Vol. 2 / 2012

No. 2

Current Issues of Tourism Research Editorial Board Čuka Peter – University of Presov in Presov Editor in Chief

table of contents Annotation Journal of Current Issues of Tourism Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Bildat Lothar – Baltic College SchwerinUniversity of Applied Sciences

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Clarke Alan – University of Panonia Hungary

Scientific study:

Flood Patrick – University of Limerick

Francisco Teixeira Pinto Dias, Manuel José Trindade Vitorino:

Gál Zoltán – University of Pécs, Hungarian Academy of Sience Hartmann Rudi – University of Colorado Denver Chapčáková Alexandra – University of Presov Chowdhary Nimit – Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior, India Joanna Maria Segui Pons – Universita de les Illes Balears, Ciencies de la Terre, Palma de Mallorca Kaczmarek Jacek – University of Lodz Kiráľová Alžbeta – University of Bussines Prague Kowalczyk Andrzej – University of Warsaw Lorber Lučka – University of Maribor

“Bread Mill: an Important Tool in a Tourism-Based Strategy for the Preservation of the Windmills Heritage” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sławomir Dorocki, Tomasz Rachwał, Anna Irena Szymańska, Małgorzata Zdon-Korzeniowska: “Spatial Conditions for Agritourism Development on the Example of Poland and France ” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Scientific paper: Diana Dryglas: “Spa and Wellness Tourism as a Spatially Determined Product of Health Hesorts in Poland” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Andrej Malachovský “Market Strategies in Slovak and Austrian Tourism” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Long Robert – Metropolitan Leeds University

Review:

Matlovič René – University of Presov

Anna Šenková:

Matušíková Daniela – University of Presov

“Eurocup Prešov – The International Competition for Junior Bartenders” . . . . 49

Mika Miroslaw – Jagiellonian University Cracau Obodyński Kazimierz – University of Rzeszow

Guidelines for authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Pachura Piotr – University of Czestochowa Pantelis Kirmizoglou – University of Thessaloniki Pinto Dias – Teixeira Francisco University of Peniche, Portugal Plesník Pavol – University of Ekonomics in Bratislava

Current Issues of Tourism Research © 2012 STS Science Centre Ltd.

Schelle Karel – University of Masaryk Brno

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retreival system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

Štefko Robert – University of Presov

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of STS Science Centre Ltd.

Zaťko Jozef – Eaest European Development Agency, Podhájska

Issued twice a year.

Zimmermann Martin Friedrich – Karl Franzens University of Graz

Printed in the EU. ISSN 2048-7878

Current Issues of Tourism Research

2

Annotation Journal of Current Issues of Tourism Research Every year approximately 4 thousand studies on the topics of tourism are published in the area of Central Europe. About 20 per cent of the studies could be regarded as scientific papers. Various periodicals such as Tourism, New Problems of Tourism, Peregrinus Cracoviensis in Poland, Economic Review of Travel and Tourism in Slovakia, Czech Travel News in the Czech Republic and likewise focus mainly on the issue of destination tourism, hotel industry and economics of tourism. Most of these magazines are devoted either to the one specific problem - Peregrinus Cracoviensis (pilgrimage tourism), or to a wide range of topics – Tourism (geography of tourism). The concept of the journal - Current Issues of Tourism Research is based on exclusive quality, clear determination of topics and content structure of the periodical. The quality of the journal is guaranteed by the following criteria: •• •• •• •• ••

the seat of the Journal is in Great Britain international editorial board the selection of reputable reviewers from Slovakia and other foreign countries sole print in the English language limited range of issues: one or two issues per year

Themes forming the contents of the journal and relating to the region of Central Europe are as follows: •• •• •• •• •• ••

New problems in tourist regions in Central Europe Trends in the development of terminology, theory and methods of research in tourism Current questions concerning the product, management and marketing of tourism Religion tourism in Central Europe Issues of urban and cultural tourism in Central Europe Health Tourism, Spa Tourism, Wellness Tourism

Structure of journal’s content Each issue will consist of: •• three scientific articles written in the range of maximum 20 pages per one article •• three scientific contributions not exceeding 10 pages per contribution, •• section providing information and profiles of scientific personalities developing tourism, the section devoted to reviews, areas allocated to advertising and editorial column. One issue should have a range of approx. 120 pages. The format of the magazine, the quality of printing and possibilities of colourful appendices depend on agreement and financial cost. Minimum one issue per year. The uniqueness of the journal would be supplemented by the new field of study Tourism, Hotel Industry and Spa Tourism at the Faculty of Management at University of Prešov in Prešov. The journal would provide the possibility of the new study programme promotion in the country of the publisher and in the target region of Central Europe.

2/2012

3

Editorial An editorial board is responsible for what should be included in professional journals particularly in multi-disciplinary professional journals. Editors are usually members of academia. The answer to a seemingly simple question - what should represent the dis-

cipline, magazine, editor and finally the university – can be very complicated in the field of tourism trade. The multilayered, dynamic and interrelated sphere of tourism arises from various research bases which determine research methods preferences and their focus. In tourism, those could include: research of tourism participants, the concept of tourism as a meeting, Christaller’s model of peripheral areas, diffusion of innovations theory, Butler’s Tourism Life Cycle Mode, conceptions of formation of recreation areas, conceptions of tourism functions, conceptions of creating recreation centers, conceptions of perception of recreation space, conceptions of recreation urbanization, conceptions of tourism conflict, conceptions of tourist guiding, conceptions of tourism product formation, conceptions of religious tourism, environmental conception, conception of alternative tourism, cartographic conceptions and GIS applications, conception of tourism management and many others. The main aim of the journal Current Issues of Tourism Research is to search for current trends in tourism and to present them objectively. One of the biggest challenges regarding this task is the question whether we should prefer a deep study of partial problems in tourism or whether to focus our attention on holistic studies. In the last two decades, it has been suggested that it is necessary to form a united science “tourismology” which would provide a consilient view of all the phenomena in tourism. In our opinion, it is not entirely correct to institutionalize trends in scientific thinking. We also believe that they come from individual personalities of the given scientific discipline. This idea was properly formulated by Rob Law, Rosanna Leung and Dimitrios Bulgarians in their analysis published in an indexed journal Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. They highlighted the role of editorial boards of journals in the field of tourism (the study analyzed 57 journals of the world and their leaders). I quote:1 “Academic leaders who serve as journal editors, associate editors, and EB members are a valuable asset to their employers. These scholars contribute strongly to their universities through their active involvement in leadership and their commitment to establishing first-class research programs. More important, as journal leaders they ensure that the quality of publications matches, if not exceeds, the stipulated standard, which is often equivalent to that of other academic disciplines, thus contributing to the maturity of knowledge development in their field...” (Rob Law, Rosanna Leung, Dimitrios Bulharis (2010) An Analysis of Academic Leadership in Hospitality and Tourism Journals in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research SAGE/CHRIE). Respected authors and dear readers are an integral part of the magazine. Your comments and opinions should be addressed to: [email protected]

Peter Čuka Editor in Chief

Current Issues of Tourism Research

4

“Bread Mill: an Important Tool in a Tourism-Based Strategy for the Preservation of the Windmills Heritage” Francisco Teixeira Pinto Dias – GITUR – Tourism research Group of Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, School of Tourism and Maritime Technology, Peniche, Portugal

Manuel José Trindade Vitorino – Municipality of Lourinhã, Portugal Abstract The beauty of windmills in the hills of the region Oeste, in Portugal, is something more than a traditional icon in the landscape: it is witness of a traditional society, based on a rural way of life, still alive in the memories of older generations. This rich heritage is almost all abandoned, and its disappearance would represent an irreversible impoverishment of the regional culture. At the same time, there is a general consensus concerning the necessity of the preservation of the windmills heritage, given its significant identity value for the community and also its potential as tourist attraction. However, the preservation of the windmills heritage goes far beyond the preservation of material heritage, since the windmills are connected to a wide system of economic relations: flour production, bread in a wood oven and all related activities. In this paper we present a case study - an event called “Bread Mill” -, which was launched on annual basis, in order to put on the agenda a structured set of measures to promote the windmills at a regional level, by creating a new tourism product - the route of the windmills of the region Oeste - involving the local community, local authorities and tourist agents. In parallel with the description of this event, we will present a set of measures that must be taken, in order to give a new life to these beautiful windmills. Keywords: creative tourism, cultural identity, authenticity, differentiation, rural tourism, sustainability, tourist routes. Paper type: Scientific study

Introduction The windmill is one of the most prominent symbols of the identity of Oeste region (oestina). Its historical significance is evident in the craftsmanship of the region where the windmills give shape to numerous decorative pieces. Also, some of the most representative institutions of the Oeste include the symbol in their logos. However, the valuable heritage of the windmills is continuously becoming less, because of its constant deterioration. Comparing the windmills heritage survey conducted in the latest 1980s (Pereira, 1990) with the survey conducted recently by us (Vitorino, 2012), it because visible that the state of degradation of the windmills has become worse, very significantly in the last two decades. Facing this paradox - a legacy heritage that forms the basis of regional identity but that is doomed to abandonment - all efforts towards the windmills economic recovery and valorisation, will surely be a source of pride for the people of the region Oeste, which in this way, can be transmitted to future generations as one of the cultural symbols of an era of fertility based on agriculture. Due to the high geographic concentration of windmills in the region of Oeste, and particularly in the county of Lourinhã, it is intended to define a sustainable model of tourism development based on the windmills heritage preservation, according to the natural conditions of the county, by reclassifying the windmill

network. The choice of the council scale is related to the need of demonstrating the applicability of the model, which can later be generalized to the entire region. The issue this project is dealing with focuses on the region’s windmills heritage, as regional asset value, by inserting it in a new context of economic relationships, and tourism, different from its original genesis. In other words, to prevent the constant degradation of the windmills, will be created a new economic order, by changing the mill production (milling the cereals) into anchors of the identity and heritage, in order to establish a new touristic and educational utility that, guarantees a new economic viability while contributing to the improvement of living conditions of the communities (Art. 5 of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism). A  general observation of the European landscape focussing on windmills reveals numerous national federations and regional associations, particularly in Spain (Pérez-Martín et al., 2011; Rojas-Sola and Amezcua-Ogáyar, 2005) and Netherlands (Omar, 2007), who contrast to the situation in Portugal where only a few specific initiatives with mainly a simple local impact are attended engage an intense activity of research, preservation and promotion of windmills heritage. From this point of view, this work can be considered an incentive to develop this theme in Portugal, with reference to the situation in the Oeste.

2/2012 With this study we aim to contribute to the collective effort of revitalizing the windmills of the Oeste, by elaborating a new strategy of cultural and tourist activities: the annual festive event “Bread Mill” associated with the launch of a windmills heritage route. This event aims not only to raise the awareness among local and regional actors to the importance of preserving this important heritage, but also demonstrate that the most consistent valuation of the windmills assets requires to consider not only its material component (Mills while material structures), but above all its intangible component: the traditions associated with a time when the mill had an important significance to the economic and cultural level. With this aim, we assume that the festive event “Bread Mill” should be the basis of a comprehensive strategy to recover the assets of the mills, which necessarily implies the recovery of ancient knowledge that is in danger of disappearing and whose epicentre is the threshing floor, the wood-burning oven, the bread, the miller and of course the mill itself.

Tourism and Sustainability The concept of sustainability has gained prominence with the Club of Rome in the 1970s (Meadows et al., 1972), with the initial concerns focused primarily on defining the limits to growth, to prevent the negative effects of unbridled development, mainly in the fields of environment and economy. In 1987, with the Brundtland Report “Our Common Future” was defined for the first time, the concept of Sustainable Development as a form of development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Currently, remain differences on this concept and, as Hall (2000) noted, the sustainable development aimed primarily joining the maintenance of the life quality for long-term preservation of resources, while avoiding the environmental degradation, the cultural rupture and social instability. Accordingly, there has to be a concern for the sustainability of the natural environment where tourism develops. The natural and built heritage, environmental quality and culture of the receiving population should be preserved and valued. Therefore, the goal of sustainability is the conservation and the balance of ecosystems and the local cultural heritage, by keeping it attractive to visitors and simultaneously valuable for indigenous communities. Policies are necessary for the conservation and sustainable use of resources (material and cultural) so that they can be the legacies for future generations. However, as Ferreira (2004) regards, the poor synchronization between policy and practice is one of the biggest obstacles to achieve the goals of sustainable development. Moreover, the existence of isolated infrastructure and tourist attractions, ready to use, doesn’t ensure on its own, the long term future of a  tourist destination. Rather, tourism only becomes sustainable if it is based on three pillars: (1) social and cultural development, (2) environmental and (3) economics. The social and cultural sustainability is based on the respect for the values ​​and traditions of native communities and the maintenance of social equilibrium; environmental sustainability implies the protection of nature, biodiversity maintenance and

5

preservation of resources, in turn, the economic sustainability corresponds to the viability of businesses and long term jobs (WTO, 1998). Sustainability in the tourism sector also involves the participation of various social actors (host communities, investors, companies, public authorities, owners) in the processes of decision at the level of policies for conservation and preservation of heritage material (natural and built), and level of cultural, economic and political.

Figure 1 - The Pillars of Sustainability Source: authors

Considering the three pillars of sustainability (Figure 1), the satisfaction of social needs means ensuring that people, now and in the future, may reach a satisfactory level of social and economic development and human and cultural achievement and at the same time, make the use of land resources reasonable, preserve the species, the cultural heritage and the natural habitats. The application of this concept in the tourism sector involves a great emphasis on regional territory planning. These processes should involve not only the government and the tourism industry, but also should be extended to all stakeholders, including the local community, and decisions should be guided by public interest (Hall, 2000). In the context of tourism planning, decision criteria should be based on performance indicators that go far beyond the number of visitors, including: environmental and ecological quality, social and cultural integrity, the conditions of the built heritage (archaeological, historical and existing structures), the natural and built aesthetic attractiveness, among other aspects that influence both the quality of life for residents and the quality of the visitor experience. Tourism development should be based on endogenous resources of each territory and community, generating benefits for the local population to encourage the protection of sites, the quality of information to tourists about the place, and the adoption of best practices by all the involved agents. Safeguard policies and practices conducive to sustainable destination in the long term should also be considered. In this context, and according to Ritchie and Crouch (2003), the sustainable tourism can be understood in three dimensions: (1) conservation of resources, (2) local development and (3) ethics: benefit sharing. But no less important is the necessary control for the development of tourism arises in harmony with the local environment (Ayala, 1995). In general, but with a few exceptions, almost all sectors of the economy benefit from tourism and there should be aware-

Current Issues of Tourism Research

6

ness that the sharing of benefits among the local community must be more equitative. Indeed, sustainable tourism is necessarily linked to the improved quality of life of the receiving communities (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). According to Vidal and Márquez (2007: 4), “it is necessary to combine strategies that balance the good service to tourists and the quality of life for residents. Because the real issue is that many territories around the world are focusing on tourism, this bet should positively contribute to the local sustainable development in economic, social, environmental and cultural domains. “

The Rurality The expansion of the urbanization and industrialization led movements for preservation of rural society, in opposition to a development process that required the homogenisation of society as a mass as well as the degradation of certain cultural, social and environmental values. Therefore rurality currently is a  kind of “moral and cultural reserve” (Chamboredon, 1980; Blanc, 1997). This growing appreciation of the rural way of life can be viewed in two angles: first, the return of townspeople to rural areas, driven by nostalgia, and trying to recover a collective memory related to traditions and ​​countryside values; on the other hand, the association of rurality with environment preservation and life quality (Amirou, 1995). Currently, rurality no longer constitutes a denial of the modernization of global society, but rather a form of modernity lived through the discovery and appreciation of differences, of the authentic and genuine. The rural world is no more a symbolic value of the memory reserve of old times (Figueiredo, 2008). The cultural and environmental diversity of the rural areas, allows them a still unknown attractiveness, in contrast to the way of life in increasingly globalized and homogeneous modern urbanized societies. In this context, appreciation and preservation of differences becomes an imperative, constituting rural areas as islands of diversity and memory. With the return of townspeople to rural areas, the rural world assumes significance in multidimensional space, where farming coexists with spaces for fun and leisure. However, the exodus appears to be reciprocal, we are witnessing the movement of people from rural to urban centres and vice versa, according to Amirou (2007: 72): “while the villagers flock to cities, tourists rush in depopulated countryside in search of a  universe made of steeples, village squares and “authentic” life. Thus, it is assumed implicitly that the rural exodus pushes the villager into the arms of the “temptations of the city ‘, while tourism, particularly’ green ‘saves the soul of the townspeople.”

Identity and Authenticity The effects of globalization turned the tourist destinations more homogenous, while bringing many tourists to saturation while seeing that everything becomes “more of the same.” In this context, many tourists started to value differentiated products and destinations, which have something genuine and unique and where they can learn something different, enrich

themselves, and also relax from the stress caused by this increasingly hectic and uniformed world. Each native community has an opportunity to react to homogeneity generated by globalization through the affirmation of their own cultural identity, as something that is genuine and authentic (MacCannel, 1976), and that is based on what the community has as specific and distinctive: its cultural heritage. According to Castells (1999: 22 and 29): “the identity means, is the source of meaning and experience of a  people. Concerning the social actors I understand why the process of identity construction of meaning based on a cultural attribute, or a set of interrelated cultural attributes, the which ones prevails on other sources of meaning”. Also according to Castells (1999: 29), people resist the process of individualisation and atomisation, tending to cluster in community organizations, over time, generate a  sense of belonging and, ultimately, in many cases, a cultural identity, communal. In this context, cultural heritage, which in itself is an expression of collective memory and identity of a community, tends to be even more valuable as far as the distinctive increases its economic significance through its positioning as a tourist attraction. Recovery and heritage interpretation thus become crucial elements in creating tourism products to regional and local basis. In fact, cultural tourism in rural areas becomes increasingly attractive to tourists seeking diverse experiences in contexts where the prevailing cultural authenticity stands in contact with nature (Droz and Mieville-Ott, 2005). The authenticity being the characteristic of what is genuine, original, unaltered or true, it is conveyed by the local population, through their customs and traditions, being concerned with the traditional culture of origin and the meaning of the true or unique (Sharpley and Stone, 2011). In the framework of tourism, authenticity also relates to a type of motivation: the search for cultural, genuine and authentic experiences (Day, 2009b: 130), since, as MacCannell (1976) mentioned, tourism expresses the tourist’s demand for authenticity. According to MacCannell (1973, 1976), the modern tourist is committed to the pursuit of authenticity precisely because this has become a scarce in modern societies. The modern citizens of Oeste men are living an artificial reality, inauthentic, and tourism is a  way that lets them seek authenticity somewhere else, in another culture and / or in another historical period. The details of the countryside turned into something more versatile to the tourist. The environment, landscape, vernacular culture and the involvement of local communities allow the tourist to experience the authentic, genuine, and to develop relationships guided by simplicity and they sometimes get engaged in the farmer’s everyday practices. Therefore, in rural areas, the tourist attractiveness is largely based on the vitality and authenticity of lifestyles and traditions. The fact that the villages are no large resorts and still in possession of a genuine population, offers a favourable atmosphere. The vitality of the traditions is an important dimension of the tourism product that offers the possibility to discover an unusual heritage, for a quantity of reasons that could be seized by the visitor.

2/2012 However, we must take into account that there exist two distinct points of view about the value of assets and about its authenticity: the point of view of the tourists and the local community. For tourists, the agricultural productivity doesn’t matter; their interests are in the aspect of identity and the symbolic presence of agriculture. But for indigenous communities, the place where they live it is the foundation of their own existence, both material and spiritual, the heritage and landscape are elements of identification which are associated with feelings about owning the territory, but also economic assets that must ensure their material subsistence. In our days, rural communities have the opportunity to assert their identity when they realize they are holding great potential for authentic tourism offer, with an increasing demand and they can gain from it, raising their self- esteem and providing unique and authentic experiences to the tourists. The preservation of the rural environment in its authenticity should start at the level of the parish, for example, the archaeological remains, the shrines, chapels, holy places, churches, fountains, the pillories, mills, bridges. As Cardona (2009: 45) points out, these reliquiae are often the anchors the collective memory. And as symbolic references of past communities that should be studied, preserved, historical and ideologically framed, interpreted, allowing its spiritual and physical access.

7

The Windmills in Oeste and Lourinhã

The Windmills heritage in the Oeste region is mostly private, being largely abandoned and being in many cases, the subject of speculation, with a view to rehabilitation for a 2nd home. All this happens in a somewhat anarchic process, as the legislation is silent, which translates in most cases a distortion of the original architectural design, as seen in the photographs below.

Case Study - the Lourinhã Windmills Heritage Characterization of the Lourinhã County Lourinhã is the most northerly county in the district of Lisbon, and borders the district of Leiria. It is 63 km far from the capital (Lisbon) and is situated in the region of Oeste, being part of the Tourism Cluster of the Oeste. In the north, it borders the municipalities of Peniche and Óbidos, in the south the municipality of Torres Vedras, in the east the counties of Bombarral and Cadaval and in the west the Atlantic Ocean. Lourinhã is strategically located in the heart of the region of Oeste. With an area of 146 Km², it has a resident population of 25,735 inhabitants (Census, 2011), spread over 11 parishes, divided into two particular areas, an interior area that is characterized by rurality of the landscape, with an agricultural area that covers approximately 80% of its territory and distinguished by its colors and its harmony. On the other hand, it borders the shoreline along its 12 km of coastline with beautiful beaches, bays and coves, 3 small fishing ports (Paimogo, Porto de Barcas and Porto Dinheiro), and cliffs that have sights of excellence. The economy is divided up by the fishing industry, agriculture, trade and services. Thanks to its relief, the county Lourinhã has a natural beauty, with numerous hills, with traditional windmills, and a cultural heritage of enormous wealth. Therefore, it makes sense to develop a specific strategy to take advantage of the remaining windmills in the county, integrating them into a “route of windmills” that combines the entire offer in creating a differentiated, tourism product as the Lourinhã “Route of Bread”. 1

CIM Oeste - Intermunicipal Community of Oeste.

