Możliwości i kierunki rozwoju turystyki społecznej w Polsce
Possibilities and directions of development of social tourism in Poland

Summary/Abstract: In the article the author has evaluated possibilities and directions of development of social tourism in Poland. The realization of that objective required clarification what is meant by “social tourism”, what is its definition and what are its goals and through which instruments they can be achieved. The analysis of the concepts of social tourism enables to show that the need for tourist travels is commonly felt a social need, fulfilling which allows not only to realize social goals, but also economic ones. However, fulfilling this need faces health or economic barriers, which raises the question who is responsible for their removal. The analysis of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and the Constitution of the Republic of Poland enabled the author to prove that in both the EU and Poland economic system is based on the social market economy, according to which the state takes measures to eliminate or reduce the negative effects of the market economy in the social sphere. The removal of barriers in the access to tourism is the instrument for realization of this objective in the area of tourism. This means that the government bodies at all levels have not only the right but the obligation to carry out activities to support the development of social tourism. The purpose of these actions should not be only the removal of access-barriers to tourism, but also achieving economic goals such as combating seasonality, activation of the lesser-known tourist towns, improvement of the financial results of tourism enterprises.

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