This change can be obtained by sustainable development of the

region.

Tourism as one of the main tools of region’s development

Tourism is a multi-sector industry, influencing a big

diversity of services, professions, companies and individuals.

Its economic impact is undoubtedly vast, depending on the

characteristic of the region: it may yield from about 4–5 %

(Poland) up to 70 % of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP;

the highest share of tourism in countries’ GDP is being noticed

in the case of emerging and island countries). On the global

scale tourism industry is one of the largest and most dynamic

industries in today’s economy, expected to generate about 9 %

of total GDP and provide for more than 235 million jobs in

2010, representing 8 % of global employment. Global Travel &

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Tourism direct contribution to GDP grew by a robust 3.2 % in

2012. This was faster than the growth of the world economy as

whole (2.3 %), and also faster than the growth of a number of

broad industries including manufacturing, financial and

business services, and retail.(Economic Impact of Travel and

Tourism 2013: 2–3)

Since 1950s we are facing constant development of tourism

industry on a very large scale – caused by globalization,

socio-political changes, and evolution in transport . It seems

quite unbelievable, but the number of international tourists

increased from 25 million in the 1950 to 1,035 million in 2012.

The dynamism of growth and the future perspectives for tourism

are shown on the figure below.

Figure 1. International Tourist Arrivals 1950–2030Source: www.unwto.org

Over the past six decades, tourism experienced continuous

expansion and diversification, becoming one of the largest and

fastest growing sectors in the world. This increasing dimension

of tourism is quite convincing that tourism is the key driver

of the socio-economic progress through export revenues, the

creation of jobs and enterprises, and infrastructure

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development in most regions of the world. Owing to its research

and long term observations, the United Nations World Tourism

Organization (UNWTO) claims that international tourist arrivals

worldwide will increase by 3.3 % a year from 2010–2030 to reach

1.8 billion by 2030. This increase will be even greater for

emerging economies, estimated at 4.4 % per year, which is also

a great chance to balance the differences between regions

within Europe and in the whole World (based on UNWTO Tourism

Highlights 2013). Regarding Europe, tourism is a very important

sector of its economy. It supports economic growth and

employment. It generates more than 5 % of the European Union’s

GDP, with about 1.8 million enterprises employing 5.2 % of the

total labor force (approximately 9.7 million jobs, including a

significant number of young people, which seems to be very

important these days, when we are facing very high unemployment

in this sector) (Enhancing the competitiveness of tourism in

the EU 2013: 4). Should the related sectors be taken into

account, the estimated contribution of tourism to GDP creation

is considerably higher: tourism indirectly generates more than

10 % of the GDP of the European Union (EU) and accounts for 12%

of the labor force (Enhancing of competitiveness 2013: 6).

Tourism represents the third largest socioeconomic activity in

the EU after the trade and distribution and construction

sectors (Europe, the world’s No 1 destination – a new political

Framework for tourism In Europe 2010: 5) Tourism may provide

socioeconomic integration , particularly of mountain and rural

areas and islands, by generating growth and employment.

Forecasts by UNWTO suggest that international tourist arrivals

in Europe will increase by up to 717 million by the 2020,

meaning that the number of international tourist arrivals will

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have doubled over the two decades between 2000–2020. Yet in

today’s reality, Europe must focus on maintaining its

leadership as a tourism destination on the global scale. To

face the global competition and the rising popularity of other

destinations, Europe must offer sustainable and high-quality

product, playing on its comparative advantages, in particular

the diversity of its countryside and the extraordinary cultural

wealth (Europe… 2010: 6). Although in 2013 the growth of

international tourist arrivals in Europe exceeded the previous

forecast and grew by 6 %, there are regions in the World that

are developing at the same rate, like Asia and Pacific, North

Africa with 6 % of growth, or even much faster – South East

Asia with its growth of 12 %. Still, the average growth on the

global scale was 5%. One of the biggest challenges for Europe

is to improve sustainable tourism development in order to

maintain the long term competitiveness of the industry. In 2012

Europe reached 534 million of tourist arrivals, which is 52 %

of total international arrivals worldwide. Such numbers must

impress: they must also influence – on a very different level.