Figures 2 and 3: Disqualification from the architectural design of windmills Source: Association Leaderoeste

According to data provided by the Association Leaderoeste, the survey carried out to 11 municipalities in the region in 2000, the number would be 846 windmills in the Oeste. But the speed in which the degradation occurs is worrying: some are being demolished, others are being integrated into homes, leaving virtually unrecognizable. We were anxious to take into account how many windmills currently exist in the Oeste and contacted all the municipalities and the CIM Oeste1, but no one was able to provide accurate data, only estimates. Therefore, we decided to adopt as a reference the last record from 2004, which noted the existence of 693 windmills in the region of Oeste. The reason for the existence of traditional windmills in this region depends on two important factors, firstly the orthography, an area full of hills that provided optimal conditions for the

Current Issues of Tourism Research

8

deployment of this type of grinding in the past and the existence of the ideal wind characteristics which are predominantly north wind. Lourinhã currently has 93 windmills, of which 25 are transformed into housings and 12 are in advanced decay. The remainder could still be recovered and be given a proper use, integrating aspects of cultural tourism, as we are going refer later. According to Pereira (1990), in 1883 there were 66 windmills in the Lourinhã county. And, by the diffusion of the steam engine, the mills and millers constituted fundamental underpinnings of Grey life (Oliveira et al., 1983, p. 496). At the top of the hills, the windmills were very characteristic elements of the economic landscape and Portuguese technique.

Objectives of the Project “the Mill Bread” This project brings two strands together: research and intervention. This is a research / action that integrates various objectives, from the inventory of the state of windmills conservation in the Lourinhã County to a submission of a proposal for a tourist route. The annual “Bread Mill” is part of this project and seeks on the one hand to create an ideal context for understanding the behaviour and attitudes of the different social actors who are directly involved (for this purpose has been used the method of participant observation by using a  questionnaire survey) and on the other hand, it serves as a vehicle to raise awareness of local decision-makers in relation to the importance of preservation and / or restoration of the windmills, assigning some new economic purposes.

General Objectives: As part of this ambitious project it’s intended to achieve the following general objects: •• To assess the interest in preserving the windmills heritage; •• Inventory, updating the Lourinhã county’s windmills heritage, using its geo-referencing and photographic collection; •• Set goals of economic and social development with a sustainable character and strategic windmills touristic promotion; •• Understand how the evaluation and the perception of windmills heritage are made by the tourists; •• Present strategies for planning and developing a  specific tourism product in a rural base; •• Develop guidelines for the use, the occupancy and the windmills upgrade, based on their preservation and respect for the built windmills heritage; •• Discuss the role of tourism in relation to the cultural heritage in order to promote sustainable development in rural areas; •• Define an integrated and participatory development strategy, the windmills cultural heritage is privileged and contribute to the improvement of the life quality of the involved populations.

Specific Objectives: Among the specific objectives of this project the following are highlighted: •• contribute to the integrated offer of "Tourism Trekking", in order to its sustainable development ";

•• recover lost traditions, that once had been relevant, giving meaning and economic asset to the windmills, from an event - the "Bread Mill"→ •• contribute towards the dynamics of windmills, striving to maintain its authenticity; •• encourage social dynamics grounded in the culture and identity of rural communities; •• propose the creation of a  touristic route to the Lourinhã county, called "Route of Bread." The intervention efforts on the scene e were closely associated with the festive event called “Bread Mill”→ and was conducted in an empirical study with resources to various methods of data collection: observation and inventory of windmills, the millers’ interviews, questionnaire survey and participant observation. This work was focused in Lourinhã County, and the first step was to build the inventory of the windmills heritage, its geographic location, identification and classification of tourist and cultural attractions as a reference for visits and to allow the performing the following tasks: a) record the number of recoverable windmills in the municipality of Lourinhã; b) identification of their owners and understand the history associated with them, and the reason that led to the degradation of the mills; c) Statement of asset value behind them; d) defining the best way to keep the windmills, through its touristic exploration. According to the objectives will be established areas of the windmill concentration in terms of its heritage value. The resource classification with specific indicators led us to the selection of the most representative windmills in some parishes of this county, referenced as niche asset value (particularly in the parishes of Moita dos Ferreiros, Reguengo Grande, Atalaia and Moledo), which should be considered as territorial references in the definition of strategies to promote the windmills touristic heritage of the Oeste.

Hypotheses This research project / action intend to test the following hypotheses: H1: Tourists and visitors are receptive about the preservation and touristic promotion of the windmills in the region. H2: There will be demand of this kind of cultural and historical heritage. H3: The economic and socio-cultural factors influence the windmills preservation. H4: It is possible to re-qualify the Lourinhã windmills, placing them at the service of a sustainable tourism strategy.

Data Collection This research integrates several empirical studies conducted in parallel, each one with a  different method and specific goals. The diversity of methods is due to the multidimensional

2/2012 nature of the object of the study. On the one hand, we intend to assess the state of conservation of the material heritage and, on the other hand, it is intended to meet the social and cultural dynamics related with windmills phenomenon and cumulatively induce a  dynamic set of social awareness and reposition of windmills assets through a  festive event. The study took place between March 2011 and February 2012, and the following methods were applied: 1st. document analysis; 2nd. inventory of the state of the windmills; 3rd. comparative analysis of the evolution of windmills; 4th. participant observation using a festive event; 5th. Participants survey in the event; 6th. interviews with millers.

Registration and Inventorying Windmills Heritage After a documental analysis based on the subject in general and on the windmills in the Oeste, particularly Lourinhã county, we conducted a comprehensive survey of the state of conservation / degradation of traditional masonry windmills in the Lourinhã. We used the book “Lourinhã - the windmills of your county,” published in 1990, and a survey conducted by Leaderoeste in 2000 as a starting point. It was intended to check the current state (in 2012) and the developments since the last two performed surveys. In this context, we created a form with the purpose to collect all the examples that exist in each parish, as well as pictures of each of them and register their condition, as well the number of the windmills’ millstones, registration of the integration into the landscape and the accessibility. The survey showed us the number of windmills in each parish, its respective location and GPS coordinates, name (s) of the owner (s), by using four classification parameters: A - Windmills in ruins, B - Windmills with possibility of recovery, C - Windmills in good shape, but inactive, D - Windmills in activity, E - Windmills which meanwhile were transformed for various usage.

Comparative Analysis of the Evolution of the Windmills Heritage Intending to determine the state of evolution and / or degradation of windmills in the Lourinhã County, the data collected from surveys conducted in 1990 and 2000 were compared with data gathered in this study. The previous surveys were outdated since many windmills were registered as ruins and many have now been demolished.

Participant Observation As referred by Sousa and Baptista (2011: 88 - 89), the participant observation “aims to collect data (on actions, opinions or perspectives) to which an outside observer would not have 2

access. This qualitative research technique appropriate to the researcher intends to understand in a given milieu, an outstanding phenomenon, which will allow you to integrate the activities / experiences of people who live in it, thus performing the field work. In this type of observation, the investigator will experience the situations and collect them afterwards, according to his perspective / reading. The data recorded during the field work are a kind of narrative description. “ Thus, at this stage of field work, and as a way to gauge the interest of residents and visitors / tourists to preserve the windmills heritage, we took the practice of performing a festive event in two consecutive years2 (June 19, 2011 and 1 July 2012), called “Mill Bread”, a scenario that could be visited by the general public, cultural actors, local residents, visitors and tourists. A basic assumption to perform this participant observation was the existence of at least one traditional windmill in activity and in good working order, and a number of other related conditions: a threshing floor, activation of the wood stove producing in it old-fashioned bread with flour ground at the mill, and a  festive atmosphere with traditional Portuguese music (folklore). In these circumstances it is possible to effect a festive event demonstration of the touristic value and windmill heritage, while anchor of a  sustainable tourism development, based on the vernacular values ​​of rurality and on the contact of countryside practices. The event was held in the Lourinhã County, in a  parish called Atalaia (in Alto da Cabaceira – Travessa dos Moinhos) on 19 June 2011. Bilingual Posters were developed (Portuguese / English) and distributed by hotels in the Oeste. At the festival local, the scenario consisted of three windmills, two of them had rigorously been cleaned several weeks earlier, oiled, whitewashed, checked the canopy, ropes and shells. Everything was checked in detail, in particular the security conditions for its full operation on that day. The threshing floor and utensils behind it had been prepared and all of them had been identified in order to check all conditions, including the donkey and the cart, as well as local handcrafts, related to the windmills art. Three weeks before, had been made a  door to door campaign in the parish, to find residents interested in participating as figurants, and there were many volunteers who have offered to actively participate in the event, carrying the flour from the windmill to the area of ​​the bread confection, sift the flour to remove the bran, making the process of mixing, the baking, heat the wood oven, the process of bringing the bread to the oven, all in a festive atmosphere in the communion of tasting the Bread, with the presence of musical entertainment in interactivity with the audience. Corn bread with sardines, bread with figs, raisins, greaves, chorizo, among others, were made and shared in a festive atmosphere.

Participants Survey of the Event On the day of the event “Bread Mill” bilingual surveys were conducted with the use of a questionnaire, with closed answers in order to evaluate the interest of the event from visitors / tourists as well as the degree of importance they gave.

Although we held the event in two years, the data presented in this article relate primarily to the 1st edition of the event: June 19, 2011. However, the 2nd edition fully confirmed the results obtained in the study conducted in the previous year.

9

Current Issues of Tourism Research

10

Besides allowing profiling the visitor during the event (according to the variables “gender”, “age”, “nationality”, “skills” and “professional activity”), the questionnaire included four Likert scales of 5 points (from 1 = “irrelevant” to 5 = “very important”) for evaluation of the event, including: •• Assessment of the dynamics inherent to the threshing floor and the aggregated tools; •• Assessment of cultural heritage and history associated with the windmills; •• Evaluations of the traditional process of manufacturing the homemade bread (knead and bake in a wood oven); •• Evaluation of the characteristics and the type of musical entertainment; •• Importance of preservation and touristic promotion of windmills in the region; •• Importance of international promotion of the event and activities associated with the windmills.

mation rich in individual terms, but admitted that they do not reflect the views of all the groups of millers, however, they were considered important to the goals of this work.

Interview with Millers in Activity

Results

We also conducted four interviews with millers in activity. These interviews had three purposes: 1) understand how life was in the past and how the millers are currently trying to understand the real difficulties which they are facing today; 2) gather relevant information about the intangible cultural heritage, in particular the practices and customs of millers, and which of them should be preserved; 3) listen to the opinions of millers on what should be done to prevent them from abandoning the activity in the short term. This investigation had a  qualitative character, by using a  structured, orderly and intensive type interview, it allowed the millers to express themselves with complete freedom, while expressing their points of view, so that we considered the infor-

Registration and inventorying the windmills heritage Table 1 compares the data from surveys conducted in 1990 and 2000 with the results obtained by our field study, started in 2011 and completed in 2012. The record made in 1990 had a total of 96 windmills in the municipality of Lourinhã and, interestingly, the study conducted in 2000 reported that there were 104 windmills3. We realised that the study between 1990 and 2000, showed the number of windmills in operation decreased from 22 to 14, which means that eight millers left the activity. Also, the number of mills in ruins decreased, 36 became 25. In the evolution that occurred between 1990 and 2000 exist two parameters that are not comparable (windmills with the possibility of recovery and windmills in good shape, but not active), because the responsible author for the survey of 1990, grouped them in single parameters.

Figure 4 - Interview with millers

Chart1. Inventory of the Mills’ status and comparative analysis of the evolution

Parish

Good condition

Working

Transformed

Ruins

Recoverable

Good condition

Working

Transformed

Ruins

Recoverable

Good condition

Working

Transformed

2012 N = 93

Recoverable

2000 N = 104

Ruins

1990 N = 96

Atalaia

0

2

(*)

5

 0

0

2

1

4

0 

0

4

0 

2

1

Lourinhã

3

8

(*)

4

 0

3

7

3

 0

3

0

4

6

 0

1

Marteleira

2

1

(*)

 0

3

2

1

0 

 0

3

3

2

 0

 0

1

Miragaia

2

1

(*)

 0

1

1

 0

 0

 0

1

0

1

 0

 0

1

Moita dos Ferreiros

5

4

(*)

6

1

7

3

 0

5

4

6

5

1

4

2

3

Now, it is clarified that the number of windmills in fact didn’t increase because there has been no anomalous situation that led to the construction of new windmills, we can only assume that the 1990 study had not been fully detailed and exhaustive. Further, the author admits the possibility of omissions.

2/2012

11

Moledo

3

4

(*)

1

 0

0

1

1

2

6

1

 0

 0

2

5

Reguengo Grande

10

 0

(*)

4

4

4

6

3

1

3

1

5

1

2

8

Ribamar

2

1

(*)

 0

 0

1

 0

 0

1

1

0

2

 0

1

0 

S. Bartolomeu

4

2

(*)

2

 0

5

 0

2

1

6

0

2

2

 0

7

Sta. Barbara

4

4

(*)

 0

2

2

 0

 0

 0

7

1

 0

 0

 0

8

Vimeiro

1

 0

(*)

 0

0 

0

0 

1

 0

 0

0

0 

0

0 

 1

36

27

0

22

11

25

20

11

14

34

12

25

10

11

35

Total

(*) The author considered the windmills in good order, but not active and those who havethe possibility to be recovered in the same parameter, so that we could not exactly know, why they were in good condition but inactive (Pereira, Mario Baptista, p.86, Lourinhã - the Windmills of your county, 1990).

Comparing the data gathered in 2000 and 2012 with data from our study, it becomes clear that in twelve years, the number of mills in operation decreased from 14 to 11. In the last 12 years, 13 windmills in state of ruins have been demolished, and the windmills with the possibility of recovery increased from 20 to 25, due the reduction of the number of windmills in operation and degradation of some who in 2000 had been classified as being in a good status of conservation. Concerning the transformed windmills, Pereira (1990: 86) only considered the windmills that had been transformed in residential homes and didn’t specify any other use. Moreover, he referred 19 windmills that had been demolished these results were based on the records of the matrix building articles. Concluding the analysis of the windmills that had been transformed, we realised that actually 25 windmills had been adapted into private homes and others into tourism housings,. Thus, we can see that in 1990  11 windmills were transformed into housings, in 2000 it were already 22 and 12 years later 25. So the tendency is continuing to transform the windmills in residence homes as a way to make them economically sustainable. There are owners who use them as a second home, especially when they live in typically urban environments.

Participant Observation in the Festive Event “Bread Mill” The inaugural festive event “Mill Bread” was held on June 19, 2011, in Travessa dos Moinhos, in the parish of Atalaia, a mix of outdoor space and roof space, next to an infrastructure with wood stoves, a  kitchen and an exhibition hall. Outside, are three traditional windmills and a  threshing floor with all necessary utensils. As observers / participants, we found a  scenario of an authentic historical reconstruction, for which we have provided the leaders of the four cultural associations, sports and recreation, its associates and many others in the parish Atalaia. Many of the volunteers had practical knowledge regarding to the mixing and production of handmade bread in wood-fired ovens. Participants / figurants, fully imbued with the activity, were a little anxious, but at the same time very committed to the tasks assigned to them. The adrenaline was notorious, especially in the women (bakers), having conversations between each other to figure out who would bring the flour from the 4 5

windmill carrying it over the head as they did in golden times and determine the people who would crumple. And so, different tasks were distributed, always respecting the wisdom of the more experienced participants, while showing a great spirit of a remarkable camaraderie, working with brio, showing that they were participating with great engagement, with pride in what they did and how they exhibited the costumes which represented older times. Thanks to the observation, we found out that visitors and tourists were anxious and curious to see the process of kneading by hand. A complex and very hard process, starting with sieving the flour to take away the bran and pollard, after about 45 minutes in each stage of kneading, are produced on average of 16 loaves per batch. Women bent over the bowl of stoneware, kneaded the flour with the traditional yeast4 a job with a lot of manual effort by saying a ritually praying: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God will add God make thee virtue, and I did what I could.” Followed by the waiting time for baking the dough, covered with blankets in a dark place where there couldn’t be variations in temperature. The process of heating the wood fired stove, it is not easy and has its secrets, and we found that not all wood is good to heat the oven properly. The “vides”5 are great and provide a more uniform heat by heating the oven evenly and at the optimum temperature: when the roof of the oven gets tone “rosy”. Then the process of dividing the dough and bring the bread to the oven follows (bake corn bread, wheat bread, bread with sardines, bread with greaves, cooks with chorizo, among others). The event had approximately 90 employees, who were taking turns every five hours in the most arduous tasks, such as the mixing and kilns. Local people involved in the event were distributed as following: 48 women (bakers), distributed by 8 community ovens, 8 sellers of bread, 3 millers and 3 helpers, 4 men on the threshing floor who explained the tools inherent tasks practiced in threshing Cereal, 4 tavern, 8 cooks in mini confection of traditional dishes (octopus and whelks salad, roasted chorizo, among others), accompanied by freshly baked bread out of the oven. In the adjoining room, a photo exhibition showing the mills and some artisans producing regional handicrafts linked to the

sour dough, left from the previous week. Vides - tabs that are cut from the vines, pruning in season, tied in bundles and are stored in a drying process, excellent for heating furnaces.

Current Issues of Tourism Research

12

windmills (hand paintings on miniature windmills, hand embroidered bags for bread transport, painted decorative tiles with windmills among multiple small decorative parts). Also an important presence and source of attraction for the visitors / tourists, was the windmills master of the Cadaval County6. He made the point of being present to work and explain all the details of the gear that makes up the windmills. He brought a bench with very special characteristics, on which he works on various parts of hardwoods, such as: olive tree, rosewood, among others. Surrounded by sprockets, and “entrosgas” and reels, tourists and visitors, mainly Dutch and Spaniards did not get tired to take photographs, while he was working, and another collaborator was translating, and they listened carefully and took pictures of the moments. Outside, a  participation of folkloric group “The Moleirinhas Seixal”, with 16 dancers, 8 musicians and 2 female singers,

were interacting with the public, inviting them to participate in dancing and singing. In the windmills, we have seen vanity and enthusiasm of the millers and their family, they received small groups and explained their life in the mills to the visitors, they are proud owners of windmills and worth of receiving so many admirers, who came there to listen their explanations, making them feeling like teachers for one day. There were many visitors who were amazed with the traditional process of grinding and told us that it was the first time that they had been in a windmill. During the visits to the windmills we noticed that they certainly were the most photographed places and the setting to ask the questions they had for the millers. Several families came with their children, so they had the opportunity to see both the old process of grinding and the operation of the mill gear.

Figure - Festive Event “Bread Mill”: Cooking in a wood oven (19/June/2011)

Throughout the day, there came many regional media. At the end of the day, they were glad that everything went well, for being invited, and for having the opportunity revive the old times which they thought forgotten and felt that the public and visitors / tourists appreciated the festival, by showing

interest in returning next year. Once the event took place, the enormous reputation and success made that the members of the local community who were involved as figurants, expressed their desire to continue the event, making it an annual tradition.

Figure - Scenario of Event “Mill Bread” (19/Junho/2011) Source: author 6

Master of mills Miguel Noble - Art Workshop in the Wind - Municipality of Cadaval.

2/2012

13

Survey for the Participants at the Event “Bread Mill” on June 19, 2011 There has been made an interview with the event participants “Bread Mill”, with a sample of 95 respondents, with the following characteristics: Table 2. Sample of participants in the event “Mill Bread”

% Nationality Portuguese

8.4 91.6

foreigners Age

% Sex Male

45.0

Female

55.0

Qualifications

Up to 20 years

3,2

Basic Education

27.0

From 21 to 30 years

16,8

Secondary Education or Technics

37.0

From 31 to 40 years

25,3

Graduation

21.0

From 41 to 65 Years

42,1

Further Graduation

15.0

More than 66 years

12,6

Table 3 presents the answers of the respondents about the evaluation questions of the event, as well as issues of importance to the region’s windmills heritage. Table 3: Importance of preservation of the mills and the event “Bread Mill”

Rating (%)*

Average

1

2

3

4

5

Dynamics inherent to the threshing floor and its utensils

0.0

1.1

7.4

35.8

55.8

4,46

Cultural and historical heritage associated with windmills

0.0

2.1

5.3

18.9

73.7

4,64

The traditional process of manufacturing the homemade bread

0.0

0.0

4.2

22.1

73.7

4,69

Characteristics and typology of musical entertainment

0.0

1.1

5.3

35.8

51.6

4,47

Preservation / tourist promotion of windmills in the region

0.0

0.0

3.2

12.6

84.2

4,81

Interest on the projected event “Mill Bread”

0.0

1.1

4.2

17.9

76.8

4,70

* From 1 = “irrelevant” to 5 = “very important”

Asked about the interest of cultural heritage and history associated with the windmills, 73.7% said “very important” and 18.9% as “relevant”, which is very significant. Regarding to the evaluation of the traditional process of making bread (homemade) with manual kneading and baking in a wood oven, 73.7% considered it “very important” and 22% “important”, only 4% answered “somewhat important.” According to that we assume that many visitors never had the opportunity to see the ritual of mixing live and in traditional ways as well as the entire process of heating wood stoves and bring bread to the oven. Regarding to the characteristics and types of animation, traditional music (folk), 51.6% was attributed the evaluation “very important” and 35.8% as “relevant” (the event was animated by traditional music: folklore). When asked what degree of importance should be attached to the preservation and touristic promotion of windmills in the region, 84.2% reported about it as “very important”, 13% “relevant” and 3% “somewhat important.” None of the respondents indicated it as “not relevant” or “irrelevant”, which shows the

importance given to the preservation and promotion of windmills heritage, from which we can conclude that there is a consensus on the importance and interest in the preservation and promotion of this heritage asset. Finally, we asked about the interest in designing the event and the activities associated with the mills, which earned the rating of “very important” by 77% of respondents, against 18% who responded “relevant.” The validity of these data can be questioned since the sample consists of participants in the event, it could be natural to assign a highly favourable note to the event, and therefore the opinion of people who knew about the event but decided not to come should also be taken into account. Facing this criticism, we only can argue that it was evident that the event was spontaneously adherent, as well as the continuity of the event, that was soon affirmed by the success of its first edition.