There are many positive sides: general development, rising

quality of the product, developing infrastructure, improving

the quality of life of the inhabitants. Today, the tourist

product must be seen in a very broad and complex way: the

common definition of tourism product, explaining it as a number

of services offered to the customer to fit his touristic needs,

does not necessarily seem complete. The tourist product today

not only fulfills needs but also includes one’s impression and

perception of the destination. Would we rather spend time in a

clean area with efficient public transportation or admire

landscapes over the tons of garbage and stuck in a traffic jam?

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The better is the general perception of the quality of the

destination, the higher does the probability of the tourist

satisfaction become in general. Thus, such an understanding of

tourist product explains so the multidimensional influence of

tourism development in tourism. To succeed today, we need to

treat tourism as a field of cooperation between the private and

public sectors. Improving public space is just as important as

increasing the quality of services. Such a way of understanding

and developing tourist product at the destination must also

serve local communities. On the other hand, there are some

serious threats, especially when tourism develops dynamically

but spontaneously, without any strategy of (sustainable)

development. The basic theoretical SWOT analysis of the

development of tourism in a region can be seen in the table

below.

Table 2. The SWOT analysis of developing tourism in a regionStrengths Weaknesses

Positive impact on economyon distinct levels:national, regional and localDevelopment ofinfrastructure, such astransportation,construction, mediaIncreased quality of life ofthe inhabitants, whiledeveloped in a sustainableway

Lack of tourist virtues(natural and cultural)Rising prices for locals aswellIncreased populationdensity, traffic

Opportunities ThreatsPossibility of multidimensional developmentDeveloping labor market by creating new jobs, fighting unemployment amongst young people in particular (Spain,Greace)Creating a regional brand

Basing economy on tourismmay incur some risk: whenthis sector collapses, dueto some external factors, itinfluences the wholeindustry (revolution inEgypt, Icelandic volcanoeruption)Negative influence of mass

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tourism on natural andcultural heritage, e.g.,among the 44 Endangered WordHeritage sites there areseveral places facing masstourism problem (the BarrierReef in Belize, the Old Cityof Jerusalem, Chan ChanArcheological Area, Peruetc.)Negative influence on localsocieties caused bytourists: sex-tourism inThailand, spreadingalcoholism or drugs

Source: the author’s own study

We need to learn how to maximize the advantages and minimize

the disadvantages: to obtain the balance between the tourism

development and the socio – cultural and natural environment of

the hosting regions, our tourist destinations. The question is

how shall we do it? There is one of a few key words:

sustainability.

Sustainable tourism development – the need or the tool to build

the competitive predominance?

As presented in the previous parts of the article, one can

be certain that tourism is a very important part of the EU and

worldwide economy, although it cannot be underestimated as a

sociological and cultural activity as well. In the past and

present decades, we have been facing several changes in our

reality (socio-demographic, economic, ecological). In order to

follow these changes, tourism needs to face several challenges

and to succeed in converting them into opportunities. One of

the most important factors seems to be the adaptation to social

developments that will influence tourist demands. Which are

they? One of the most discussed and described changes is that

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within the next 10 years (or less) – until 2020 – the number of

persons aged over 65 is expected to rise and reach 20 % of the

population of Europe. It means that the sector of “silver head”

individuals is becoming a very strong part of the demand,

especially having both the purchase power and a lot of leisure

time (hopefully). This significant sector is going to bring

about several changes to meet its particular needs. Another

dynamically rising sector of tourism demand consists of

tourists with reduced mobility. It is obvious that their needs

require some effort, beginning with public space and

accommodation, tourist attraction accessibility, and other

services offered on tourism market. This should lead to

equality in tourism service accessibility, which is an

important part of sustainable tourism development and

management. The other process, but not less important – and

often probably even more commonly associated with

sustainability – is reducing the influence of climate and

natural environment. The key actions here are coping with the

scarcity of water supplies, maintaining biodiversity – namely

protecting species, inhabitants, and whole natural areas, as

well as minimizing the greenhouse gas emissions. The cultural

heritage is often endangered by mass tourism development as

well. This is also one of the key actions to be undertaken in

building the strategy of sustainable tourism development:

protecting the cultural sites that are the legacy of our past

and our heritage for the future generations.

In these circumstances European tourism is bound to evolve.

Some of the European regions have already implemented modern

and sustainable strategies of tourism development, while there

is a lot of regions that seem to develop tourism in a

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spontaneous way, counting incomes without seeing costs (even if

not countable today, extremely likely to appear in the near

future). To answer the seemingly rhetorical question whether

introducing sustainable tourism development strategy is the

need or the tool of building the competitive predominance, it

is the absolute need. And the time to act is now.

Do we actually know what sustainable development of tourism is?

Probably there are many more ways than one of

understanding the sustainability in tourism. One could say that

it is recognizing the limits and the capacity of the tourism

resources. On the other hand it is supporting the development

of tourism together with optimizing economic, environmental and

socio-cultural benefits. According to the European Commission,

sustainable development of tourism means “responsible use of

natural resources, taking account of the environmental impact

of activities (production of waste, pressure on water, land and

biodiversity, etc.), the use of ‘clean energy’, protection of

the heritage, […] the quality and sustainability of jobs

created, local economic fallout or customer care” (Europe…

2010: 10). It should be seen as a process that starts with

destination planning and its subsequent management, by

developing a strategic plan for tourism, realizing its

objectives in the most detailed way – on the conceptual, but

most of all on the practical level. It means that the most

important thing is not only to notice the problem of the

sustainable development and adopting the rhetoric of

“sustainability” but introducing it as the idea for managing

the region from the local perspective, based on its

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characteristics, in the field of tourism and yet in the

interdisciplinary dimension. To take an action seems to be the

key initiative nowadays, as we are provided with research,

guides, and case studies of best practices. Taking action means

to create an interdisciplinary strategy, introduce it, and then

measure and monitor the results and changes.

Some authors claim that sustainability is:

“using nature’s ability to provide for human needs without

undermining its ability to function over time

ensuring the well-being of community members by offering

and encouraging tolerance creativity, participation and

safety

empowering people with shared responsibility, equal

opportunity and access to expertise and knowledge, with

the capacity to affect decisions to affect them, and

ensure that business, companies and institutions which

collaborate as well as they compete are environmentally

sound and socially responsible, and investing in the local

community in a variety of ways” (D.Dredge, J.Macbeth,

D.Carlson, N.Beaumont, N.Northcote, F.Richards, 2006,

p.6 ).

The sustainable development might also be understood as:

a value orientation in which managing tourism impacts

should take precedence over market economics

shaped by global economic restructuring and a local

destination’s position within these processes

requirement of a local control of resources

patience, diligence and long-term commitment (D.Dredge,

J.Macbeth, D.Carlson, N.Beaumont, N.Northcote, F.Richards,

2006)

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Sustainable tourism in its contemporary and complex meaning

cannot be separated from the wider debate on sustainable

development in general ( Swarbrooke J., 1999). It is a regional

strategy, that may result with strong advantages for a region,

but some difficulties can be met as well. It involves

cooperation – which is actually a key world. The cooperation

between small business and local authorities who compete at the

local level, but who wish to attract a boarder segment of the

market from greater distances ( Edgell L.D, 2006)

Sustainable tourism development is respecting the needs of all

the participants of the tourist market, maintaining the harmony

between supplies and demand, protecting socio – natural

environment and developing a destinations economy.

There are different ways of explaining sustainability. The most

important is for each region (a potential tourist destination)

to create its own definition of sustainability, based on its

resources, strategies of development, and analysis of potential

shortages in this field. The context of each community is

required. The key object of the sustainable development

strategy is the conception of the destination. Contemporary

vision of tourist destination is holistic: it is more like

experience of the visited place, the impression about it, not

only the sum of the services bought during the stay. On the

contemporary tourist market, there the demand has a hold over

the supply, destinations must fight for competitiveness. The

competitiveness today is a multidimensional phenomenon and must

rise based on the different fields and features of the

destination. The destination’s strengths are presented on the

figure below:

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Figure 2. Competitive destination strengths (based on Ritchie,

Croutch, 2003)

Developing competitiveness in such a complex way is closely

linked to the previously mentioned sustainable development

strategy.

The European Commission, which has created or supported

several tools to develop this ideology of sustainable

development, pointed out a large number of indicators that

should be taken into account while managing tourist destination

in a sustainable way. In February 2013 the European Tourism

Indicator System Toolkit was issued, which is a kind of guide

for sustainable destinations or, better said, for regions that

strive to manage tourism in a sustainable way. It has been

commissioned by the European Commission based on the vast

research and observation on contemporary tourism trends, the

challenges that tourism market (especially supply) is facing,

and the need of enforcing the competitive position of Europe as

tourist destination on the global scale. It is a practical tool

that, among others existing projects that were or are to

support sustainable tourism (NECSTouR, Eden), is a kind of

EconomicEnviromentalSocialCulturalPolitcalTechnologic

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guide that provides the possibility to create balance between

the needs of tourists, host communities and environment.