Analysis of Interviews with Millers Initially the interviews were realized with four millers, we tried to see how life was in the past and how the millers live

Current Issues of Tourism Research

14

today, in order to realize the real difficulties, which they are facing these days. After getting an idea of the millers’ lives, we conducted the interview, in order to get a deeper understanding of important intangible heritage, which only living witnesses can devote. We realized that the whole process of putting a windmill in activity is not and easy task and requires knowledge of mechanics. A lot of interventions are required to get a mill in activity, as for example gears and pulley systems, large wood devices with various types of wood, each with its own hardness. This is a family-oriented economic activity, which over the years has been passed from the parents to the children, who at an early age started helping with milder tasks in the mill and, practiced subsistence farming when there was no wind. In the 40s, 50s and 60s this was a  profitable economic activity, but with the appearance of industrial mills, the sales became less and the millers’ business almost disappeared. The evolution of society also influenced theirs lives, the millers’ children started to study and took other professional ways. As the older generations passed away, the younger generations didn’t keep the tradition of making bread at home but the millers continue to affirm that to the quality of the flour mill is much better, because the flour, which is used today is mixed with rice flour to make it cheaper. Currently, working mills attract many people who are interested in visiting the mills, talk with millers and make photographic records, but not to buy flour. The interviews revealed numerous activities associated with them, and they are a life lesson. When the millers today are asked if there would be anything else they would consider to do besides the grinding activity, they would clearly state that while they will be living, the windmills will be in operation. But taking in account the average age of millers, we realize that they will have another decade or two of live, and then the windmills will be waiting for the weather to consume them. •• Looking for the numerous windmills transformed into 2nd housings, and other housing systems in rural areas, it becomes clear that most of the interested people would turn them into rental housings. In fact, we had the opportunity to visit some examples of windmills that were adapted into housing and recognized that are an authentic “pampering” integrated into the landscape of the countryside.

Proposal for a Route - “Bread Mill” After the diagnostic study, in which we discovered that there is a latent desire in the population to mend efforts to restore and preserve the windmills heritage, both in its material component (the buildings) and in its intangible component (traditions associated with bread made in handmade wood fired oven), we believe that the solution for the problem is the creation of a cultural tourist route that might be aggregated to the existing supply and to the idea of preservation and enhancement of economic mills that are still in operation. For this purpose we adopt the methodology proposed by Barreto (2001), which includes a set of eight stages, from preliminary studies to implementation and monitoring of the project. From 2000 to 2005, the Association LeaderOeste and the Community Intermunicipal do Oeste, made ​​efforts to establish a Route of Windmills in the region. In essence, it was intended to preserve two windmills in each county. However, this intention never turned into an action. In order to no longer delay the preservation of the Windmills legacy in the region, it is proposed to create a micro route of windmills in the county of Lourinhã called “Mill Bread”. A route, created with the intention to turn the windmills into a touristic service that is going to be very original in its conception, by joining together the variety of tourism products in the municipality of Lourinhã in order to make it richer and to diversify the offer, not forgetting the intention of a possible integration of the route of Mills on a regional level. It is well known that tourism is increasingly segmented and that tourists are becoming more selective in seeking new experiences and destinations and authentic differentiators. It is also agreed that the idea of ​​the rural world has factors of attractiveness to visitors / tourists who live in urban areas. In this context, the mills are increasingly demanded for housing in rural areas. So it makes sense to try to leverage all the mills that no longer have the requirements to be recovered, adapting them to touristic spaces for living, since they respect the original architectural design. However, this should not be the only way for preserving the windmills legacy in the region. The adaptation of mills strategically located in areas of great landscape value to serve as local accommodation (or units of tourism in rural areas), should be seen as only one of several options in a general strategy for the recovery of this legacy. Thus, the windmills, which would be turned into housing units, would become part of the future route by becoming tourist accommodations. This would diversify the offer and promote the heritage.

Steps for planning tourism based on cultural heritage

Steps

Description

Preliminary study

Field study and literature review for possible historical attractions

Choice / demarcation of the zone

Identification of the area where the attractions are located (city, region, district, street)

Diagnostic study

Check the quantity and quality assessment of the potential attractions. Verification of the quantity and quality of roads and / or streets or other ways to access the attractive.

Comments

Indispensable assistance of experts (historians, architects, etc.)

2/2012

15

Setting objectives and targets

Definition of the results to be obtained with planning, in social, economic, educational and touristic terms

Reflective step

Choice of intervention alternatives

Developing a proposal for intervention in attractive tourist product broader (screenplay historic revitalization of neighbourhoods or buildings, staging the past etc.) and setting deadlines.

Very creative step

Implementation

Preliminary budgeting and looking for their own financial resources or investors. Meetings with members of the affected community (authorities of culture and tourism, neighbours, homeowners, etc...) To find the best way to benefit from all the motion

Respect, above all, the interests and desires of the involved community

Implantation

Scaling the possibilities of approaching the public with attractions. Checking the shape and condition in order to obtain an angle for comfortable viewing monuments and works of art without compromising their integrity. Verification of premises, furniture, fashion movement in reused buildings. Studying the history, the architectural styles in art schools, etc...

Step of much study. Check the bibliographic sources and experts

Implementation and control

Assessment of the use of the equipment according to plan and adjust details to improve both experience and social benefits

Source: Barreto (2001). Turismo e Legado Cultural – As possibilidades do planeamento. São Paulo, Papirus.

The vast heritage legacy of the windmills should be preserved, maintained and, in some cases, adapted. The use and reuse of windmills should happen in parallel with the recovery of the inherent intangible heritage (as ethnographic traditions and expressions of rural communities that were in the production of flour and wood fired oven, one of the foundations of its own existence, etc ...). Preserving the windmills legacy in its two dimensions (material and immaterial) should therefore be a central element of the strategy of creating the route, which will operate as a kind of catalyst for the endogenous factors of touristic attractiveness and infrastructure supporting the interpretation of the historical heritage and be a kind of affirmation of the search of identity of those places, helping to maintain the brand identity of the Oeste. The active windmills should be able to continue the production of flour, and it is necessary to make agreements with bakeries units, to ensure the absorption of flour from the mills by producing bread with the brand “Mill Bread”. Products, which are branded as “ Mill Bread” will be distributed and sold by bakeries in the usual places. And given their differentiating characteristics (flour locally produced with ancestral methods and without mixture of other ingredients), these products would be sold at a  higher price, but the quality is worth it. Therefore, it seems that the windmills could be economically sustainable and would also be a positive factor for tourist attraction and local promotion. Moreover, the route would provide partnerships between local actors, making them more sympathetic, showing the more authentic character, genuine and unique in the region and helping to project this character in the source markets. For financial support, the Leaderoeste Association, headquartered in Cadaval through the Community Initiative Programme LEADER7, has support lines and since the early 90s, the association has been supporting the recovery of windmills, as well as several projects related to culture, including actions 7

Share Development of Rural Economy.

for safeguarding and enhancement of the built heritage, construction and rehabilitation of cultural facilities, events, entertainment and cultural promotion. It is important to note that to achieve its goals of conservation, maintenance and disclosure, the revitalization of heritage needs to be anchored in a tourist formula. This would be a touristic formula, which by its multiplier effects could eventually bring socio-economic dividends to the region where the project is located. Therefore, it is imperative that this tourist formula is created within the local specificity and with the agreement of the local population that lives with this heritage (Gonçalves, 2009: 102). A  thematic route seems to be a  widely advantageous solution. On the one hand, it serves as a motivator for owners of windmills and millers, on the other hand, the windmills become more relevant as a touristic attraction. Moreover, as a contributing factor to the sustainability of livelihoods of local populations, the route may serve as an instrument for the dissemination and promotion of other resources in the county, and those would be associated to them. The implementation of this route should include heritage interpretation systems, in terms of traditions, history, food and wine, arts and crafts, landscape and coastline of the county, showing the high historical and cultural value, revealing at the same time dynamic tourist council. In order to this, you need the consensus of stakeholders, by seeking for consultation strategies and join efforts for the recovery of this heritage, making it an integral part of the plans to promote the county. Since the existing windmills are at different levels of conservation (or degradation), giving each of them a  final concept,

16

Current Issues of Tourism Research will depend on several factors, mainly their conservation status, its location and accessibility should be taken into account, always considering that the main objective is making them more attractive. Due to the state of degradation of some windmills and the isolation of others that are deployed within private properties, it would be impossible to include all of them in the route. The recovery of the mills in order to create better conditions to integrate them in the route, together with any complementary activities including animation, offers the tourist / visitor a rewarding cultural experience letting them know and experience the best that the county of Lourinhã has to offer. The route should include a coordinated system of in terms of infrastructure and touristic information sings, which would allow a proper orientation during the discovery of the windmills, including illustrative elements regarding the conservation and preservation of the environment. The use of windmills as part of the route for cultural tourism with all its charm seems to be admired by tourists and visitors, because of their diverse characteristics. Taking into account the presented aspects, we suggest a route that includes: a route for cars, pedestrians and bycicles.

The Car Route, is for everyone who has to travel by car to get to more distant points;

The cycling route, for all visitors who wish to visit the mills trough more restricted paths by bike;

Pedestrian Route, adequate for all those who want to visit the mills in contact with nature, by taking a walk. It would be advised to visit the four clusters of windmills (Atalaia with 3 windmills, Moledo with 4, Reguengo Grande with 7 and Pinhôa in Moita de Ferreiros with 5 mills). We believe that a route would motivate owners, and return them into life, the landscape would be more enjoyable, and it would be a way to motivate them in terms of the recovery, preservation and revitalization of the windmills. On the other hand, it would be a way to promote health through walking trails or bike lanes. Some accessible items would remain for the visitors and tourists, it would help to promote local culture, and to involve the community, and in some individual cases, some of the mills would be able to become economically sustainable.

Figure – Pedestrian

Source: Municipality of Lourinhã

– A route to integrate periodic events linked to the windmills, as an identity reference to the gaze of tourists and visitors, consisting of mills in operation, with contiguous spaces for manufacture and sale of bread and flour. – Windmills could be adapted for tourist information offices. Others could be adapted as shops that sell organic products, where could be sold mill bread. – Windmills as a sale place for regional products (cheeses, sausages, wine ...) – One windmill could be adapted to pass short films, windmills activity, geared towards tourists and also for study visits, or adapt a windmill into a weather station.

2/2012 –– A windmill museum, to show the valuable historical and cultural heritage associated with it, demo gear and its functionality, and a pedagogical factor for secondary school students and / or university, with a sample practical demonstrations of the systems of pulleys and levers. –– One windmill could be adapted into a  craft workshop, in which craftsmen in form of associations could work, exhibit and sell local / regional handicraft in a rotation system. –– The creation of a Windmills Interpretive Centre - museum with cultural enhancement activities with the idea of preserving the local and regional memory, where short films with the habits, practices, values, customs, knowledge of the activity of the mills would be shown, that together with the still preserved material evidence, would allow a global interpretation of the cultural heritage of the rural villages of the Oeste, to motivate the search and provoke interest in the values of the local culture. Moreover, the route would be enriched by providing a varied offer, beyond the diversity presented for the various windmills, such as other places and products that could be found along the way: water sources, centennial Farms, viewpoints, rural villages, visit to the Museum of Palaeontology (Dinosaurs), visit the Interpretation Centre of the Battle of Vimeiro, taste of Brandy DOC - Lourinhã, visit to the Planalto Cesaredas, rock formations and native plants - nature reserve. A  visit to the terrain peculiarity of the Reguengo Grande Village, and its unique characteristics, the village of Moledo, a  route that could be complemented with its 12 km of coast, split between beaches, bays, coves and cliffs of enormous natural beauty and places of outstanding natural viewpoints. The windmills that are assumingly unsustainable given to the current situation could provide a new vision by becoming a place to visit and they could also be useful because of the consumption of visitors / tourists in the various museums, in the accommodations, in the gastronomy, the traditional festivals of religious nature and other types of events. Taking into account that this project is a combined product, which is inserted cultural and nature tourism, it is necessary to mention, that it could also be an important factor to combat the seasonality. The route consists of a script of places to visit and since it would be well planned, it would strengthen the sense of unity within the diversity that is so characteristic in rural areas. Since the summers are usually cooler in the Oeste, predominantly the “oestina” (western) breeze in summer afternoons, sometimes forces tourists / visitors and vacationers to leave the beaches. The route of windmills could be promoted as an alternative to the beach providing them as cultural enrichment and in this case the tourists would not feel frustrated because of the weather.

We believe that the development of a route that includes the windmills that are best located for the purpose and also includes cultural activities in which tourists and visitors can participate would influence the tourist, and motivate him to contribute to the promotion of the local memory.

The proposed route of windmills, since, well outlined and supplemented, equipped with appropriate signage for the guidance of tourists, including the respective stations information associated with a  promotional strategy, with promotion conducted in Tourism Fairs in agencies and tour operators, promoted on websites and in tourism offices in the form of brochures, including to the possibility of partnerships with hotels in the region, whose charges for the stay, would include a guided visit to the mills in operation, would be a viable and strategic factor for the revitalization of Lourinhã’s windmills heritage.

Conclusions As a result of this study, we believe that the interest in the preservation of the windmills’ heritage has been demonstrated. In this sense, the geo-tagging and photographic collection of the windmills’ heritage in the county of Lourinhã has been inventoried and updated. We realized that socio-cultural and economic factors affect the preservation of the windmills. The millers evidenced the economic difficulties, and especially by their heirs, who neither showed interest in the activity, nor demonstrated concerns for its preservation or recovery, because it became an unprofitable economic activity today, registering the lack of initiative of the responsible entities order to make an effort to encourage the preservation of windmills heritage.

17

Current Issues of Tourism Research

18

It seems possible that the alternative would be to re-qualify the Windmills in Lourinhã, placing them in a  sustainable tourism strategy where they could work independently. In this sense, the planned and concerted management of a collective common heritage inserted in a windmills route, would practically demonstrate the traditional principle “the whole is different of the sum of its parts” and be more and better than that sum. It is a principle inherent to the holistic conceptions of reality, which led to systemic view of the complex phenomena, which generally is much applied in tourism.

Final Thoughts The evolutionary analysis of the state of the windmills in the county of Lourinhã, demonstrated the rapid decline due to the ineffectiveness of the windmills and it also showed that once they stop the activities, they quickly come to a state of degradation that no longer permits to recover the mills. The generation of millers is about to become extinct. The millers we found are in a very advanced age with an average age of around 78 years. As an example, during the fieldwork, two millers passed away. We realized that the descendants of the millers do not intend to continue the activity because it is not profitable. We also

recognized that the overwhelming majority is not motivated in the preservation and recovery of assets, alerting to the economic difficulties, citing the lack of support by the communities. Taking this situation into account and considering the law that establishes the foundations of the political regime and the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, allows local authorities to celebrate with private owners of cultural property, or other entities interested in the preservation and enhancement of cultural property or specialized companies, agreements that permit to pursuit public interests in the area of ​​cultural heritage for cultural and / or touristic purposes, it seems that something could be done in this direction. Based on this principle, and based on the survey of the windmills’ heritage and after an approach to the millers, the local authority could develop guidelines for the use, the occupancy and the transformation of the windmills, based on their preservation and respect for the built windmills’ heritage. Thus, the role of tourism in connection to cultural heritage would strengthen the promotion of sustainable development in rural areas. It would be a participatory and integrated development strategy, which would privilege the cultural heritage of the mills and would contribute to improve the quality of life of the involved populations.

References Amirou, R. (1995). Imaginaire touristique et sociabilités du voyage, PUF, 1995 Amirou, R. (2007). Imaginário Turístico e Sociabilidades da Viagem. Porto: Estratégias Criativas – APTUR. Ayala, H (1995). From quality product to ecoproduct: will Fiji set a precedent? Tourism Management, Vol. 16(1): 39-47. Barretto, M. (2001). Turismo e Legado Cultural – As possibilidades do planeamento. São Paulo, Papirus. Blanc, M. (1997). “Ruralité : diversité des approches”. Économie rurale, n° 242: 5-12. Cardona, P. (2009). “Património Cultural”. In Dias, F., Soifer, J. & Ferreira, L. (coord.). O Futuro do Turismo – Território, Património, Planeamento. Porto: Estratégias Criativas, APTUR, 51-86 Carvalho, P. (2003). Boletim Goiano de Geografia - Património e (re)descoberta dos territórios rurais – Vol. 23 (2): 173-196. Castells, M. (1999). O Poder da Identidade – Volume II. São Paulo, Editora Paz e Terra. Chamboredon, J.C. (1980). “Les usages urbains de l’espace rural: du moyen de production au lieu de récreation”, Revue Française de Sociologie 21: 97-119. Cunha, L. (1997). Economia e Política de Turismo, McGraw-Hill de Portugal, Ldª. - ISNB:972-8298-52-8. Dias, J. (1993). “Moagem Tradicional”, Joel Serrão (org.), Dicionário de História de Portugal, vol. III, Iniciativas Editoriais, Lisboa. Dias, J., Oliveira, E. & Galhano, F. (1959). Sistemas Primitivos de Moagem em Portugal, moinhos, azenhas e atafonas, Moinhos de Vento. Instituto de Alta Cultura – Centro de Estudos de Etnologia Peninsular, Porto. Droz, Y. & Mieville-Ott, V. (2005). “Le paysage de l’anthropologie”. In Y. Droz. E V. Mieville-Ott (eds), La polyphonie du paysage. Lausanne, Press Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes, pp : 5-20. Ferreira, L. (2009). “Sustentabilidade, competitividade e planeamento em turismo”. In Dias, F., Soifer, J. & Ferreira, L. (coord.). O Futuro do Turismo – Território, Património, Planeamento. Porto: Estratégias Criativas, APTUR, 51-86. Figueiredo, E. (2008). “Viver no Rural, Visitar o Rural – A diversidade de percepções face ao ambiente e ao desenvolvimento” in A Vez e a Voz – Revista da Associação Portuguesa de Desenvolvimento Rural, nº 92, pp. 9-19 Figueiredo, E., & Ferrão, P. (2003).O Conhecimento não Cresce nas Árvores: Os Desafios da Sociedade do Conhecimento e o Mundo Rural em Portugal, Atas do III Congresso de Estudos Rurais (III CER), Faro, Universidade do Algarve, 1-3 Nov. 2007 - SPER / UAlg, 2008, CD-ROM.

2/2012 Fortuna, C. & Ferreira, F. (1996). O Turismo, O Turista e a “Pós” Modernidade – Oficina do CES – Centro de Estudos Sociais – Coimbra (Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra e Centro de Estudos Sociais). Comunicação apresentada no Seminário “Reflexões Sociais sobre o Turismo” (1996) realizado na Escola de Gestão, Hotelaria e Turismo da Universidade do Algarve, Faro. Fortuna, C. (2001). Cidade, Cultura e globalização: Ensaios de Sociologia. Segunda Edição. Oeiras, Celta Editora. Galhano, F. (1978). Moinhos e Azenhas de Portugal, Lisboa, Associação Portuguesa dos Amigos dos Moinhos e Secretaria de Estado da Cultura. Gonçalves, C. (2009). “Rotas de Património em Portugal: uma revolução necessária”, in Turismos de Nicho - Motivações, Produtos, Territórios. Centro de Estudos Geográficos - Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa. Hall, C.M. (2000). Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes and Relationships. Harlow, Prentice Hall. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Científica (1983). Centro de Estudos de Etnografia – Lisboa. King, R. (1992). “Heterogeneity of rural areas: posing the strategic issue”, in O’Cinneide, M. and Cuddy M. (org.). Perspectives on Rural Development in Advanced Economies, CDSSSR, UCG, pp. 37-50. Lima, S., & Partidário, M. (2002). Novos Turistas e a Procura da Sustentabilidade - Um Novo Segmento de Mercado Turístico. Lisboa, GEP Ministério da Economia. MacCannel, D. (1973). “Staged authenticity: Arrangements os social space in tourism setting”. American Journal of Sociology 79(3): 589-603. MacCannel, D. (1976). The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. London: Macmillan. Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J. & Behrens, W. (1972). The Limits to growth. New York: Universe Books. Oliveira, E., Galhano, F. & Pereira, B. (1983). Tecnologia Tradicional Portuguesa: Sistemas de Moagem. Lisboa, INIC. Omar, M. (2007). Heritage Attractions and the Case of the Dutch Windmills. Tourism Analysis, 12 (5-6): 493-497. Pereira, M. (1990). Os moinhos da Lourinhã. Lisboa, Artes Gráficas, Lda. Pérez, X. (2009). Turismo Cultural – Uma visão antropológica. PASOS - editora, nº2. Revista de Turismo y Património Cultural. Pérez-Martín, E., Herrero-Tejedor, T. R., Gómez-Elvira, M. A., Rojas-Sola, J. I. & Conejo-Martin, M. A. (2011). Graphic study and geovisualization of the old windmills of La Mancha (Spain). Applied Geography, 31: 941-949. Ritchie, J. R. B., & Crouch, G. I. (2003). The competitive destination: a sustainable tourism perspective. Wallingford: CABI Publishing. Rojas-Sola, J. I. & Amezcua-Ogáyar, J.M. (2005). Southern Spanish windmills: Technological aspects. Renewable Energy 30: 1943–1953. Sharpley, R. & Stone, P. (2011). Tourist Experience – Contemporary perspectives. 1st Edition. Canada: Routledge. Silva, L. (2004). Moinhos e Moleiros no Alentejo Oriental: Uma Perspetiva Etnográfica. Etnográfica, Vol. VIII (2), pp. 221-242. Sousa, M. & Baptista, C. (2011). Como fazer investigação, dissertações, teses e relatórios. Lisboa, Lidel. UNESCO - Comissão Nacional da UNESCO (1992). Proteção do património mundial, cultural e natural. Lisboa, Ligrate, Lda. Vidal, A. & Márquez, D. (2007). Turismo sustentável e desenvolvimento local - Turismo e território, Centro Internacional de Formação da OIT, Turim, Itália. Vitorino, M. (2012). Território, molinologia e turismo: Dinamização dos moinhos na promoção do turismo. Dissertação de Mestrado. Peniche. Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Francisco Teixeira Pinto Dias GITUR – Tourism research Group of Polytechnic Institute of Leiria School of Tourism and Maritime Technology, Peniche Portugal E-mail: [email protected] Manuel José Trindade Vitorino Municipality of Lourinhã Portugal E-mail: [email protected]

19

Current Issues of Tourism Research

20

“Spatial Conditions for Agritourism Development on the Example of Poland and France ” Sławomir Dorocki, Tomasz Rachwał, Anna Irena Szymańska, Małgorzata Zdon-Korzeniowska Institute of Geography, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland

Abstract The purpose of this article is to present the conditions of agritourism development in Poland and France. As a result of the comparative analysis of the spatial distribution as well as accommodation structure and what farms in Poland and France offer, determinants conditioning the development of agritourism were indicated. This objective was based on the analysis of 1,682 Polish and 1,768 French agritourism farm profiles. Comparative analysis showed both some similarities and differences between the studied countries. These included the origins of agritourism farms, conditions of their spatial distribution or the quality of services offered. Generally, in the case of both countries agritourism favours activation, improves efficiency and diversification of farm activities. Key words: agritourism, agritourism farms, agriculture, spatial conditions, Poland, France Paper type: Scientific study

Introduction During the economic transformation connected with the implementation of the market economy in Poland, typical agricultural activities encountered significant difficulties, such as the sales of agricultural products, their low prices and rising costs of agricultural production. These problems contributed to the ineffectiveness of alimentation activities and decommissioning of a number of farms. As a consequence, farmers started seeking new, alternative activities and sources of income [Mika 2007; Kubal, Mika 2012]. Agritourism has become one of them. Currently, agritourism is becoming more and more popular among the public, both in terms of demand, being an attractive form of leisure activities, as well as supply, being an alternative form of agriculture, including accommodation on a farm, as well as various forms of recreation based on the specific qualities of rural areas. The term “agritourism” is variously understood and interpreted, both in specialist literature and business practice. Agritourism is often identified directly with rural tourism or tourism in rural areas. M. Drzewiecki provides a universal definition of modern agritourism pointing out that “it is a form of relaxation taking place in rural areas of agricultural character, based on a range of accommodation and recreational activities associated with a farm or equivalent and its natural environment, production and services” [Drzewiecki 2009, see Mika 2007; Kubal, Mika 2012]. This definition, however, does not include a  full diversity and dynamics of tourism developing in rural areas, as well as a legal aspect of the Act on Freedom of Economic Activity [Ustawa ... 2004] and the Income Tax Act [Ustawa ... 1991].

For agritourism activities their legal considerations are important. According to the tax legislation, agritourism activities supplement farm income activities. On the basis of the Income Tax Act for individuals (art. 21, par. 43), the tax exemption applies to income from renting rooms when the following conditions are satisfied: –– rooms are rented to persons having a rest, –– rented rooms are located in residential buildings, –– the landlord runs a farm in rural areas, and the buildings in which rooms are rented belong to the farm, –– the number of rented bedrooms does not exceed five. The exemption also includes income derived from boarding the guests renting rooms. In addition, according to the Act on Freedom of Economic Activity, production activities in agriculture, including renting rooms and places to set up tents, selling home-prepared food and providing other services connected with the stay of agritourists on a farm, are not included in non-agricultural economic activities, therefore they do not require registration of a  company. This means every farmer who holds a  farm and is a  policyholder at the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (Kasa Rolniczego Ubezpieczenia Społecznego - KRUS) can run an agritourism farm on favourable tax terms, if at the same time they meet the earlier listed conditions. Despite some difficulties in defining agritourism operators clearly, especially in the real identification of such operators, there is no doubt that the provision of agritourism services is one of the most popular forms of non-agricultural economic activities undertaken in rural areas. It is also one

2/2012 of the main pillars of the concept of multifunctional development of rural areas. The purpose of this article is to present the conditions of agritourism development in Poland and France. As a result of the comparative analysis of the spatial distribution as well as

21

accommodation structure and what farms in Poland and France offer, determinants conditioning the development of agritourism were indicated. This article analyses the major, selected determinants, although one should be aware that the functioning of this sector is also influenced by other factors (Fig. 1).

National conditions changes in structure and size of agricultural production in farms and income produced

possibilities to offer extra services and goods (e.g. home-produced wine)

cultural and natural attractiveness (landscape) of the agritourism farm's location

socio-economic situation and the level of development and structure of tourism infrastructure

decline in income of potential clients and their spendings on tourism (over a shorter period of time)

agritourism

forms of spending leisure time

ways of organising leisure time

changes / new directions of travel

preferences in obtaining tourism goods and services

activities of organisations supporting development

increased wealth of clients of tourism services (over a longer period of time)

World economic crisis

National and foreign competition of other forms of tourism

legal and tax conditions of economic activity, including tax relieves

demographic changes (ageing populations)

Changes in preferences, model and lifesty le of members of "information society "

Figure 1 Conditions of agritourism development Source: own compilation based on Rachwał, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2011

The objective of this article was based on the analysis of 1,682 profiles of Polish agritourism farms associated in and recommended by the Polish Federation of Rural Tourism “A Hospitable Farm” (Polska Federacja Turystyki Wiejskiej „Gospodarstwo Gościnne”) and 1,768 French farm profiles, members of the organisation “Bienvenue à la Ferme” (“Welcome to the Farm”). The location of individual agritourism farms was based on their GPS coordinates and postal codes. Furthermore, an additional source of information was the statistical data of the Central Statistical Office (Główny Urz¹d Statystyczny - GUS) and Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE) as well as the results of the research on Polish agritourism farms. These were direct studies using the technique of interview questionnaire conducted between January and March 2012 [see Dorocki S., Szymańska, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012a, Dorocki S., Szymańska, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012b; Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012].

Development of Agritourism in Poland and France The origins of taking a rest in the countryside in Poland dates back to the 19th c., when city dwellers used rural areas for recreation, including health improvement. However, the development of agritourism in the modern sense started only in the early 1990s, when farmers were able to rent lodging to tourists in accordance with the law [Sikora 2012]. Since then there has been a quite rapid development of tourism activity in the country (Fig. 2), which was also of interest to other researchers [e.g. Bajger-Kowalska, Rettinger 2008].

Figure 2 Lodgings and bed places offered by agritourism in Poland in 1998-2007 Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012; based on the data of 1998-2001: Wiatrak 2003, p. 11; data of 2002-2007 after: Sikora 2012, p. 80]

The rapid increase in the number of agritourism lodgings and bed places occurred at the beginning of the 21st c. (Fig. 2). One of the many factors that have undoubtedly affected this development was Poland’s accession to the European Union and the consequent possibility of obtaining financial support to start or modernise agricultural activity. Another factor was the dynamic development of various local, regional and national organisations and associations, which took place in the late 1990s and at the beginning of the 2000s. These organisations contributed largely to support the development of agritourism and popularisation of recreation in rural areas as well as improve the quality and standard of offered services.

22

Current Issues of Tourism Research The Polish Federation of Rural Tourism “A Hospitable Farm” (Polska Federacja Turystyki Wiejskiej „Gospodarstwo Gościnne” – PFTW “GG”) is the largest and most important in Poland among organisations dedicated to the dissemination and development of agritourism in Poland. It is a national non-profit organisation bringing together 45 local and regional associations [www.agroturystyka.pl]. It is, therefore, an association of associations, which owns a categorisation system of the Rural Accommodation Base (Wiejska Baza Noclegowa – WBN). This categorisation is based on assigning agritourism objects a particular category, proving quality of the facilities and services. This system is modelled on similar systems and categorisation criteria adopted in the European Union states. In France, the beginning of the development of agritourism dates back to the 1950s [Świetlikowska 2000b]. It should be emphasised that this activity is still poorly developed. The analysis of the structure of accommodation facilities in France in 2011 (Fig. 3) indicates that agritourism farms and developing tourist villages together make up less than 2% of all lodging facilities and provide 2% of stays for a night. Most of them, as many as 56% of all accommodation facilities, are guest rooms. Hotels constitute 26% of the sites, campsites – 14%, and pensions account for 10% of the bed places.

is the oldest organisation of rural accommodation providers in Europe, functioning since 1951. It operates through a network of regional offices, established in all 97 French provinces. The aim of this organisation is to control quality and promote office products, help in booking and selling up bed places as well as the provision of loans or grants for business expansion or modernisation. “Bienvenue à la Ferme”, however, is the largest organisation of agritourism operators. This organisation brings together 6,000 farmers and is controlled by a network of Chambers of Agriculture (Les Chambres d’agriculture) established in 1920 for farmers to cooperate with the authorities and represent their interests. The activities of the Chamber also include assisting the market of retail producers, supporting local and regional products, providing training for people working in the agricultural sector, providing agricultural education, offering assistance in the development of entrepreneurship, including the Internet websites, as well as legal and accounting assistance for farmers.

Spatial Distribution of Agritourism Farms The study on the conditions of spatial location and the offer of agritourism farms in Poland was based on 1,682 profiles of Polish agritourism entities associated and recommended by the Polish Federation of Rural Tourism “A  Hospitable Farm”. Although the study only included the farms enlisted in their database, it is a representative sample so it can be used to conclude on the total development of agritourism in Poland.

Figure 3 Types of accommodation facilities (A) and bed places (B) in France in 2011 Source: own compilation based on the data of Gîtes de France

According to the data from the Chambers of Agriculture in France [http://www.chambres-agriculture.fr] only about 3% of farmers (17,800) are involved in activities related to tourism. Interestingly, despite that rural tourism constitutes 36% of the total revenue from tourism in France and about 20% of direct sales in 100,000 farms [OECD, 2009]. In addition, what is observed is an increase in interest in this type of activity from both farmers (by about 13% since the late 1980s), as well as consumers. This confirms the resilience of agritourism to crisis [see Rachwał, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2011] and a continuous increase in the number of rural tourists, estimated at 200 million visitors annually (of which 20% are foreign tourists) [L’agriculture …, 2011]. In France, agritourism is defined as any activity performed on a farm [http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com]. Tourism activities on a farm typically consist of three elements: providing accommodation, catering, and selling products or services (recreation, sports, culture, etc.). Tourism organisation in France is in the hands of the Federation “Gites de France” (“Lodging in France”), and the organisation “Bienvenue à la Ferme” (“Welcome to the Farm”). “Gites de France”

Figure 4 Spatial distribution of the surveyed farms in Poland Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

The analysis of the spatial structure of agritourism farms in Poland (Fig. 4) shows that rural tourism activities are primarily performed in the most attractive tourist areas with the established traditions of tourist services, such as coastal and mountainous areas, lake districts and poorly urbanised and non-industrialised eastern regions of the country [Sikora 2012], especially in the Carpathians and the Masurian Lake District. Referring to the analysis of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Science (Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania - IGiPZ) [Turystyka wiejska … 2012], about 40% of all agritourism farms in Poland are located in the Małopolskie, Podkarpackie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeships.

2/2012 The most developed agritourism activities are found in the villages located in the immediate vicinity of the most attractive Polish Carpathian mountain ranges: the Tatra and Pieniny (in the belt of the gminas from Czarny Dunajec and Kościelisko to Czorsztyn and Krościenko-on-Dunajec), as well as the Beskid Sądecki (Krynica-Zdrój, Muszyna). Intensive agritourism activity is also found in the gminas of the northern part of the Bieszczady Mountains, Sanocko-Turczańskie Mountains and Bukowskie Foothills. Some Low Beskid gminas also abound in the agritourism base [Turystyka wiejska … 2012]. The development of agritourism, therefore, appears to be largely related to the attractiveness of the natural environment, including landscape.

23

The image of the natural and cultural values in gminas largely corresponds to the image of tourism assets. The highest level of tourism development is found mainly in the mountainous, coastal and lake district areas and in some of the gminas in the vicinity of large cities. An important role in the development of rural tourism is also played by the socio-economic situation and the development of tourism infrastructure. In this context, by far the best position is taken by the gminas located in the vicinity of large cities and in coastal areas. It should also be noted that the voivodeships of the least favourable conditions for tourism development include Lubelskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie and Opolskie Voivodeships (Tab. 1).

Table 1 Agritourism potential by voivodeships voivodeships

indicators

natural and cultural values Dolnośląskie 0.369 Kujawsko-Pomorskie 0.363 Lubelskie 0.343 Lubuskie 0.394 Łódzkie 0.328 Małopolskie 0.685 Mazowieckie 0.440 Opolskie 0.295 Podkarpackie 0.659 Podlaskie 0.449 Pomorskie 0.474 Śląskie 0.369 Świętokrzyskie 0.421 Warmińsko-Mazurskie 0.468 Wielkopolskie 0.405 Zachodniopomorskie 0.402 Source: [Turystyka wiejska … 2012]

Agritourism is often an alternative form of agricultural activity. It is usually undertaken when farms prove unprofitable and inefficient or in the case of certain restrictions related to the farming in the area, as well as, what is also important, when the local agritourism capacity, the importance of marketing and the implementation of cluster concept in the field of tourism were recognised

tourism development 0.498 0.250 0.309 0.294 0.141 0.987 0.174 0.150 0.625 0.874 0.955 0.355 0.347 0.932 0.208 1.000

economic conditions and infrastructure 0.624 0.368 0.036 0.464 0.279 0.450 0.378 0.364 0.275 0.021 0.535 0.549 0.158 0.175 0.524 0.478

[Matlovičová K. et al. 2009; Matlovičová, 2008, 2010; ZdonKorzeniowska 2009; Čuka, Némethyová, Miščíková, 2012]. The reason for this aforementioned lack of profitability and inefficiency may be adverse farming conditions, such as poor soil or relief (mountains) quality. A significant limitation to agricultural activity can also be posed by protected areas (Figs 5A and 5B).

Figure 5 (A and B) Distribution of agritourism farms against protected areas in Poland Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012; http://natura2000.gdos.gov.pl]

Current Issues of Tourism Research

24

Protected areas preclude conducting intensive agriculture but, on the other hand, being particularly attractive to tourists they are particularly suited to agritourism business. For this reason, agritourism activities are often carried out on the outskirts of national parks and protected areas such as landscape parks, areas of protected landscape (Fig. 5A) or protection areas for birds (SPAs) and habitat (SACs) (Fig. 5B). The analysis of the spatial distribution and offer of agritourism farms in France was based on the 1,768 French farm profiles, members of the organisation “Bienvenue à la Ferme” (“Welcome to the Farm”). The collected materials indicate that in France agri-

tourism is most developed in the south of the country, mainly in the region of the Massif Central [Mamdy, Guillot, Disez 2007]. The regions with developing agritourism also include the mountainous areas (the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and Vosges), coastal regions (Normandy and the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts), as well as some other regions (Alsace, Lorraine and Aquitaine). As the most popular the following departments are listed: Aveyron (Central Pyrenees), Haute-Loire (Auvergne), Corrèze (Limousin), Jura (Franche-Comté) and Vosges (Lorraine). Distribution of agritourism farm in France, as in Poland, is associated with the tourist attractiveness of the regions (Fig. 6).

Figure 6 Distribution of agritourist farms against tourist areas in France Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

Agritourism is growing mainly in the mountain areas, forest areas and the regions attractive in terms of landscape and nature. This is evidenced by the distribution of agritourist farms against the protected areas in France (Figs 7A and 7B). In addition, agritourism is growing in the areas of rich cultural heritage

[Bergeron, 1992] as well as eating and drinking heritage, which is connected with both the history of these areas, as well as the specialisation of agricultural production, mainly grapevine cultivation and wine production and the production of cheese [Augustin, 1992].

Distribution of Agritourism

Figure 7 (A and B) Distribution of agritourist farms against protected areas and special protection areas for birds (SPAs) and habitats (SACs) in France Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

These considerations confirm the belief that the development of rural tourism depends on many different factors which can be arranged in three basic categories, namely natural and

cultural values, tourist development, and economic and infrastructural conditions. In addition, the activity of local actors may be the fourth criterion.

2/2012 Natural and cultural values should be understood as the elements of the natural and human environment, which are the result of natural processes and diverse non-tourist human activity, and are the object of tourists’ interest [Stasiak, Włodarczyk, 2003; Kowalczyk, 2002]. Natural and cultural values are therefore endogenous. However, tourist management includes all facilities and equipment designed to meet the needs of tourism. An important element of agritourism development is also a socio-economic situation and the state of the tourism infrastructure of the area. Agritourism is a special segment of tourism that can be successfully carried out in protected areas without harming the environment. It enables to keep not only the cultural heritage of the countryside by continuing farming tradition, but it is also a form of economic activity, which allows for the protection and preservation of natural heritage if carried out in a sustainable and responsible manner.

Characteristics of Accommodation and Agritourism Farms’ Offer In Poland, the accommodation base is an essential component of agritourism offer and its standard is an important part of its attractiveness. Accommodation capacity of the studied Polish agritourism farms, on average, is about a dozen bed places per farm. The average number of bed places for all the analysed farms is 14. The farms with the highest average number of bed places (over 20) are located in the following poviats: Stalowa Wola (28), Piaseczno (26), Złotoryja (25), Kartuzy, Olecko, Radom (22), Ciechanów, Kamiena Góra, Nowy Dwór, Radomsko, Sejny (21). The highest average number of bed places appears to be in the east and north of the country (Fig.8).

Figure 8 Number of bed places available in the studied farms in Poland Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

The analysis of agritourism accommodation facilities in terms of the number of facilities subject to categorisation showed that only about 34% of the surveyed facilities had one of the four categories awarded under the categorisation of the Rural 1

Accommodation Base. When accounted for the largest share, 39% of the objects had the „standard” category, 26.5% of facilities had category I, and 22% - category II. Only 11% of the surveyed facilities had the highest category III proving the highest standard in by Rural Accommodation Base categories. For comparison, the analysis of the structure of agritourism farms’ offer in France showed that only 69% of them offer accommodation services (in Poland, almost 100% of the farms provide accommodation). In France, agritourism offer, to a large extent, is related to educational activities. Approximately 4,200 farmers belongs to the network of educational farms (fermes pédagogiques)1 offering classes implemented in the French school system [http:// www.bergerie-nationale.educagri.fr; see L’organization ... 2007]. In addition, due to the specificity of French agriculture, in recent years wine tourism has been growing rapidly. In 2009, almost 10,000 wineries were visited by 7.5 million visitors, including 2.5 million foreigners [L’agriculture ..., 2011]. In terms of the accommodation structure, in France chalets and rooms for rent predominate, while the number of large pavilions and camper sites is relatively low. The accommodation capacity of the analysed farms is 17,356 bed places, and is the largest in the south of France, south of the Massif Central, including the Mediterranean and Aquitaine departments. In addition, the Atlantic region with Normandy and Brittany stands out. The average capacity of an agritourism farm in France is 12.8. Larger objects, of the capacity above the average, are located in the regions of the Massif Central, Burgundy, the Alps, Charente-Maritime, Upper Normandy and Flanders. The standard of rural lodging in France is approved by giving a  certain number of “spikes”, and the apartment can be given 1 to 4 “spikes” (the more, the higher the quality). In France, there is little variation of category. Departments with the highest standard of accommodation are concentrated in the regions of Champagne and Burgundy, and the eastern part of the Paris agglomeration. This may have something to do with a rapidly growing wine tourism and weekend tourism activity of the residents of Paris, associated with the development of highspeed rail network [Louis, 2011]. Among the other regions with a high standard of services is Cote d’Azur, Aquitaine and the traditional French holiday destination - Charente-Maritime. The quality of services, thus, is driven by the proximity of large cities (customer requirements) and the attractiveness of the region (competitiveness and diversity of the rich offer). Most offers of the lowest standard were recorded in Savoy, due to the nature of the services provided, namely in mountain chalets, and in Alsace, which shows a low level of tourism development. The products offered by agritourism farms are complemented by all kinds of attractions and amenities. They usually stem from the natural and cultural environment, recreation, and sports and cultural offer of the place in which an agritourism farm is located. In addition, there may be facilities offered by the owners within their own agritourism farm. Attractions offered by the Polish agritourism farms primarily include playgrounds for children (24.51%), a grill/fireplace (18.23%), horse riding (5.2%) and a swimming pool (3.23%).