Presentation of the European Tourism Indicator System Toolkit

The European Tourism Indicator System is designed to show that

sustainable tourism development in a region is a process and to

give to the destinations some suggestions and accurate

indicators that may be useful while introducing sustainable

management. It should raise awareness of the need of

sustainability in tourism and its real meaning. Sustainable

management is not only “not to harm” the environment. It is

planning, introducing, monitoring and measuring results in

different fields of interests.

The European Tourism Indicator System was created based on

previous experiences and studies of best practices and is the

product of feedback collected from field testing regions in

Europe. It is designed as an instrument for any destination to

pick it up and implement it. Technically, it consist of 27 core

and 40 optional indicators. It can be integrated to the

existing destination monitoring system or introduced as a basic

tool. The great advantage of this system is the integration of

public and private space, fields of interest (e.g.,

environmental impact, socio-cultural, economical value). As we

already know that the future competitiveness of tourism system

is closely linked to its sustainability, the European

Commission points out some key motivations for monitoring

destination, amongst which one can find: improved information

leading to better decision making, managing and minimizing

risk, prioritization of projects, and benchmarking performance.

In the past one would like to say, while the truth for the most

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of tourist destinations is – at present local policy makers

rely on a very limited range of statistics (such as arrival

numbers, employment surveys, and visitor satisfaction) to

monitor tourism. These statistics do not create the whole and

complete image of the tourism impact. “Collecting data on a

broad range of issues relevant to the impact of tourism […]

will help destinations build an accurate picture of what is

really going on”, claims the European Commision (European

Tourism Indicator System TOOLKIT for Sustainable Destinations

2013: 10). Although the positive impact of tourism development

on a region is commonly known, it is likely there are

destinations with little potential in this field or where the

cost of developing tourism is higher than potential

multidimensional revenues. The evaluation of the vision of

tourism of the regional decision makers may be one of the

positive results of implementing the Tourism Indicator System.

Tourism is a very dynamic phenomenon: that is why we should not

underestimate the need for monitoring it and evolving

strategies if necessary, facing global tourism trends.

Before the core and some optional indicators of the system are

presented, it seems to be appropriate to present the successive

steps to be taken while the destination aims to introduce

sustainable management. The first step is to raise awareness,

which seems to be obvious, but it is still necessary to mention

it and point it out for the majority of destinations. To raise

awareness also means to inform most institutions, individuals

and stakeholders about the idea of measuring sustainability of

the region, in order to increase the possibility of active

participation in the project of the above mentioned parties.

Moreover, there is a crucial need to create the destination’s

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profile: depending on tourist virtues and amenities,

transportation, geography, etc. Why is it crucial? Depending on

the destination profile and its characteristics, some problems

will be more important to overcome while others will have a

lower priority, so the importance of the mentioned indicators

will vary in different regions as well. For instance, for

regions that face high unemployment or gender inequality it

will be crucial to monitor the indicators connected with this

aspect and develop actions that can lead to a change in this

field. The next step would be the creation of a Stakeholder

Working Group, which is a collection of organizations and

individuals involved in tourism industry. To be able to gather

data it is crucial to find representatives from the private

sector and destination management organizations, as well as

from other fields, such as environment, utility providers,

local authorities responsible for planning etc. The possible

list of chosen stakeholders with adequate organizations from

Greater Poland is shown in the table below:

Table 2: The list of possible stakeholders

Private sector representative, e.g. head of a local Hotel Association or travel agency

Individual representatives –members of Poznan LocalTourism Organization(travel agencies, hotels,associated companies )

Destination management organization

The Department of Sport andTourism and The Department

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of Regional Policy of TheMarshal’s Office of TheGreat Poland Province

Tourism authority The Greater Poland TourismOrganization

Educational institutions The Institute of EuropeanIntegration(Poznan University ofTechnology), The Instituteof Tourism Industry ( PoznanUniversity of Economy)Statistical Office in Poznan