L’organisation professionnelle des fermes pédagogiques (2007), Département Tourisme rural et Education à l’environnement en France, La Bergerie Nationale.

25

26

Current Issues of Tourism Research Most frequently offered facility is a  parking space (24.51%), rental of sports equipment (23.73%), catering (22.41%), accepting pets (21.1%), access to the Internet (14.05%) and facilities for the disabled (3.53%). From the analysis of the structure of the offer of the Polish agritourism farms it can be concluded that they direct their farm products primarily for family holidays, especially for families with children. Similarly, French agritourism farms, besides accommodation, offer many other attractions and amenities. The most popular are the holiday vouchers, i.e. social benefits for families. Very often agritourism farms accept pets, quite often accept credit cards and offer parking for buses. Other attractions and facilities include: petting zoo, horse riding, tours of the area, culinary products, tasting drinks, swimming pool, participating in farm work and facilities for a wide range of people with disabilities. The distinguishing feature of the French agritourism is conducting specialised activities. The offers are targeted to specific, often narrow, consumer groups: gourmets, anglers, hunters, nature lovers, children, families, the elderly, etc. Therefore, there is a large variety of products including, besides the standard proposals, stays in cottages, tree houses or Mongolian yurts, holidays for children or the elderly with care, as well as courses and demonstrations of agricultural production (such as cooking classes or growing crops). In addition, in most agricultural farms, despite the lack of notification of the service, according to a  description of the farm, there is the opportunity to taste and purchase agricultural products, among which the most common include alcoholic drinks, cheeses, vegetables and fruits. In addition, historical heritage is considered the asset. In many offers, the age of the buildings and traditions are highlighted, such as a farm located in a seventeenth-century buildings held for five generations. Moreover, farm descriptions increasingly emphasise the possibility to prepare an individual offer according to customer needs, such as preparing presentations or lectures, themed tours around the area or joint preparation of processed foods.

The highest values for Poland (Fig. 9) were observed in the region to the east of Warsaw. This is an area of the Siedlce Plateau and the northern part of the Lublin Lake District. This high agritourism activity can be justified by the proximity of the Warsaw metropolis and the agricultural nature of the area which affects the material resources of farmers and their ability to raise capital [Sosnowski, Ciepiela 2012; Ciepiela, Jankowska, Jankowski 2010; Sosnowski, Ciepiela 2011; Ciepiela, Jankowski, Sosnowski 2009]. Other regions with a high level of agritourism development include the eastern part of the Kashubian Lake Distrit, Ełckie Lake District, the western part of the Pomeranian Lake District and the Lubuskie Lake District, the Konin region as well as the Bieszczady mountains and the Przemyśl Foothills. The regions with a high level of agritourism activity are also the Warmia region, the area of Roztocze and Lublin, the central Baltic Sea coastland as well as the Świętokrzyskie and Radom areas. However, according to the standardised level of services offered in France (Fig. 10) high values are recorded in the region of the Massif Central and Brittany and Lower Normandy. These are agricultural regions, which due to natural features show lack of appropriate conditions for typical farming activities [Dorocki 2007]. They show, though, a  high tourism, natural and cultural potential. Similarly, the Northern Region with Picardy has a high development value of tourism, stimulated, however, by the peripheral position in relation to the Paris metropolis [Disner 2011] and trans-border tourism [Poulenard 2001].

Assessment of Agritourism Development Based on the above indicators of agritourism farm standard in Poland and France, the average standardised values of agritourism development were calculated, which allowed to assess the level of development of agritourism in both countries. Figure 10 Average standardised values of agritourism development in France Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

Figure 9 Average standardised values of agritourism development in Poland Source: [Dorocki, Zdon-Korzeniowska 2012]

The diversity of these regions may be indicated by the fact that in the North Region there are very few farms offering their agricultural products, but there is a large share of those which offer recreation for children (summer camps), parking for buses, education farms as well as agricultural shows and training. In the North Region, as well as in the whole Paris Basin, all farmhouses offer their services all year round. In the south, however, with the exception of the Alpine region and a few other regions, a large part of agritourism farms operates only seasonally. The area from the Alsace region in the east to the Brittany region in the west looks most unfavourably in those terms. It is the area characterised by good conditions for agriculture, which special-

2/2012 ises in the breeding and growing cereals and vines. An additional advantage is the close proximity of the metropolitan Paris and its market. So this is a region of farmers – business people competitive on the food market, using new technologies for the agricultural sector and the public support [Pimbert et al., 2001] – where rural tourism is not developing dynamically. Similarly, the Alpine and Mediterranean regions have low rates of agritourism development, which is related to the specific tourism services offered there, such as winter sports (ski resorts), or stays on the premises of a very high standard. The results of the analysis show that in France agritourism has developed primarily in the areas dominated by traditional family farming, and where agriculture has traditionally been the basis of the economy. Farmers in these areas have a low level of capitalisation, which puts them at a disadvantage in terms of liberalisation and concentration of the food industry. These farmers can only diversify their activities if they go beyond the strictly agricultural activities, i.e. engage in “niche” farming: agritourism and organic farming.

Conclusion The comparative analysis of the development of agritourism in Poland and France, both showed some similarities and differences2. In Poland, agritourism activity is mainly connected

with the provision of tourism services, in particular bed places (almost 100% of Polish agritourism farm offers accommodation, while in France less than 70%), while agriculture is only a supplement, often acting as a tourist attraction. In France, on the contrary, the basis for the functioning of an agritourism farm is farming, and tourism is only to supplement it. There is a  significant difference in the quality level of agritourism products offered in both countries. Taking the four categories awarded to the agritourism farms in Poland and France as the quality measure of agritourism accommodation (in Poland: “standard”, 1-2-3 “suns”, while in France: 1-2-3-4 “spikes”) a significantly lower quality of Polish products is noted. Generally, in Poland almost 70% of agritourism farm is uncategorised, and among those categorised the lowest category – “standard” – dominates. However, in France, agritourism farms with category III dominate. In both countries, agritourism contributes to the activation and raising the efficiency of the farms, especially in lessfavoured areas. This is also reflected in the spatial distribution of agritourism farms. Both in Poland and France the location of agritourism farms is generally associated with the tourist attractiveness of the regions, including, for instance, the attractiveness of the landscape, relief (mountains), or the occurrence of the protected areas.

References 1. Augustin J. P., (1992). L’alliance de la culture et du tourisme pour le développement régional l’exemple de la Gironde et de l’Aquitaine / Combining tourism and culture to promote regional development, Revue de géographie de Lyon. Vol. 67 n°1, Le tourisme culturel, 57-64. 2. Bajgier-Kowalska M., Rettinger R., (2008). Gospodarstwa agroturystyczne powiatu bieszczadzkiego i leskiego jako forma aktywizacji obszaru pogranicza polsko-ukraińsko-słowackiego [in:] Przyrodniczo-ekonomiczny potencjał regionów na pograniczu polsko-ukraińskim, Fedana, R., Makieła, Z. (ed.), Wydawnictwo Naukowe Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły Zawodowej w Jarosławiu, 13-26. 3. Bergeron R., (1992). Tourisme et patrimoine dans les campagnes lyonnaises / Tourism and cultural attractions in the countryside around Lyon, Revue de géographie de Lyon. Vol. 67 n°1, Le tourisme culturel, 19-30. 4. Ciepiela G. A., Jankowska J., Jankowski K., (2010). Finansowanie gospodarstw agroturystycznych ze środków unijnych w województwie mazowieckim, ACTA Scientiarum Polonorum, Oeconomia 9 (3), Poznań, 45-54. 5. Ciepiela G. A., Jankowski K., Sosnowski J., (2009), Promocja produktów agroturystycznych gospodarstw rolnych regionu siedleckiego, Wieś i Rolnictwo, Nr 3 (144), 123-134. 6. Čuka, P., Némethyová, B., Miščíková, B., (2012). Short Profile of the specific functioning of tourism clusters in Slovakia. Current Issues of Tourism Research, Vol. 2/ No 1, 32-40. 7. Disner A., (2011). Préconisations pour dynamiser le tourisme dans les régions périphériques rurales, Travail de Bachelor pour l’obtention du Bachelor of science HES-SO en Tourisme, HES-SO Valais Domaine Économie & Services, filière Tourisme. 8. Dorocki S., (2007). Proces kształtowania się regionalnej struktury rolnictwa Francji [in:] Procesy transformacji społecznoekonomicznych i przyrodniczych struktur przestrzennychm, Lach, J., Borowiec, M., Rachwał, T. (ed.), Zakład Przedsiębiorczości i Gospodarki Przestrzennej IG AP w Krakowie, 567-583. 9. Dorocki S., Szymańska A.I., Zdon-Korzeniowska M., (2012a). Polskie gospodarstwa agroturystyczne jako przedsiębiorstwa rodzinne [in:] Firmy rodzinne - współczesne wyzwania przedsiębiorczości rodzinnej. Determinanty rozwoju, Społeczna Akademia Nauk, Łódź.

2

The issues connected with the definition of agritourism and the comparativeness of the statistics were dealt with, for instance, by P. Marcotte, L. Bourdeau, M. Doyon, Agritourisme, agritourisme et tourisme à la ferme? Une analyse comparative, Téoros 25-3, 2006, pp. 59-67.

27

28

Current Issues of Tourism Research 10. Dorocki S., Szymańska A.I., Zdon-Korzeniowska M., (2012b). Agritouristic Family Enterprises in Poland, paper presented at International Conference „Entrepreneurship, Family Firms and Economic Development”, Kraków (Cracow University of Economics), 27-28 April 2012 (in print). 11. Dorocki S., Zdon-Korzeniowska M., (2012). Rozwój agroturystyki jako formy dywersyfikacji działalności rolniczej – przykład Francji i Polski (paper in print). 12. Drzewiecki M., (2009). Agroturystyka współczesna w Polsce, Wyższa Szkoła Turystyki i Hotelarstwa w Gdańsku, Gdańsk. 13. Kowalczyk A., (2002). Geografia turyzmu, PWN, Warszawa. 14. Kubal M., Mika M., (2012). Agritourism In Poland – the legal model and realities of the market, Current issues of tourism research, Vol. 2, No 1, 4-11. 15. L’agriculture française en 2010. Premiers résultats du recensement Agricole, (2011). Service de presse Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Alimentation, de la Pêche, de la Ruralité et de l’Aménagement du territoire. 16. L’organisation professionnelle des fermes pédagogiques, (2007). Département Tourisme rural et Education à l’environnement en France, La Bergerie Nationale. 17. Louis V., (2011). Mobilité touristique en Transport Express Régional en Bourgogne. Axes Paris Bercy-Corbigny et Dijon-Romanèche Thorins. Diagnostic, enquêtes et préconisations, Rapport de stage 2 Master Transport, Mobilité, Environnement, Climat, Délégation ATOUT FRANCE Bourgogne. 18. Mamdy J. F., Guillot M., Disez N., (2007). Quel avenir pour l’hébergement touristique rural?, Téoros 26-3, 56-66. 19. Marcotte P., Bourdeau L., Doyon M., (2006). Agrotourisme, agritourisme et tourisme à la ferme? Une analyse comparative, Téoros 25-3, 59-67. 20. Matlovičová, K., Matlovič, R., Némethyová, B. (2009). Perception of the potential of Prešov for recreation and leisure-time activities by its inhabitans. [in:] Aktywnoœæ turystyczno-rekreacyjna w obiektach dziedzictwa kulturowego i przyrodniczego, Rut J., Rut P. (ed.), UR Rzeszów, 170-179. 21. Matlovičová K. (2010). Place branding as a useful tool of place competitiveness, Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis – Geographica, Vol. 41, No. 1, 5-14. 22. Matlovičová K. (2008). Place marketing process - theoretical aspects of realization Acta Facultatis Studiorum Humanitatis et Naturae Universitatis Prešoviensis, Prírodné vedy, Folia Geographica, 12, PU Prešov, 195-224. 23. Mika M., (2007). Turystyka wiejska, [in:] Kurek W. (ed.), Turystyka, PWN, Warszawa, 330-333. 24. Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on a Policy for the Development of Rural Tourism in the Regions of the European Union, (1995). Sub commission 2, 2 February, Brussels (www.cor.eu.int/coratwork/comm2/english/19-1995_en.html). 25. Pimbert M. et al., (2001). Global Restructuring, Agri-Food Systems and Livelihoods, IIED Gatekeeper Series, n° 100, 7-9. 26. Poulenard D., (2001). Franco-belgian cooperation between Nord-Pas de Calais and Hainaut [in:] Is the new Europe inventing itself in its margins? Cross-border and transnational co-operation. A study jointly carried-out with Unioncamere, seminar report organised in collaboration with Unioncamere on 13 November 2001 and study coordinated by Marjorie Jouen, 33-48. 27. Rachwał T., Zdon-Korzeniowska M., (2011). Turystyka w warunkach światowego kryzysu gospodarczego, Prace Komisji Geografii Przemysłu Polskiego Towarzystwa Geograficznego, Warszawa -Kraków, Nr 18, 116-128. 28. Sikora J., (2012). Agroturystyka. Przedsiębiorczość na obszarach wiejskich, Wydawnictwo C. H. Beck, Warszawa. 29. Sosnowski J., Ciepiela G. A., (2012). Powierzchnia budynków zagrodowych oraz uzbrojenie techniczne gospodarstw agroturystycznych regionu siedleckiego, Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering, Poznań, Vol. 57(1), 120-125. 30. Sosnowski J., Ciepiela G.A., (2011). Financial result analysis of agrotouristic farms activities in Siedlce region, ACTA Scientiarum Polonorum, Oeconomia 10 (1), 97-108. 31. Stasiak A., Włodarczyk B., (2003). Produkt turystyczny – miejsce, Turyzm, 13 (1), 55-80. 32. Sznajder M., Przezbórska L., (2006). Agroturystyka, PWE, Warszawa. 33. Świetlikowska U., (2000). Agroturystyka w innych krajach – wybrane zagadnienia, [in:] Agroturystyka, Świetlikowska U., (ed.), Fundacja Programów Pomocy dla Rolnictwa, Warszawa, 68-76. 34. The role of agriculture and farm household diversification in the rural economy of France, (2009). Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD. 35. Turystyka wiejska, w tym agroturystyka, jako element zrównoważonego i wielofunkcyjnego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich, (2012). Agrotec Polska Sp. z o.o., Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania im. Stanisława Leszczyckiego PAN (IGiPZ PAN), Warszawa. 36. Ustawa z dnia 2 lipca 2004 r. o swobodzie działalności gospodarczej z późniejszymi zmianami. 37. Ustawa z dnia 26 lipca 1991 r. o podatku dochodowym od osób fizycznych z późniejszymi zmianami.

2/2012 38. Zdon-Korzeniowska M., (2009). Jak kształtować regionalne produkty turystyczne? Teoria i praktyka, Wyd. UJ, Kraków. 39. http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com [accessed: 13.04.2012]. 40. http://www.chambres-agriculture.fr [accessed: 13.04.2012]. 41. www.agroturystyka.pl [accessed: 27.06.2012]. 42. http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com [accessed: 14.04.2012].

Sławomir Dorocki, PhD Pedagogical University of Cracow Institute of Geography Department of Entrepreneurship and Spatial Management ul. Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Kraków e-mail: [email protected] Tomasz Rachwał, PhD Pedagogical University of Cracow Institute of Geography Department of Entrepreneurship and Spatial Management ul. Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Kraków e-mail: [email protected] Anna Irena Szymańska, PhD Pedagogical University of Cracow Institute of Geography Department of Entrepreneurship and Spatial Management ul. Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Kraków e-mail: [email protected] Małgorzata Zdon-Korzeniowska, PhD Pedagogical University of Cracow Institute of Geography Department of Entrepreneurship and Spatial Management ul. Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Kraków e-mail: [email protected]

29

Current Issues of Tourism Research

30

“Spa and Wellness Tourism as a Spatially Determined Product of Health Hesorts in Poland” Diana Dryglas Abstract This article describes spa and wellness tourism as an example of a tourist product in the spatial formulation of health resorts in Poland. Health resorts are described as a specific local product that could be the object of territorial marketing. The factor conception of a general tourist product that was developed by V. T. C. Middleton, which refers to building the tourist product of a health resort, is thoroughly analysed. The difference between the tourist product of a health resort and a health resort tourist product is highlighted, as well as the multifunctional character of health resorts. There is no agreement on the definition of a spa in specialist literature. There is a difference between the notion of spa in Europe and in the U.S. This difference was observed by analysing the definitions of a spa as set forth by the European Spas Association (ESPA) and the International Spa Association (ISPA). Key words: spa and wellness tourism, health resort, tourist product of area, territorial marketing Paper Type: Scientific paper

Introduction If health resorts (in the next section of this paper, the notion of a health resort will refer to a town) in Poland want to compete in the globalised market for health resort tourism services or, at the very least, integrate with The Uniform European Union Market, they should make preparations to provide spa and wellness tourism, an integrated tourist product of health resorts, that will address the needs and expectations of patients and tourists.

Spatial Location of Health Resorts in Poland and their Historical Determinants on the Background of European Health Resorts There is not developed a common terminology and classification of European health resorts in European countries therefore people use the various meanings to determine the term “health resort (spa resort)”(Table 1). Polish spa resorts function in the classical sense and provide healing treatments based on natural remedies, which can be also found in the former Eastern European countries as well as in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and part of France. Spa resorts in Poland and Europe have undergone different historical path, however, their common feature is that it has always been a place of treatment based on natural resources or therapeutic climate. Nevertheless more and more traditional concept of spa resort gives way in the spa resorts in Europe (including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary), the concept of spa resort in, which programs relate to the physical and psychological regeneration (wellness) are used.

Table 1. Number of health resorts in European countries

Country

Number of health resorts

1.

Russia

3055

2.

Germany

350

3.

Italy

300

4.

Spain

128

5.

France

107

6.

Poland

45

7.

Portugal

44

8.

Hungary

32

9.

Czech Republic

30

10.

Slovakia

21

11.

Switzerland

21

12.

Luxembourg

19

13.

Holand

18

14.

Greece

16

15.

Slovenia

15

16.

Belgium

12

17.

Great Britain

12

18.

Austria

11

Source: European Spas Association

2/2012 Hence, European spa resorts can be divided into three groups: –– the first group consists of spa resorts, which are dominated by the classic model of healing treatment based on natural resources. They occur most frequently in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and partly in France, –– the second group consists of “spa” type spa resorts that are specific to countries such as Italy, Hungary, partly Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Belgium, United Kingdom, –– the third group consists of the places, which lost their spa resort character and were transformed into “wellness” centers, which are present in the most European countries, while in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland, wellness products are still a small percentage of the services offered in spa resorts, but their scope and the number continue to grow. Generally speaking, in Europe there are today health resorts, both in the classical sense, which are experiencing a deep crisis today and modern sense linked to health tourism based on wellness products, which currently has a dynamic development. The most stringent law in meeting the specific requirements of the place with the status of the spa resort have Swiss, Germans and Austrians. In estimation of spa resorts they are taken into account not only therapeutic natural resources, but also: •• climate, •• clean air, •• the environemnt,

31 •• •• •• ••

state of infrastructure in health resorts, standard of accommodation, ecological conditions, communication capabilities.

The main group of discussed places are Polish statutory spa resorts. The statutory spa resort is an area, which has been given the status of the spa resort in the manner specified in the Act of 28 July 2005 on healing treatments and spa resorts in Poland. Thus, to obtain the status of the spa resort in Poland it is necessary to: 1) have natural healing resources with confirmed healing properties under the terms of the Act; 2) have climate with confirmed therapeutic properties under the terms of the Act; 3) have spa treatment facilities prepared to carry out healing services; 4) fulfill the environmental protection requirements specified in the regulations; 5) have the technical infrastructure for water and sewage, energy, mass transport, and waste management. According to the Ministry of Health in 2012, there are forty five statutory health resorts in Poland. They are located in the thirteen voivodeships among the sixteen singled out as major Polish territorial subdivisions (Figure 1). There are two voivodeships with the biggest amount of spa resorts: Lower Silesia (11) and Lesser Poland (9).

Figure 1. Map of the statutory health resorts in Poland Source: own compilation

32

Current Issues of Tourism Research The statutory spa resorts are situated in all geographic regions of the country, but their location is quite unevenly spread across the country. It is because of the fact that natural resources such as healing waters or therapeutic gas will favor the southern areas and peloids (healing mud) mostly the northeast of Poland as a  result of the geological structure. Most of the statutory spa resorts are situated in small towns. Exceptions are three spa resorts which are located within the large urban agglomerations such as: Konstancie-Jeziorna (Warsow), Sopot (Gdansk, Gdynia) and Swoszowice (Krakau).

The Essence of the Spatial Tourist Product In object literature, the notion of a “tourist product” is interpreted in various ways. It results from the fact that a tourist product can also be a  place, a  particular service or a  package of these services and material products (Holloway, Robinson 1997). It can also be perceived from the point of view of the businessman (producer) or his recipient (tourist). Considering these assumptions, the distinction between a  tourist product sensu stricto (narrow formulation) and sensu largo (wide formulation) can be accepted (Medlik 1995). According to the first definition, the tourist product is defined from the individual manufacturer’s point of view. They either format their own tourist product as something that tourists buy separately (e.g., transportation or accommodation) or in the form of a set (package of services) (Medlik 1995; Middleton 1996). This approach results from the above definition, that tourist products produced by different subjects that are connected by tourism have the character of simple products, whether they exist as individual goods and services or as multiple (composed of parts) products offered in the form of packages. Moreover, it should be remembered that tourists are not only interested in services but first of all in tourist attractions (e.g., of a  town or a  region), which compose the widely understood tourist product. This idea is underlined by V. T. C. Middleton in his factor conception of general tourist products. A “tourist product” is more widely defined as a formulation focusing on the customer’s point of view and on the benefits offered by the product to its recipients, which reflects the model of the complex tourist product (total tourism product) set forth by V. T. C. Middleton. The solution proposed by V. T. C. Middleton, who distinguished two levels of tourist product, seems to be correct: a total (general) tourist product refers to a combination of all elements consumed by the tourist from the moment a decision to travel is made until the time of return to his place of residence (Witt, Moutinho 1995). It is an idea, an expectation or a mental construct existing in the tourist’s mind (it can be identified with the tourist’s total experience); the specific tourist products (the product of particular producers) that create the component elements of a total tourist product are individual goods and services, mainly having a commercial character, such as accommodation, food and beverage, transportation and attractions.The model consists of five main components of a general tourist product: tourist attractions of destination, infrastructure and services of destination, communication accessibility of destination, image and perception of destination and price for consumer (Middleton 1996).

All of the above-mentioned components depend on expectations that appeared in the tourist’s mind during travel planning. They make up the base for creating the product. For every tourist, the product itself is the whole of his impressions, survivals and experiences existing in the tourist’s place of residence, during travel and at the destination because looking from this perspective, he can estimate whether his needs that gave rise to the impulse to undertake travel were satisfied (Dziedzic, 1998). The presented concepts of S. Medlik and V. T. C. Middleton illustrate both the differences and the interdependence between both kinds of tourist products. The two concepts also avoid the ambiguity about this topic that occurs in object literature. They underline the superiority of a total tourist product over products offered by particular producers, which reflects the sequential behaviours of the consumers of tourist goods and services. When a tourist first decides what he wants to experience during his travel, this determines the character of the total tourist product. Later, he compiles indispensable goods and services (Dziedzic 1998). It should be noted that the general tourist product defined in this way is based on expectations connected with the stay at the destination of the travel experience, where the basic part of tourist consumption occurs. To summarise, it should be noted that the holistic formulation of a  tourist product that was proposed by V. T. C. Middleton, states that the essence of an area tourist product (community tourist product) does not conflict with the principles of marketing in tourism. The tourist product of an area (region, town, national park, etc.) is a special, spatially determined kind of tourist product, which means that such a product can be produced and consumed only in a given space. It is a multiple set of elements distinguished with regard to one’s concrete location in space, which is characterised by tourist attractions and services delivered by tourist and paratourist infrastructure, by hospitality and local society favour and even by images of events that will happen during the tourist’s stay (Kaczmarek, Stasiak, Włodarczyk 2010). Considering the characteristic components of an “area tourist product” that underline its essence, the following categories of products should be distinguished: thing, service, object, event, tourist package and route (Kaczmarek, Stasiak, Włodarczyk 2010). Of the mentioned categories, the first two are simple products and the remaining categories are multiple products, which unite simple products into an integrated whole. Moreover, we can distinguish several characteristic features of an area tourist product, which will permit us to understand better its essence and its multidimensional character. Those characteristic features include the following: the spatial determination, the complexity, the multiproductiveness the complementariness, the effect of synergy, a strong dependence on difficult-to-predict psychosocial factors, a lack of one price and a uniform standard and the possibility of arranging in time the consumption of a  product (Kaczmarek, Stasiak, Włodarczyk 2010). The spatial character of an area tourist product is one of its basic features. Therefore, the following hierarchic levels of an area tourist product can be distinguished, assuming as a  criterion the range of occurrence: local—the range contains the terrain of a town, a commune or a national park; regional—

2/2012 the range contains the terrain of geographical or ethnographical lands or provinces; national—the area covered by the nation’s borders; subcontinental—the range contains several neighbouring countries, e.g., Scandinavian countries; continental—the area of occurrence is created by the majority of the countries of a given continent (Kaczmarek, Stasiak, Włodarczyk 2010).

Marketing Orientation of the Area Tourist Product In Western literature and more and more often in Polish literature, the whole tourist resort is treated as a special tourist product. From the moment tourists began to travel with a definite aim, the destination of their stay became the most important product that consumers buy (Witt, Moutinho 1995). In accordance with the marketing approach in tourism, the definite place that is the object of the tourist’s interest as well as the motive for his travel is treated as the area tourist product, which is the object of purchase—a sales transaction in tourism (Kornak, Rapacz 2001). The use of tourist marketing conceptions to promote and sell the idea of “places” (the area) is the new challenge for marketing theoreticians. At the same time, it forces one to look at territorial units with a somewhat different point of view. In light of the thesis presented above, a trial involving describing a health resort as a specific product that is the object of marketing is undertaken. A marketing approach that treats a definite area or town as a product is particularly essential for properly defining and forming the area tourist product in the spatial formulation. This is a notion that came into being as a consequence of the development of location marketing, which is defined in English literature as “marketing places” and is called territorial marketing in Polish (Domański 1997) and refers to tourism destination marketing. According to A. Szromnik, “place” can be understood in different ways, but it is always a definite area with well-known social, demographic, legal, political, technical, communication and economic parameters, regardless of its size, form of property, main function, accessibility, or level of urbanisation. Place—in the marketing sense when defined as a product—is a municipal commune including the main market square of a city, the central business district, the main trade district, the dwelling district and the different territories defined as part of the city, as well as any countryside communes, distinguished natural and functional areas. A  place can also be a  group of municipal and country communes that are part of a province, a whole province, a group of provinces, a region, a geographical land or even a whole country (Domański 1997). From the territorial marketing concept point of view, which concerns management area, a town as tourist product per definitione should be perceived from two levels: the town as a whole is meant to provide 1) specific multiple “megaproducts” (the general tourist product) and 2) sets of products making up the material goods and services offered by a given area (the particular producer’s product). In the widest formulation of territorial marketing (of a town, of a commune, of a region), the coordinated works of the local, regional or nationwide subjects aim to create the processes of exchange and influence through recognition, formation and satisfaction of the needs and expectation of

the citizens (Domański 1997). We can distinguish three strategic aims of territorial marketing. The first concerns developing and strengthening services that are delivered by public institutions. The second strategic aim involves forming a positive image of a region, a city or a different unit. The final aim involves increasing the attractiveness of and the growth of competition for settlement units (Florek 2006). This marketing should be based on a  definite network of connections and proper relations as well as on comprehensive dialogue between local, regional and central authorities supporting the development of the local tourist economy (tourist infrastructure enriching health resorts’ offerings) and tourist and health resort enterprises. Nonprofit organisations in tourism, citizens of the area and external subjects (e.g., neighbouring communes that have attractive tourist goods or research institutions) should also be included. It can be ascertained that the axis of territorial marketing should be relation marketing (Kornak, Rapacz 2001). Therefore, relation marketing means building mutually profitable, long-term relations between parties, which reduce the costs of making transaction and save time. In relation marketing, the mutual exchange of value of material and immaterial character is significant.

The Tourist Product of a Health Resort and the Health Resort’s Tourist Product In the last few years, the people who manage health resorts have become more and more willing to format and promote products that have become tourist attractions for a given place. This is why the notions “tourist product of a health resort” and “health resort tourist product” are used. These two notions seem to be similar, so they are often used interchangeably and treated as having the same meaning. As a result of the definitions given above, the tourist product of a health resort is a multiple-area tourist product. This means that for such a product, one should look at the whole product and consider not only the objective aspect but also the variety of subjects responsible for its formation. The tourist product of a health resort consists of elements that from one side are delivered by the destination and from the other side by subjects who have an influence on the formation, development and management of the health resort as a whole as well as on the particular material and immaterial products situated there. The elements of the tourist product of a  health resort are dependent on activities undertaken by the public, private and non-profit sectors. Among the groups responsible for shaping the tourist products of a health resort, the local society as well as the tourists or the patients should be mentioned. Their opinions, experiences and behaviours create a complementary element to the tourist product of a health resort. Therefore, the general tourist product of a health resort consists on one hand of groups whose activities have a fundamental impact on product management and on the other hand of the health resort itself, which has added value (the symbol, image, idea, etc.). Combined, these groups are able to offer tourist attractions and infrastructure that meet the different needs and expectations of tourists and patients (Figure 2). It should be highlighted that

33

34

Current Issues of Tourism Research the previously mentioned elements of the tourist product of a  health resort do not make up a  simple combination of the four components, but are instead the result of synergy existing between them. S. Smith claims that the tourist product is something more than the sum of its parts (Smith 1994). ea t e t att a t n na t t e n ea t e t e a e Management

Figure 2. Structure of the tourist product of a health resort Source: own compilation

Within the health resort, there exists specified tourist attractions and tourist infrastructure characteristic of the health resort that distinguishes it from other health resort areas. Therefore, within the tourist product of a  health resort, the health resort tourist product can be distinguished. A health resort tourist product is also a spatial product, created on the basis of local attrac-

tions that exist only in a specific place. This view emphasises the health resort character of the tourist product and its close relationship with the health resort, not only with regard to the product location. The health resort tourist product consists of attractions that testify to the identity of the area, based on original and unique health resort values, health resort infrastructure and services underlining the local character of the product for particular health resort cosmetics, treatments, dishes, interior decoration, architecture or music. These features are meant to underscore the product’s relationship with the health resort where it is offered as well as with the resources and conditions existing there. Despite the health resort tourist product’s local character, it does not function separately from the region in which it is situated. This is why it seems reasonable that the health resort tourist product references its structure to the regional identity. The previously mentioned considerations concerning the health resort tourist product show that it is a narrower notion than the tourist product of a health resort, which includes all tourist attractions located within the territory, even those not characteristic of a particular health resort and not connected with it cultural or historical relations. Not every tourist product of a health resort can be called a  health resort tourist product, but every health resort tourist product can be considered part of a tourist product of a health resort (Figure 3). health resort tourist product tourist product of a health resort

Figure 3. The tourist product of a health resort and the health resort tourist product Source: own compilation Source: own compilation

The Essence of the Concepts of Spa and Wellness The concept of a spa is inseparably connected with the concept of wellness, both of which are often mistakenly misidentified, used interchangeably as synonyms or used collectively under the term “spa.” Correctly understood, wellness means considerably more than simply healing or relaxing treatments— it is a philosophy of life, which aims to achieve a positive mood by creating harmony between the body, the mind and the spirit. Wellness has been practiced by humankind for a very long time, under a variety of names. Reflections on harmonious living can be found in ancient writings, where some of the most well-known philosophers dealt with this issue. They integrated wellness with the concept of homeostasis, meaning the ability to maintain a state of equilibrium with the environment. The contemporary understanding of wellness came into being in 1959, when an American doctor, H. Dunn, created the definition of wellness used today. According to Dunn, wellness

is a lifestyle that promotes a positive mood and brings harmony to body, spirit and mind; these three elements define man in a holistic way. Wellness consists of all that surrounds man: what he does and what he consumes to feel well. Correctly understood, wellness affects the senses of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. Therefore, it is important to consider what we eat, how we sleep and rest, our environment, where we live, our physical condition and how we react to stress. If one of the elements is neglected, equilibrium will not be achieved. This approach to life will assure positive mood every day. Wellness consists of activities, behaviours and attitudes that improve the quality of life and contribute to longevity. Dr. H. Dunn’s concept of a healthy lifestyle falls under the umbrella of wellness but does not need to be pursued on the grounds of a  health resort utilising resources of the natural environment or utilising treatments based on natural healing sources. This distinguishes wellness from the notion of a spa

2/2012 in the European Spas Association (ESPA) understanding. The European Spas Association gives the precise definition of the word spa as a mineral spring or a place or resort where such a spring was found (Smith, Jenner, 2000). Spas are now of a  highly complex and diverse nature. This diverse nature starts with the name and its likely meanings. Bath, bano, bad, therme/terme, grotto, spa, kúpele, fürdö- all mean a thermal water-based spa, in various languages (Smith, Puczkó 2009). It is generally accepted that the concept of spa has its origins in Europe. Traces of the early determination of spa dates back to the fourteenth century when it was discovered the mineral springs near Liège in Belgium, a  city known as the Spa (Croutier 1992). Some subscribe to the origin of the name of the Walloon word espa (fountain), or Latin spargere (sprinkle), while others believe that the word spa is an acronym of Latin phrase solus per aqua, sanus per aquam (healthy through water), or sanitas per aqua (health through water). It is important to point out that the word spa in the European Spas Association statistics is used for both a town where a natural mineral spring exists and for an enterprise or group of enterprises that offer treatments based on that source for a  period and that receives payment from health insurance fees. Others, especially in the U.S., take a rather less rigid view of what constitutes a spa. According to the International Spa Association (ISPA), no natural mineral spring is necessary. The International Spa Association defines a  spa simply as a  place where active and sustained use of natural therapeutic agents and health-giving elements are applied within a hospitable environment over a given period. The International Spa Association promotes and defines the spa experience as “your time to relax, reflect, revitalise and rejoice” (Smith, Jenner 2000). As mentioned above, the term wellness has a considerably wider definition than the spa concept. The word spa, when understood as a town or an enterprise or at least as a service, is only one of the many available psychophysical regeneration forms described by wellness philosophy. In other word, one of the ways in which one can embrace the wellness philosophy is to travel to a health resort and/or take advantage of the services offered by a  spa enterprise.

The Definition of the Terms Spa and Wellness in the Polish Spa and Wellness Service Market The Polish definition of the word spa fully embraces the understanding of the term in both the European and the American sense. Thus, a spa is understood as a health resort with natural healing resources with a spa enterprise located within its borders, or simply, in the American meaning, as a place that does not need resources from the natural environment (e.g., day spas). In the last two decades, the wellness philosophy as a  lifestyle gained popularity in the United States, and it has since reached the Far East and the European countries. It appeared in Poland in the 1990s in the form of spa services offered in spa enterprises. The spa trend is one of the most dynamically developing phenomena in the world and in Poland. It is no longer limited to health resorts and treatments with water. The famous phrase solus per aqua (health thanks

to water) is no longer sufficient to define the richness of the present spa idea, which is subject to constant changes in order to keep up with the competition. The concept’s development is influenced by new trends in many fields: health, cosmetics, fitness, cuisine and architecture. In the European market, the word spa appeals to individual forms of activity and to tradition. Meanwhile, in Poland, the term is used not only by the enterprises that a  priori are based on the spa idea but also by fitness clubs, cosmetic studios or the biological renovation centres that offer several simple cosmetic treatments or utilise devices having spa in their name. Moreover, in many hotels, the term spa is used to supplement a  basic product, which can be something like a  conference or a training service. The lack of a legal definition of the term spa in Polish law results in the misuse of the term. The Health Ministry decree from February 17, 2004, contains only detailed sanitary requirements that cosmetic, barber, tattoo and biological renovation centres should adhere to. According to this decree, the cosmetic institutions can render a range of services addressing regeneration, nursing and beautifying the body. However, the biological renovation centres render a  range of services addressing the regeneration of the body through physical exercise, irradiation, sunbathing, massage, dry or moist hot air treatments as well as relaxation treatments. What’s more, Polish spa hotels are not members of the world or European spa associations; at the same time, Poland lacks its own national spa associations, which would set precise criteria and standards for spa hotel functioning and would introduce a system of spa hotel certification. In some countries, suitable legal regulations have been created and new laws attempting to regulate the rapidly developing spa industry are still being passed. These countries include Germany, Austria, Greece and Italy. In other countries, for example in Lithuania, such regulations are just being created (Kłossowska 2009). Moreover, spa associations that provide some standards for the functioning of spa hotels exist in almost every European country (e.g., the National Association of Lithuanian Spas, British International Spa Association [BISA]) and at the international level (e.g., the International Spa Association, the European Spas Association). However, certain spa hotels that belong to large or luxurious spa hotel networks are categorised. Relais & Chateaux, a French hotel network, is an example of a hotel that possesses the financial resources necessary to conduct an audit enabling the institution of a recognisable standard for spa services. Despite the general use of the term “wellness” in Poland, only a few centres implement all of the aspects of the wellness lifestyle and philosophy. Wellness is often identified, or treated equal to, the concept of a spa. Meanwhile, treatments that can be experienced in a  spa centre are only one of the elements ensuring achievement of a “state of bliss” for the human body. Spa treatments are therefore ideal supplements to other activities (such as meditation, healthy sleeping and a balanced diet), which aim to secure man’s “well-being”. The terms “well-being” and “bliss” are often used interchangeably in Poland. The two terms perfectly reflect the idea/definition of wellness. In 1946, the World Health Organisation (WHO) adopted a new defini-

35

Current Issues of Tourism Research

36

tion of health. Health is defined not only as the lack of disease or disability but also as full physical, mental and social wellbeing. If health is something more than the lack of disease, then you can be more or less healthy even when not ill. To be healthy, you should not only strive to avoid sickness, but also take care of your physical fitness, achieve a positive mood and maintain good relations with people. In this way, we come to wellness (Figure 4). Wellness is a phenomenon of modern civilisation that endeavours to remain youthful as long as possible by being healthy and in good psychophysical shape. The challenges that contemporary man faces—hurry and stress, life under pressure and the trial of reconciling private life with intensive work—force him to search for solutions that let him achieve psychical and physical equilibrium, ensuring wholesome well-being. Achieving and maintaining a  high social position requires large investments in one’s education, professional career and health. Wellness is popular in both developed and developing countries, including Poland. Seeking wellness has measurable advantages in terms of economical growth because it extends the citizens’ productive period and improves their quality of life. spa wellness health

Figure 4. Relations between health, wellness and spa Source: own compilation

Source: own compilation

The Place of the Spa and Wellness Tourism in Health Resort Tourism The identification of structural elements of a tourist product of a health resort is based on functions that are realised on the terrain of the health resort. The development basis of health resorts in Poland should be their multifunctional character and their ability to provide attractive, innovative and competitive products that encompass preventive healing services and active rest services. Currently, the connection of two functions— healing and tourism, which are complementary—is becoming indispensable. From one perspective, healing treatments are inseparable from tourist attractions delivered by health resorts: changing one’s environment, participating in sports, taking tourist trips and attending cultural events to a large degree are important to the success of a  treatment. From the other perspective, tourists who spend their time visiting health resorts willingly use traditional and modern healing treatments.

Beyond the group of people whose state of health requires sensu stricto healing treatment connected with healing tourism, there is an increasing demand from modern civilisation for rest that improves one’s psychophysical shape and prevents diseases. This kind of activity is called health tourism, and the necessary conditions can be conveniently found on health resort terrain. At present, health resorts fulfil an important role as centres providing not only healing treatments but also as centres that improve the general health of human beings. According to changes that occurred in worldwide tourism during the twentieth century and at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the definition of health tourism is understood to be a change of residence with the aim of improving physical and psychical health. Medical operations and treatment in clinics are also included (Łęcka 2003). In the opinion of another author, health tourism concerns gratification of one’s medical, rest and prophylaxis needs (Gaworecki 2007). Health tourism does not involve sick people, but rather those in whom it is difficult to establish a perceptible border between the state of health and disease. They are not ill men in the classic notion of this word but are those who require an improvement of conditions as a result of the negative conditions created by modern civilisation. While agreeing with the presented definitions and motives for health tourism, we can distinguish within the field of health tourism different kinds of tourism that accomplish the tourist function of health resorts. From the notion of medical tourism, as opposed to healing tourism, we can understand that travel is undertaken to take advantage of professional medical care (Kurek 2008). In this context, we can conclude that the curative methods used in medical tourism are more invasive than those used in healing tourism. More and more people who are not yet sick feel the need for a preventive temporary change of place and style of life. Health prophylaxis is a  domain that was recognised by the civilised world as the future of medical care. This results from the threats of diseases of civilisation that have become more prominent during the twenty-first century. Presently, the changes in consumers’ needs are visible and novel. The preventive approach to health results from the desire for an attractive appearance and a lengthened life. More and more Poles are working to achieve harmony between body, soul and mind; are concerned about their appearance; and are working to improve the aesthetics of their body and achieve a positive psychophysical mood. The majority of products proposed in the health resorts of Western Europe are based on wellness programs that promote a  philosophy or style of life that permits man to reach psychophysical equilibrium. One form of wellness tourism is spa tourism, that in European meaning is combined with cosmetics and treatments based on the natural healing waters existing in a great number of Polish health resorts. It is said that spa tourism in health resorts will be the rest of the future. As the result of earlier reflections, we can conclude that considering two complementary functions of health resorts—healing and tourism—leads to two kinds of tourism: healing tourism and health tourism. These two forms of tourism, together with other kinds of tourism (medical tourism, rest tourism, spa and

1/2011 wellness tourism) can be practiced on health resort properties and their combination leads to the idea of health resort tourism) (Figure 5). The future of many health resorts lies in moving beyond the traditional medical profile. It will be necessary to implement varied, unconventional and innovative solutions

37

combining modern medical treatment with health prophylaxis and rest tourist, especially active rest. Spa and wellness tourism is an example of an innovative product available at health resorts and is a source of competitive advantage for Polish health resorts.

health resort

healing function

tourist function

healing tourism (healing tourist product)

health tourism (health tourist product)

wellness tourism

medical tourism

spa tourism

health resort tourism (health resort tourist product)

Figure 5. Diagram of a health resort’s functions Source: own compilation

Conclusion To sum up it should be noted that health resort can be perceived as the tourist product of a  health resort or/and the health resort’s tourist product, which is determined by the kind of tourism (health tourism: spa and wellness tourism, medical tourism; healing tourism) dominating within the area. As far as health tourism refers to the tourist product of a health resort inasmuch healing tourism is connected with the health resort’s tourist product. The tourist product of a health resort or the health resort’s tourist product is a complex product of the area composed of

various elements, which ultimately should form a  coherent whole, attractive for tourists, patients and inhabitants. Health resorts in which the health resort activity is a blend of tourism and medical services have one of the largest developmental potentials in Poland, which can grow out of the rich historical spa tradition. However, being competitive in the health resort tourism service market will depend on the necessary players taking responsibility for forming tourist products of health resorts and health resort’s tourist products.