Organization concerned withthe preservation of local culture/ heritage

The Department of Culture ofThe Marshal’s Office of TheGreat Poland Province, TheProvincial office ofMonuments in Poznan

Local authority transport department

The Department of Transportof The Marshal’s Office ofThe Great Poland Province

Local water and sewage provider

The Aquanet S.A (company),The Local Association ofWaste Management of PoznanAgglomeration

Organization concerned withthe protection of the localenvironment/wildlife

The Department ofEnvironment of the Marshal’sOffice of The Greater Poland

Source: authors own study based on the European Tourism Indicator SystemTOOLKIT for Sustainable Destinations

Each member would be responsible for collecting data from the

field of their interest and actions. After clearing up

responsibilities of each member, the process of collecting data

would start and should lead to obtaining actual results and

formulating key issues for the destination. The next step will

be deciding which actions should be taken and how they should

be realized to avoid the failures at the destination. On this

base the long term strategy can be developed, aiming at long

term improvement.

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The indicators are divided into 4 parts: destination

management, economic value, social and cultural impact, and

environmental impact. They are then subdivided into core and

optional indicators.

The list of chosen core and optional indicators is presented in

table 3.

Table 3. Chosen indicators from the European Tourism IndicatorSystem Toolkit

SECTION A: DESTINATION MANAGMENTCRITERIA CORE INDICATOR OPTIONAL INDICATORSustainable tourism publicpolicy

Percentage of the destination with a sustainable strategy/action plan

Percentage of residents satisfiedwith their involvement and influence in the planning and development of tourism

Sustainable tourism management in enterprises

Percentage of tourism enterprises/ establishments in the destination using a voluntary verified certification /labeling for environmental/quality/sustainability

Number of tourism enterprises with sustainability reports

Customer satisfaction

Percentage of visitors that aresatisfied with their overall experience in the destination

Percentage of return visitors

PART B: ECONOMIC VALUECRITERIA CORE INDICATOR OPTIONAL INDICATORTourism flow Number of tourist nights per

monthRelative contribution of tourism to the destination’s economy (% GDP)

Quantity and quality of

Direct tourism employment Percentage of seasonal jobs in

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employment tourismSafety and health

Percentage of tourism enterprises inspected for fire safety

Percentage of tourist that reportto the police

PART C: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL IMPACTCRITERIA CORE INDICATOR OPTIONAL INDICATORCommunity/social impact

Number of tourists per 100 residents

Percentage of residents who are satisfied with tourism in the destination

Gender equality

Percentage of men and women employed in the tourism sector

Average wage: men and woman compared

Protecting andenhancing cultural heritage, local identityand assets

Percentage of the destination covered by a policy or plan that protects cultural heritage

Percentage of destination’s biggest events based on local culture

PART D: ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTCRITERIA CORE INDICATOR OPTIONAL INDICATORReducing transport impact

Percentage of tourist and same day visitors using different modes of transport to arrive atthe destination

Percentage of usageof local/soft mobility/public transport to get around the destination

Solid waste management

Waste volume produced by destination

Percentage of tourism enterprisesseparating different types of waste

Energy usage Energy consumption per tourist night compared to general population consumption per person night

Percentage of tourism enterprisesthat switched off to low energy lightning

Source: European Tourism Indicator System TOOLKIT for sustainableDestinations

As one can see, there is a lot of interesting indicators and

collecting data following them shall provide local authorities

with a great amount of information. The variety of indicators

explains the need of interdisciplinary character of the

stakeholders.

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Greater Poland as a tourist destination: do we need a

sustainable tourism management?