References Journal Articles Kłossowska, A. (2009). Poskramianie spa, Rynek turystyczny, 9, p. 8. Smith, Ch., Jenner, P. (2000). Health Tourism in Europe. Travel and Tourism Analyst,1, p. 42. Smith, S. (1994). The tourism product. Annals of Tourism Research, 21 (3), p. 588.

Current Issues of Tourism Research

38

Books Croutier A.L.L. (1992). Taking the Waters, Abbeville Publishing Group, New York, p.136. Domański, T. (1997). Marketing terytorialny. Strategiczne wyzwania dla miast i regionów. CB i SF, Uniwersytet Łódzki, Łódź, p.36-70. Dziedzic, E. (1998). Obszar recepcji turystycznej jako przedmiot zarządzania strategicznego. Monografie i opracowania SGH nr 442, Warszawa, p. 22-23. Florek, M. (2006). Podstawy marketingu terytorialnego. Wyd. Akademii Ekonomicznej, Poznań, p.32. Gaworecki, W.W. (2007). Turystyka. PWE, Warszawa, p. 23. Holloway, J. Ch., Robinson, Ch. (1997). Marketing w turystyce. PWE, Warszawa, p.114. Kaczmarek, J., Stasiak, A., Włodarczyk, B. (2010). Produkt turystyczny. PWE, Warszawa, p.74-111. Kornak, A.S., Rapacz, A. (2001). Zarządzanie turystyką i jej podmiotami w miejscowości i regionie. Wyd. Akademii Ekonomicznej we Wrocławiu, Wrocław, p.125-187. Kurek, W. (2008). Turystyka, Wyd. Naukowe PWN, Warszawa, p. 290. Łęcka, I. (2003). Nowe trendy w turystyce zdrowotnej, Prace i Studia Geograficzne, Wyd. Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa, T. 32, p.174-175. Medlik, S. (1995). Leksykon podróży, turystyki, hotelarstwa. PWN, Warszawa, p. 243. Middleton, V.T.C. (1996). Marketing w turystyce. Polska Agencja Promocji Turystyki, Warszawa, p. 88-89. Smith, M., Puczkó L. (2009). Health and wellness tourism. ELSEVIER, Hungary, p. 86. Witt, S.F., Moutinho, L. (1995). Tourism Marketing and Management Handbook. Prentice Hall, London-New York-TorontoSydney-Tokyo-Singapore-Madrid-Mexico City-Munich p. 334-338.

Diana Dryglas, PhD AGH University of Science and Technology Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection Departament of General Geology and Geotourism A. Mickiewicza 30 Ave. 30-059 Krakow, Poland e-mail: [email protected]

2/2012

“Market Strategies in Slovak and Austrian Tourism” Andrej Malachovský

Departament of Tourism and Hospitality, Banská Bystrica, Slovak republic

Abstract Tourism is an atomised industry, of which management requires the cooperation of the private and public sectors. Development of tourism in Slovakia must be based on respect for steady theoretical principles and models that are successfully applied in countries with developed tourism. These models are based on system theory and application of tourism strategic management in tourism policy at the state level and destinations. Austria is taking an example that a consistent tourism policy has results, even during the crisis od economic development. Key words: tourism, tourism strategy, tourism products, Slovakia, Austria Paper Type: Scientific paper

Preface Market strategies are an integral part of the theory and practice of strategic management. Strategic management is understood as a scientific discipline that has undergone extensive development from long-term planning through strategic planning to strategic  management  and thinking.  It is necessary  to emphasize that through the strategic management a set of interrelated strategies is being established. The aim of these partial strategies is to create conditions for fulfilment of the main strategies, which in practice is described as a market strategy. Market strategy is designed to meet the main objective and targets of an organization or a purpose-oriented social system, and in the meantime takes into account the results of the organization’s mission and strategic analysis of both the internal and external environment. Statistical results of  tourism in Slovakia  over the past  20 years  are the direct  and  exact proof of an  insufficient implementation of  a  market strategy.  Strategy  as a  set of  practical measures in tourism are presented in the form of a tourism policy. The development of strategic management theory is directly related to the development of systems theory, which in the terms of tourism is applied in the form of „systematic theory“ of tourism. Since tourism is considered primarily as a systematic phenomenon, its operation must meet all systemic features. Otherwise  it is impossible to  achieve  long-term success even  in terms of  Slovakia as a  tourist destination.  Premature  enjoyment of economic upswing before 2008 ended with the arrival of the crisis. Decrease in the number of guests in accommodation in 2008 was by 30%, similar to the number of overnight stays, sales in hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses.

Results deriving from the available statistics are a direct proof of the impossibility of long-term development of tourism without a  strategy. The opposite  example is Austria,  which, based on available statistics recorded only a slight decrease in the number of guests, overnight stays and revenue went up 3%. More than 120 million overnights, and the balance  of tourism  reaching 10€  billion and   700 thousand  jobs in  tourism  in  Austria  is a direct and exact proof of the need for long-term and purposeful promotion of selected tourism marketing strategy, including taking into account the systematic principle of tourism as an economic  phenomenon. A  tourism strategy would ultimately  bring  satisfaction  through  customer demand  and evaluation of the primary and secondary tourism offers and significant economic benefits for the economy of the state and its regions. Neither a market strategy nor a marketing strategy are not therefore useless documents. The aim of this paper is to point some possible contribution of the tourism development based on a development strategy, and from the view of positive impacts on national  economy while respecting systematic theory of tourism and theories of strategic management. Systematic theory is described by H. Ulrich as a formal science about the structure, relationships and behaviour of some system [Kaspar, 1995, p. 7]. The system is understood as the unity of various elements with relationships, or with which it is possible to create relationships. C. Kaspar [1995, p. 9] applied the principles of  systematic theory  in terms  of tourism  as  an industry  and opened to the  discussion of possible  applications of strategic management in the hospitality industry. The intensity of inputs and outputs associated with the system of

39

40

Current Issues of Tourism Research tourism  also provides  us  information  on the extent  and  impact of an associated and parent system. The relationship between the development of strategic management and the development of system theory illustrates the first scheme. System theory arose at a time when a majority of the strategic management principles, as we know it today, was formed. Strategic management  influenced  primarily the emphasis of the status of strategic analysis and the choice of specific strategies in connection with the  circumstances  in which  a  single firm is located. The issue of strategic analysis is associated with assessments of the impacts both superior and associated  systems in terms of system theory, selection of a particular model, strategy is a response to the presumption of tourism as a system to succeed in a competitive market. Therefore it is necessary to state that any other understanding of strategic management applications in terms of tourism management is unacceptable and is not based on  respect of fundamental theoretical  principles of managerial science. The aim is to improve the competitive position of Slovakia as a tourist destination, GDP growth, employment and balancing inter-regional differences. Tourism is an atomised industry, of which management requires the cooperation of the private and public sectors. This raises the  question  not only  how  to manage  a  sector which does not have a stabilized organizational structure but which management tools to use? According to management theory and strategic management there is no doubt that their application is not possible only in the business sector, but also is used in management of other organizational structures with different legal status and internal structure.  The proof of  strategic management applications to  theory and practice of tourism are successful tourism policy in different countries of Europe and the world. Tourism policy has become a tool for strategic management enforcement with the main output in the form of strategies, which preceded the formulation of mission, objectives, analysis of an internal and external environment, defining the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. All the components of strategic management can be found in various documents of national or regional institutions which have an impact on tourism management. The fragmented  industry consists of  many small  organizations.  Characteristic feature is that  none of the organizations holds significant market share. In the market any entrepreneurial subject in the role of a leader who would fundamentally set the rules of the competition does not exist. For example the hospitality business, restaurant and catering  services provided  to visitors  in the tourism industry  are considered to be typical industries in which the strategies in the fragmented industry are applied. It is not only a strategy from a  business subject point of view, but also  the industries as a whole. Š. Slávik [2005, p. 146] lists several reasons for the emergence and persistence of fragmented industries : –– Low capital and technical barriers to enter the industry, –– The needs of customers  in each region  are  so different that  market segments  are too small to be influenced by large cost leader or bearer of differentiation, –– The customers’ needs are specialized to the extent that only small amounts of services on the national market are required,

–– High transport costs  promote regional production and is therefore limited, –– The process of concentration of ownership is slow. Industry  can become  consolidated  through the concentration  of capital in dependence  on various factors, however  many  industries  remain fragmented for a  longer time. To create  a  strategy  is  one of the most important  characteristics typical for this process. It is a decision-making process, which consists of  finding  ways  in which  strategic objectives can be achieved. There are many  ways to  meet  strategic objectives and changes in the views and approaches in the case of failures of strategy. 

1. Types of Market Strategies in Tourism In tourism,  it is necessary to  apply  in along all three levels of market strategy.   More than anywhere else the principle of  long duration  and  consistency is valid here. It is also valid for the  strategy  in terms of its  implementation and  effects, F. K. Ferner [1993, p. 7] writes about the marketing of tourism that „Marketing is not a box of tricks, it is customeroriented  planning and  promotion  strategies  by which  a  company keeps making profits.“ It goes without saying  that what  applies  at the enterprise level also applies at the state and its regions. Market strategies of the first level. In management of tourism in Slovakia at the national level is based on the productmarket matrix and based on it select one of four possible strategies. Based on this initial selection it is then necessary to proceed  to the strategy  development,  preservation stabilization or  decay.  While fulfilling a  product  – market matrix  in terms of key products – as a product, we define in terms of key products, which Slovakia  offers to  the international tourism market and in terms of marketing to key markets, the most interesting for Slovakia are in terms of the number of guests, overnight stays, average number of nights, and the average spending per guest. Given the fact that tourism products in Slovakia are given and cannot be changed in the short term, it is necessary to choose the  strategy  of stabilization,  growth or  decay  and  focus on target markets. Market strategies of the second level  are linked to these  main types  of market  strategies,  in theory of strategic management they are also called business strategies. They also deal with the issue of how we will compete in a particular type of product or in a particular market. The purpose of the market strategy of the second level  is  to gain a  competitive  advantage over rivals. The offer of the opponents can be beaten by different products that offer products at a lower price, or a combination of these two sources. The main market strategy is based on a product – market matrix at the enterprise/business level  and at its business unit  is filled with competitive strategies  so that each  business unit offers  a  product that is competitive and interesting in its price. From this  relationship  for  tourism  we derive the same application of product - market matrix at the State level and competitive strategies at the regional level. It should be emphasized

2/2012 that these strategies must be in mutual compliance and, moreover, cannot function without each other. The example of Slovakia, where several years ago a strategy for the State was established and was not tied to the regional level, and from the achieved results is the proof of the impossibility of a functioning of tourism as a system of non linked measures. There’s natural confirmation of the system theory of

tourism and theory of strategic management. Successful market strategy of  the second level  takes into account effects  of external environment,  combines different  functional  strategies and is based on a competitive strategy that responds to conditions  inside the  industry. The terms  within the  industry  in tourism are evaluated not only within the country but also on the international level from the OECD and UNWTO.

Scheme 1: The application of strategies according to strategic management to the conditions of tourism

Theory of strategic management

The application on tourism

Enterprise strategy - strategy of stabilization, development, deceleration

National level = Market strategies of the first level - 4 strategies of product – market matrix - strategy of stabilization, development, deceleration

(simultaneous application of functional strategies)

(simultaneous application of functional strategies)

Business strategies

(cost management, differentiation strategy, specialization strategy)

Regional and local level = Market strategies of the second level 1. Contingency approach - Hofer ‘s model of product life cycle phase 2. Generic approach - Porter competitive strategy (cost management, differentiation strategy, specialization strategy)

(simultaneous application of functional strategies)

(simultaneous application of functional strategies)

Functional strategies

Enterprise strategies Functional strategies - Marketing - Production of services and products - employees - finances

- 4 strategies of product – market matrix

1. Contingency approach - Hofer ‘s model of product life cycle phase 2. Generic approach - Porter´s competition strategies

- Marketing - Production of services and products - employees - finances Without concurrent application

(simultaneous application of functional and enterprise strategies in connection with national and regional level)

The Source: Own processing based on the theories of strategic management and theories of tourism

The example of Slovakia, where several years ago a strategy for the State was established and was not tied to the regional level, and from the achieved results is the proof of the impossibility of a functioning of tourism as a system of non linked measures. There’s natural confirmation of the system theory of tourism and theory of strategic management. Successful market strategy of  the second level  takes into account effects  of external environment,  combines different  functional  strategies and is based on a competitive strategy that responds to conditions  inside the  industry. The terms  within the  industry  in tourism  are  evaluated not only within the country but  also as key competitive conditions in markets and source. To formulate a successful strategy for tourism at the state and regional level mainly means accepting the decision, which needs will be satisfied, which target customer groups will be satisfied and how. From these decisions the sources of competitive advantage are created and the way how the state and its regions will compete with their products is determined. The response to different customers ‘needs is a  supply of a  differential product. Differentiation is a  process of creating

a competitive advantage by such product features that satisfy customers and differentiates the producer from its competitors. The contingency approach to the strategy creation of the second order (level) assumes that there is a possibility to find the most satisfactory strategy for a certain complex of circumstances or limitary conditions. From the contingency approach point of view the most important variable for the strategy setting is a product life cycle stage which the strategy is defined for. The generic approach to the strategy creation in tourism is better to be applicable and tested for a long time. The generic theory identifies certain common performance attributes of successful organisations without relation to the set of limitary conditions. The generic theory also assumes that certain strategies are almost always apposite regardless the concrete situation. A respected author in this field is M. Porter, who defined three main generic strategies on the base of the mentioned approaches. They are the cost leadership strategy, the differentiation strategy, and the focus strategy.

41

42

Current Issues of Tourism Research The cost leadership strategy is based on having lower costs than the competitors and reaching the same profitability at the same time. The cost leadership enables longer defence in the environment of increasing competition. A  cost leader usually chooses a limited scope of product and services differentiation because of its costliness. In conditions of tourism development in Slovakia the cost leadership strategy is neither perspective nor sustainable from the government’s, the regions´, and company’s point of view. The reason is that the tourism market is fragmented and this strategy requires a high market share, which is not true at any management level and is not possible in the fragmented market. The next reason is fast changes of purchasing behaviour and seeking for quality at a reasonable price, but not quality with mistakes. The differentiation strategy is based on reaching the competitive strategy through developing a  product or a  service, which are considered by customers as something special, extraordinary or unique. An above-average price is required for such a product. The customer accepts the price because he/she trust the given product/service. The price is calculated up to the maximum high accepted by the market. The competitive advantage can be on the bases of the differentiation strategy achieved through a technological lead, differentiation based on services connected with the primary product or service, differentiation based on the brand attractiveness, adapting the differentiation to age or socio-economic groups. The example of a successful differentiation strategy in tourism is Austria. It based its long-term success in the international tourism market on the supply of a differentiated product for selected market segments. The product has a  strong quality component and Austria and its regions are the brand which is hardly imitable. In a case of an attempt to apply the differentiation strategy Slovakia would have to spend high costs on imitating a  product, but the result of this attempt would be ambiguous. The focus strategy is aimed at satisfying needs of a limited group of consumers or a selected segment. It finds opportunities in the market gaps, fills them with products and services, which have not been presented adequately in the market till then. The focus strategy for the selected market segment is applied through differentiation or low costs. From the domestic tourism point of view the cost leadership focus strategy should be taken into consideration. This strategy is based on a competitive advantage associated with lower costs because of the domestic market closeness and lower prices based on the domestic labour force. Considering inbound tourism focusing on selected countries and segments it is possible to direct the focus strategy at differentiation. Slovakia as a  specialised tourism producer can compete with e.g. Austria just in some segments. The focus strategy aiming at low costs is from the Slovak domestic tourism point of view unsuccessful because of excessive investments with regard to the purchase power of the focus segments and low utilisation of accommodation facilities. This, together with wrong credit policy based on fast repayment of loans, has caused high prices and low competitiveness of products and services in domestic tourism. For selected segments

of inbound tourism it is suitable to apply the focus strategy based on product specialisation with regard to these segments. In practise it would mean energy concentration on selected regions and target groups of visitors, e.g. on seniors in the case of visitors from Germany. Except for the above-mentioned market strategies of the first and second levels there still exist more approaches to the strategy development and identifying their priorities, which mostly mean focusing on selected problems from the point of view of the company, competition, a product, a customer, or other selected factor. They are defined in details in the strategic management theory.

2. Marketing Strategies in Tourism Marketing strategies have to have a dynamic character. In tourism they play the role of tools for achieving the goals. To develop a strategy it is necessary to take into account continued changes of the external environment, requirements of the customers, and measurable financial contributions. According to V. Maráková [2010, p.109] the research showed that 86% of hotels actively used the tools of marketing communication. However, the money spent on marketing at the level of a company cannot be used effectively without the existence of strategies at the level of the country and regions. The continued changes of the external environment are in tourism the basis for the process of analyses and the market research. The role of analyses in the strategy marketing is to provide needed information about purchase behaviour of visitors. Turbulences in the society and economy development cause changes in the purchasing behaviour of visitors. The criterion for evaluating these changes in tourism are the demand structure changes in the domestic tourism market but also in the markets of the states providing similar products and having similar target groups of visitors. Such an example for Slovakia considering the products, the market structure, and target groups are Austria, or the Czech Republic, and partially Hungary or Poland. From the point of view of satisfying the visitors´ needs in tourism an analyses of domestic focus groups´ behaviour is important, too. If there is an outflow of domestic visitors to foreign countries it is really necessary to undertake research into the motivation and the reasons of this phenomenon. In this case it is partially about a normal development, e.g. by spending your holiday by the sea. It means to create a working system of tourism in which, at the state level, tourism objects, and the company level, products are developed in mutual compliance with market development and its needs. The role of marketers in tourism is to analyse properly and assess the level of satisfying the visitors’ needs. On the bases of tourism development in Slovakia in the last two decades, it is possible to point out an unambiguously low degree of satisfying the visitors´ needs in comparison with its competitors. From the point of view of evaluating the financial efficiency of the tourism industry it goes from the fact that the strategic marketing aims, in comparison with traditional marketing,

2/2012 at higher performance and yields by selling products and services. The basic criterion is a return on investments and not sales and selling like in traditional marketing. The national strategic marketing of such a country as Slovakia had to create favourable preconditions so that the investments spent on business would return to the entrepreneurs. However, the presupposition of such a result is definitely the definition of priorities in tourism development from the point of view of the target groups´ needs, provided products and a market analysis considering the competition. From the point of view of marketing strategies classification six approaches can be applied. These are basic (generic strategies), strategies according to the levels of their implementation, according to the marketing mix tools, trend following strategies, market life cycle strategies, and business plan strategies [Maráková, 2010, p. 111]. It is important to underline the fact, that by applying the strategic marketing in Slovak tourism at the level of the state, the tourism object, and the companies it is possible to apply all the approaches to the strategy development. A  synergic effect can be achieved provided these strategies are in mutual compliance. The compliance is achieved by implementing the market research results in the strategy of tourism at the national level and by an unambiguous interposition and communication of the strategy to tourism objects and companies. The generic strategies were mentioned in the previous subchapter and they are also a part of the strategic management theory and the theory of a competitive advantage. The strategies according to the levels of their implementation are divided into the corporate-level strategies, business-level strategies, and functional-level strategies. The strategy classification according to the marketing mix tools is considered to be significant because it follows the essential marketing mix tools. In the framework of this strategy there are product, distribution, communication, and pricing strategies. The trend-following strategies are divided into the growth strategies, the conservation strategies, and the fall-back strategies. The market life cycle strategies are known as the new market entry strategy, the growth strategies, the mature market strategies, and the declining market strategies. The business plan strategies are divided according to the fact if they focus on the creation of the market position (the market position strategies), product purchasing, competition, specific customer groups, or strategies for the companies in different market positions. Since the strategies are divided into different types, it is possible to apply several tens of different marketing strategies in tourism practise depending on the followed goal. If we, according to the scheme 2, taking the present situation into consideration, recommended at the national level from the point of view of the market trends the conservation strategy in combination with the market entry strategy from the product-market matrix, then this should be a starting point for thinking also at the regional level in tourism. After making this decision it is necessary to continue in Slovak conditions with the declining market strategies (one of the market life cycle strategies).

3. The Marketing Strategies for Tourism Objects On the basis of the scheme 2 and in accordance with the marketing strategies classification it is necessary to apply at the level of tourism objects in Slovakia mainly the conservation strategy focused on stabilisation of existing target groups and products in combination with the product life cycle strategies and the marketing mix strategies.