Greater Poland is the second Polish province regarding its

surface and the third regarding the number of inhabitants,

usually described as a very enterprising and economical region,

proving it with the lowest unemployment rate. In 2012 ,

1,616,560 of international tourist visited Greater Poland,

which was the 7th result among the 16 provinces of Poland

(Tourism in 2012: Statistical information and elaborations

2013: 41). Greater Poland is a region where the first Polish

state structures had begun to form, there is a lot of material

and intangible heritage here worth exposing, as well as

interesting nature (1 national park, 13 landscape parks, and

over 100 nature reserves). The strategy of development of

tourist product in Great Poland is a state responsibility of

the Greater Poland Tourism Organization (WTO) which has created

several themed tourist products that should fulfill the needs

of different consumers, including the niche sectors, such as

post-industrial tourists or pilgrims, as well as less niche but

active tourists. Besides all of this, Greater Poland does not

have any very strong tourist brand. It is creating its brand to

emphasize quality and innovation in various fields of its

functioning: education, administration, technology, and tourism

as well. One of the strategic objectives mentioned in the

Development Strategy for Wielkopolskie Province until 2020

(2005) is innovation. Development of tourism is one of local

policies in this strategy. Although some great projects have

been led and co-founded by the European Union (Creation of the

System of Tourist Information, The Complex Promotion of key

27

Tourist Product of Great Poland, The International Promotion of

Brand Water Tourism Product “The Great Route”) it seems that

Great Poland cannot compete with such strong tourist

destinations as the Baltic Sea or the mountains. In order to

compete with these regions it is important to follow the idea

of innovation and be able to show the innovative way of

managing tourism. How? It is easy to guess: by sustainable

development. Introducing the European Tourism Indicator System,

although it may seem difficult and maybe unnecessary for the

region which does not base its economy on tourism, fits the

ideology of the Innovative Greater Poland or of Poznan – the

city of “know how”.

Propositions of introducing the European Tourism Indicator

System in Greater Poland: funding possibilities and benefits

We are about to start the new financial perspective in the

European Union. There are a lot of reasons to think that such

an interdisciplinary project should find the European

Commission’s support. The Article 195 of the Lisbon Treaty is

dedicated to Tourism and says that “[t]he Union shall

complement the action of the Member States in the tourism

sector, in particular by promoting the competitiveness of Union

undertakings in this sector” (Treaty on the Functioning of the

European Union 2010: 135). Therefore, it shall aim its actions

so as to encourage creating a favorable environment to develop

tourism and promote cooperation. The general priorities

regarding the new perspective for Poland are broadening

activities in the field of innovations, sustainable development

– especially low emission industry, and regional development

favoring social inclusion. While browsing European Projects in

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Poland in the light of the new perspective, the activities

connected with tourism can be found in Environment and

Infrastructure, Intelligent Development, Knowledge Education

Development. There are possibilities of gaining financial

support while realizing the priorities of these project. The

details will be known soon, as we are about to open this new

perspective. There are also interesting possibilities of

receiving European Founds from the 8th Framework, which is

aimed to promote cooperation between science and business,

public and private sectors, and generally to promote

multinational and multidimensional cooperation leading to

innovation and improvement of European space – social,

economical, cultural, technological… Again, the new perspective

is about to start, there will be new calls for proposals

presented. One of the forthcoming examples of the calls,

presenting one of the main ideas of European and sustainable

development can be: “Europe in the changing world – inclusive,

innovative and reflective Societies”. Isn’t this idea close to

sustainable development?

These are only general tips, meant to show that there are

possibilities to gain European support, especially because the

European Tourism Indicator System, which being introduced, fits

the main ideology of regional development.

What can Greater Poland gain introducing this system? First of

all, having into account recent tourism trends it can gain the

competitive predominance. Contemporary tourists are becoming

very aware of the importance of sustainability. They also care

about the general impression of the destination, they perceive

the tourist product as a complex of services offered and the

impression of the public space surrounding them. The creation

29

of modern and innovative tourism product may prove to be more

important that objective tourist attractions like warm climate,

coastline or mountains.

Introducing the Tourism Indicator System may also strengthen

the brand of Greater Poland as an innovative and creative

region.

Developing sustainability in tourism by introducing this system

may also contribute to improve the quality of life in the

region by monitoring multiple important aspects of social life.

CONCLUSION

Sustainable tourism development seems to be the unavoidable

future for every destination on the tourist market. The sooner

local authorities will become aware of this fact, the higher

competitive predominance can be built.

There are different ways to introduce sustainable tourism

management into destination, but the European Tourism

Indicators System Toolkit seems to be very interdisciplinary

and can ensure not only the development of tourism but also can

upgrade the quality of life of the inhabitants , protecting the

social, environmental, cultural, and economical conditions of

their everyday life. Such a way of understanding and practical

implementation of the philosophy of sustainable (tourism)

development also fits the contemporary trends in regional

development in the European Union and can be granted some

founds. It is strongly recommended that the authorities of

Great Poland should have it in mind.

30

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