The Market Life Cycle Strategies in the Tourism Object The first possible applicable strategy is the new market entry strategy, which is used according to the fact if the subject enters the market as the first one, or it penetrates the market later. If the tourism object decides to enter the market as the first one, it can achieve a competitive advantage of the pioneer. Penetrating new markets is mostly connected with high costs to succeed in such a market. It is obvious that such a market can be entered only with high-quality products and services, being able to resist the pressure of the competition. If the tourism object decides to enter the market later it can avoid the mistakes of the pioneers. The advantage of a well-timed later entry into the market can be an achievement of more time for implementing more quality products and services than the pioneer and the turn of the pioneer’s work to its own advantage. The disadvantage of implementing this strategy in the conditions of Slovak tourism objects is their unstable situation in relation with existing markets which are collapsing and the lack of investments for the activities in the new markets. The next applicable strategy is the growth strategy. This strategy can exist as a strategy of the market leader in the growing market and a strategy of the subjects entering the market later. The market leader strategy exists as the position defence strategy, the flanking attack strategy, the confrontation strategy, the mobile defence strategy, and the market abandonment strategy. By using the position defence strategy the tourism object defends its market share from the rest of the tourism objects. By applying the flanking attack strategy the market area of the competition is used by other entry into the competing area by e.g. launching a new service. The confrontation strategy is based on a strong market position which allows a direct attack of a competitor, e.g. by reducing the price, an aggressive advertising campaign of own products and services, etc. The mobile defence strategy aims at achieving new groups of visitors who can serve as a future centre of defence or attack. The market abandonment strategy is applied for the market segments with a slow increase, or they stagnate at a low level and it is not possible to recover them. The aim is to provide sources for the growth markets. The mature market strategies. Mature markets show a minimum rate of increase or they stagnate. The key activity is to keep the existing market share and the innovation of products and services so that the tourism object can stay in this market as long as possible. This strategy and the stage of the market development are for the tourism object not just a risk but also an opportunity for a constant improvement to keep the market share. However, the finances invested in continuous innovations are matchlessly lower than the investments

43

44

Current Issues of Tourism Research which would be necessary to invest in totally new products and reaching new markets. The declining market strategies. There are several types of them: the immediate abandonment strategies, the phased abandonment strategies, the maintaining strategies, the strategies for survival with profit, the market gap strategies, and the harvest strategies. The immediate abandonment from the market is realised for the products where the life cycle ended and it is the proper time for withdrawing the given product from the market. The phased abandonment from the market is realised by products where there is still a possibility of selling and reaching at least a  small profit. The maintaining strategy aims at maintaining the tourism object in the market during the set period of time, which is usually shorter. The strategy for survival with profit is usually applied in the tourism object with a strong market position during a market decline by assumption of being a market leader. In such a period for example it is invested to keeping a position in the market, the prices are reduced; the attention is focused on marketing activities, etc. The market gap strategy is based on strengthening the selected part of the whole market segment to keep the profitability of the segment. The harvest strategy is focused on short-term profit maximization in the period of abandonment from the market.

The Marketing Mix Tools Strategies Marketing and strategic marketing of tourism objects pay usually the closest attention to this type of strategies. It follows from a naturally dominant position of such strategies in tourism practice. The product marketing strategies are focused on products, product lines and the product mix. From the point of view of tourism product specific qualities mostly the product line and the product mix strategies are applied. The term “product line” in the tourism centre represents a set of products, which, from the visitor´s needs point of view, follow each other. The downmarket lengthening of the product line means adding new products to the less successful ones and vice versa. The product lines are lengthened according to the market needs and not according to an assessment if there exists a space in the product line, or not. The product mix can be similarly expanded or contracted by a product line. The marketing distribution strategies are divided into the intensive distribution strategy, the selective distribution strategy, and the exclusive distribution strategy. The intensive distribution is based on selling a  great amount of products at different places; the selective distribution strategy assumes a limited number of selling points and the exclusive distribution strategy involves limited sale with specialised choice of a  middleman. This type of strategies is connected with analysing the scale and the level of services for customers. Mainly the required scale and the level of services are analysed, and the research analyses the questions regarding the customers´ willingness to travel for products, their willingness to wait for a  product, it examines the propensity to consume regarding the range of products and expectation of additional services. The distribution channel objectives are set according to the assumed level of services. The distribution theory provides relatively wide scale of tools how

to approach to the distribution channels building. The distribution strategy development follows the choice of the distribution channels. There are distinguished different kinds of approaches to the relation with wholesalers, the strategies for a  personal sale are created, etc. From the tourism objects´ point of view it is not possible to apply the ways of distribution designed for standard industrial products. That is why the distribution strategy is focused on direct selling, a middleman - a travel agency, or selling via the Internet. The marketing communication strategies concentrate on creating good awareness of customers. There the push strategies or the pull strategies are applied. Pushing information about products to customers means not only to inform the customers but also to stimulate them to purchase. The pull strategy is based on increasing the demand by providing the relevant information. The marketing communication strategy is based on identifying the target customers groups, setting the communication objectives, creating the messages, choosing the communication channels, making decisions on the communication mix and managing the communication process. On the basis of identifying the target customers groups and communication objectives we distinguish six buyer readiness stages: awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase. The marketing pricing strategies at the tourism object’s level have to correspond to the orientation of individual companies, which are a part of this object. During their creation it is necessary to ask many questions mostly about the product level and requirements of customers, the competitors, the objectives, additional costs, etc. Here e.g. the penetration pricing strategy, the skimming pricing strategy, the supporting pricing strategy, the common pricing strategy, and the price differentiation strategy can be applied. The price is considered in relation with the product quality as high, average, or low. It is typical also for the tourism objects that they offer product lines, not individual products. It causes that a customer often prefers a more expensive product with higher added value to a cheaper, less quality one if the price differences between products are insignificant. As a consequence of such decisions a customer buys e.g. a more quality accommodation than a cheaper one and of less quality. Consequently if the tourism object operates in the market as one unit, the accommodation facilities are motivated not only to compete with each other but also to adjust positively the level of provided services. It is also similar with catering and additional services. Therefore, the importance of the life cycle and the marketing mix tools strategies at the tourism objects level consist in a favourable influence on individual service providers, who under the market pressure do not just develop mutually competing products and services but they are also forced to cooperate and they motivate each other to improve the provided services. They have to do so under the influence of the customer´s preferences, who requires a high added value for an adequate price and at the same time these subjects cannot risk a severance of cooperation, because they could lose the integrity of provided product lines [Maráková, 2005, p. 156]. Thus, either deliberately or not, a system of relations, which brings a value

2/2012 to the service providers, as well as to the visitors, is created. An autotelic implementation of the marketing mix tools theory is therefore useless, only the application which accepts the objectives of the companies ‘main strategies is effective, but it also meets the possibilities and the strategy of the country as a destination.

An Application of the Product – Market Matrix on the Example of Austria and Slovakia as the Basis of the Tourism Strategy Slovakia is in the recent decades a bad example how it is possible to waste a potential for tourism development with direct influences on the economy and employment. It could choose from three basic marketing strategies (the growth, the conservation, and the fall-back), but, actually it has chosen none. This mistake was redoubled by not respecting the product-market matrix, since new markets were looked for and the old ones, stabilized, were let tumble. The markets of the surrounding central European countries benefited significantly from that situation, as they focused their efforts on obtaining the visitors from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Austria. Austria made a hard effort from the beginning of the nineties of the 20th century to gain the visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and it ultimately succeeded. It reached record-high numbers of

45

accommodated visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia from nearly a zero level after the year 1990. By analysing the reached results in tourism, forecasting its future development, and by setting the fundamentals for the tourism development strategy to the future Slovakia has to draw only from well-tried strategic management models, the validity of which was verified by both the theory and the practice. Such a model is the product-market matrix, which enables us to decide if we will provide the existing products to the existing customers, the existing products to new customers, new products to the existing customers, or, by applying the diversification process, we offer new products to new customers. In reference to the previous sentence it is necessary to decide on implementing the strategy in the form of stabilisation, the growth, or a  decline and at the tourism objects´ level on the cost, differentiation, or the focus strategies. From the product-market matrix point of view as the first step it is necessary to compare the products. By comparing the product base and the visitor group base we decided to choose Austria because of two factors. These are the similarity of provided products and the similarity of visitor target groups between our countries. We chose the effects of the world economic crisis on the numbers of accommodated visitors and overnight stays as a  significantly effecting factor, which had a  radically different progress.

The table 1: Comparison of tourism products in Austria and Slovakia from the product-market matrix point of view

Tourism products in Austria

Tourism products in Slovakia

Activity holiday

Winter and summer mountain-air holidays

Ski holiday

- skiing

Recovery holiday

- recovery

Family holiday

- relax with family

Walking, hiking

- hiking

Sightseeing tours

Sightseeing tours

Spa holiday

Stay at the spa

Cultural holiday

Cultural events visit

Participation in various events

Participation in various events

Family/Acquaintance visit

Family/Acquaintance visit

Wellness and Beauty holiday

Wellness and Beauty holiday

City break

City break

The source: Tourism in Zahlen, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, 2010, the own processing

Both Austria and Slovakia offer in the tourism market similar products connected with the different primary and secondary offering conditioned by the geographic localisation. These are mainly the winter and summer mountain-air holidays, the spa stays, the cultural events visit, the family and acquaintance

visits, the wellness holiday, and the city breaks. The tables 2 to 5 include the data on the number of visitors and overnight stays in Austria and Slovakia. These data are interesting in the context of the crisis development, when Austria recorded only a slight decrease, or even an increase of the domestic tourism.

Table 2. Visitors from selected countries in Austria in the years 2005 to 2010. (in thousands of people and in %) Visitors/

2005

%

2006

%

2007

%

2008

%

2009

%

2010

%

Slovakia

70

0,24 

78

0,26 

90

0,29 

117

0,36 

123

0,38

135

0,40

Czech Republic

318

1,08 

354

1,17 

412

1,32 

523

1,60 

556

1,72

569

1,70

year

Current Issues of Tourism Research

46 Poland

192

0,65 

208

0,69 

246

0,79 

335

1,03 

317

0,98

347

1,04

Hungary

363

1,23 

392

1,30 

430

1,38 

463

1,42 

426

1,32

442

1,32

Germany

10 367

35,33 

10 101

33,52 

10 165

32,64 

10 709

32,83 

10 623

32,87

10 706

32,07

Total of Foreign countries

19 952

68,01 

20 261

67,24 

20 773

66,71 

21 935

67,25 

21 355

66,08

22 004

65,90

Austria

9 385

31,99 

9 871

32,76 

10 367

33,29 

10 681

32,75 

10 961

33,92

11 384

34,10

Total of Visitors

29 337

100,00 

30 132

100,00  

31 140

100,00 

32 616

100,00  

32 316

100,00 

33 388

100,00

The source: Tourism in Zahlen, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, 2010, the own processing

Austria focused its effort in tourism on gradual implementation of the market entry strategies, the continuous product development strategies, and the market development strategies by using the product-market matrix. On the basis of the long-term market evaluation it aimed at the supply of existing products, which were innovated progressively and developed for existing groups. It focused mainly on the domestic tourism maintenance. Austria focused its effort in tourism on gradual implementation of the market entry strategies, the continuous product development strategies, and the market development strategies by using the product-market matrix. On the basis of the

long-term market evaluation it aimed at the supply of existing products, which were innovated progressively and developed for existing groups. It focused mainly on the domestic tourism maintenance; the losses from the German market have been replaced by the accessions from the markets of the surrounding middle and East European countries. A gradual decline in the number of visitors and overnight stays from Germany is for Austria a  long-term phenomenon. Therefore, since the beginning of the 90-ties of the 20th century, it has focused its effort on the surrounding markets, knowing that their purchasing power will grow.

Table 3. Number of overnight stays from selected countries in Austria in the years 2005 to 2010. (in thousands of overnights and in %) Visitors/

2005

%

2006

%

2007

%

2008

%

2009

%

2010

%

Slovakia

232

0,19

262

0,22

295

0,24

389

0,31

424

0,34

465

0,37

Czech Republic

1 133

0,95

1 236

1,94

1 391

1,15

1 779

1,40

1 955

1,57

1 972

1,58

Poland

820

0,69

894

0,75

1 037

0,85

1 389

1,10

1 386

1,11

1 423

1,14

Hungary

1 296

1,09

1 398

1,17

1 511

1,24

1 642

1,30

1 499

1,21

1 510

1,21

Germany

51 028

42,79

48 763

40,85

48 167

39,66

50 144

39,57

48 857

39,30

48 155

38,56

Total of Foreign countries

87 741

73,58

87 238

73,09

88 443

72,82

92 840

73,26

89 864

72,29

89 857

71,95

Austria

31 501

26,42

32 120

26,91

33 008

27,18

33 879

26,74

34 443

27,71

35 023

28,05

Total of Overnight

119 242

100,00

119 358

100,00

121 451

100,00

126 719

100,00

124 307

100.00

124 880

100,00

year

The source: Tourism in Zahlen. 2010. Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the own processing

It succeeded by following the basic strategies with the growth strategy at the product-market matrix level, and the differentiation strategy at the regional level, without applying the diversification strategy which is costly. Austria based the differentiation at the regional level on the fact, that the state and its regions are the brand which is still well-purchasable, and on the supply of a  differentiated product in individual regions. A  sharp increase of the visitors and overnight stays number from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hun-

gary in the recent years is the direct evidence that its strategy has been successful. Including the visitors from Germany these markets accounted for 56% of the visitors´ number and 54% of the number of overnight stays. By applying such a relatively simple strategy based on the usage of its good reputation and due to the proximity of potential source markets and the inaction of its competitors Austria has made significant achievements and it has not had to invest a large resources to costly strategies in distant markets.

2/2012

47

Table 4. Numbers of visitors from selected countries in Slovakia in the years 2005  –  2010 (in thousands of people and in %) Visitors/

2005

%

2006

%

2007

%

2008

%

2009

%

2010

%

Czech Republic

425

12,40

455

12,70

491

13,00

537

13,15

425

12,57

433

12,76

Poland

198

5,78

224

6,25

244

6,46

308

7,54

165

4,88

162

4,77

Hungary

122

3,56

122

3,40

94

2,49

90

2,20

56

1,66

51

1,50

Germany

194

5,66

190

5,30

176

4,66

165

4,04

134

3,96

132

3,89

Austria

56

1,63

61

1,70

63

1,67

62

1,52

50

1,48

52

1,53

Total of Foreign countries

1 515

44,19

1 612

44,98

1 685

44,60

1 767

43,28

1 298

38,39

1 327

39,11

Slovakia

1 913

55,81

1 972

55,02

2 093

55,40

2 316

56,72

2 083

61,61

2 066

60,89

Total of Visitors

3 428

100,00

3 584

100,00

3 778

100,00

4 083

100,00

3 381

100,00

3 393

100,00

year

The source: statistic data of The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic

Considering the period from 2005 to 2009 Slovakia is an opposite example. The success based on a booming growth till the year 2008 has disappeared due to the incoming crises and the decline in the visitor´s and the overnight stays number from the key source markets amounts to dozens of percent. The next research will probably deal with the effects of the euro currency introduction on a  slump of the visitors´ and overnight stays

number. The question is why due to weakening the national currencies in 2009 Austria did not experience the similar decrease. One of the possible answers is that its growth was not based on the boom, but on the long-term strategy and that the introduction of the euro currency in Slovakia fully revealed an excessive price level in relation with the quality of provided services [Pompurová, 2009, p 256].

Table 5. Numbers of overnight stays from selected countries in Slovakia in the years 2005 to 2010. (in thousands of stays and in %) Visitors/

2005

%

2006

%

2007

%

2008

%

2009

%

2010

%

Czech Republic

1 375

12,81

1 516

13,61

1 611

13,93

1 705

13,68

1 301

12,52

1 350

13,02

Poland

608

5,66

720

6,46

763

6,60

942

7,56

480

4,62

453

4,37

Hungary

322

3,00

327

2,94

248

2,14

225

1,81

137

1.32

120

1,16

Germany

1 005

9,36

894

8,03

778

6,72

682

5,47

528

5,08

491

4,73

Austria

172

1,60

173

1,55

163

1,41

159

1,28

123

1,18

121

1,17

Total of Foreign countries

4 872

46,39

5 134

46,09

5 199

44,95

5 261

42,21

3 769

36,27

3 807

36,72

Slovakia

5 861

54,61

6 004

53,91

6 368

55,05

7 203

57,79

6 622

63,73

6 560

63,28

Total of Overnights

10 733

100,00

11 138

100,00

11 567

100,00

12 464

100,00

10 391

100,00

10 367

100,00

year

The source: statistic data of The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic

The year 2009 meant the return to the level from the year 2005, in case of Hungary the decline was much higher. It is striking that the German market had begun to crumble long before the introduction of the euro currency and in 2009 it reached 68% of the level in 2005 in terms of the visitors´ number and 52% of the level in terms of the overnight stays number. J. Kučerová [2010, p 142] notes that there was a decline of 7% in the number of accommodated guests from Ger-

many already in 1994. It was one of the first signals of a collapse of this important market. The mentioned data on the products and markets using the example of comparing the results of Austria and Slovakia in tourism, including the turbulent period of the crises that did not produce almost no changes in Austria, but a large decline in Slovakia, are the real evidence of the need to promote purposefully the tourism development strategy based on the well-tried

Current Issues of Tourism Research

48

theoretical models, the validity of which can be verified by comparing the products and the target markets in practice. There follows a lesson for Slovakia that relying on the booming trend has revealed insufficient activities at the strategic level in terms of the marketing strategies of the first and second levels. Filling the product – market matrix also refers to the fact that from the point of view of the first level marketing strategy it necessary to strengthen the existing products including their innovation in accordance with the European trends and to focus on the traditional markets, for which Slovakia cannot be a differentiator, this is what Austria has become, but it

can successfully implement the specialisation strategy focusing on the product and target groups differentiation. Slovakia has a significant growth potential in the given markets, especially by considering the numbers of visitors and overnight stays from Germany in Austria. Moreover, both the countries have in common other target markets having relatively significant position in the number of visitors and overnight stays such as Russia, Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. It depends on Slovakia how it uses these market opportunities. It will not be possible without functioning and mutual consistency of strategies at the states, regions, and tourism objects levels.

References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

DONELLY, J. H., GIBSON, J. L., IVANICEVICH, J. M. Management, Grada Publishing, Praha, 1997. FERNER, F. K., Tourism Marketing in Practice. SPN, Bratislava, 1993. GÚČIK, M. Manažment cestovného ruchu, Slovensko-švajčiarske združenie pre rozvoj cestovného ruchu, Banská Bystrica, 2006. KASPAR, C., Základy cestovného ruchu, Slowak–Swiss Tourism, Banská Bystrica, 1995. KUČEROVÁ, J., Stosowanie zasad zarzadzania srodowiskiem w rozwoju turystyki w Slowacji Slowacji, In: Przedsiebiorstwo uslugove wobec wyzwan XXI wieku, Unikat 2, Katowice, 2010. 6. MARÁKOVÁ, V., Finančné a nefinančné nástroje podpory podnikania v cestovnom ruchu, Ekonomická fakulta UMB, Banska Bystrica, 2005. 7. MARÁKOVÁ, V., Stosowanie narzedzi komunikacji marketingowej w hotelach w Slowacji, In: Przedsiebiorstwo uslugove wobec wyzwan XXI wieku, Unikat 2, Katovice, 2010. 8. PAPULA, J. et al., Strategic management, Editorial centre in Bratislava, 1993. 9. POMPUROVÁ, K., Atraktívnosť potenciálu cestovného ruchu Slovenska z hľadiska jeho ponuky pre potenciálnych francúzsky hovoriacich návštevníkov na základe prezentačného prístupu, Ekonomická revue cestovného ruchu, 2009, č. 3-4. 10. POMPUROVÁ, K. Teoretické prístupy ku skúmaniu cieľového miesta cestovného ruchu, Ekonomická revue cestovného ruchu, 2011, č. 3 11. PORTER, M., Competitive Strategy, Free Press, New York, 1980. 12. SLÁVIK, Š., Strategic Management, Sprint, Bratislava, 2005. 13. Statistic data of The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic 14. Tourism in Zahlen, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, 2010, the own processing 15. WRIGHT, P., PRIINGLE, Ch., KROLL, J. M. 2002. Strategic Management - Text and Cases, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2002.

doc. ing. Andrej Malachovský, PhD. EF UMB, Banská Bystrica, Slovak republic Departament of Tourism and Hospitality [email protected]

2/2012

49

“Eurocup Prešov – The International Competition for Junior Bartenders” Anna Šenková

Paper Type: Review In the middle of November 2012, the 20th edition of Eurocup, the International Competition for Junior Bartenders, took place in Prešov, a city in the eastern part of Slovakia. The Prešov region is famous for its natural beauty (the High Tatras Mountains and spa resorts) and cultural sights and monuments such as unique wooden churches, medieval town centres in Bardejov, Kežmarok, Levoča, Prešov, St. James church in Levoča with the highest wooden altar in the world or Spiš Castle which is the largest castle in Central Europe. Some of these wonders are on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage. The competition is organised by the Hotel Academy Prešov and it is open to 2-membered teams from vocational schools and colleges. It consisted of two independent parts, classic and flair bartending. The task of the classic part was to prepare 3 portions of a short after dinner drink and 3 portions of a soft drink. The competitors had to use obligatory ingredients and one of the conditions was that the recipes registered for the competition had to be unique. Basically, the rules for the com-

petition are those of the IBA-WCC, though they are adapted for the particular event. In flair bartending the competitors are supposed to prepare 3 portions of a drink of any category using any mixing methods within a time limit of 5 minutes. They are encourage to wear theme costume to enhance their routine. The event is carried on under the patronage of AEHT – European Association of Hotel and Tourism Schools, the Slovak Bartenders Association and Prešov Region. In the year 2004 the European Association of Hotel and Tourism Schools, that has its seat in Luxemburg, included the Competition EUROCUP at the Hotel Academy in Prešov in the official calendar of the events, and, as a co-organizer, provides financial assistance. The leading representatives of the AEHT – the general secretary, vice presidents and members of the Supreme Committee paid a  visit several times. Experts from Slovakia and from foreign countries appreciate the high Professional standard as for the preparation, organization, the bartenders´ performance and the whole course of the event.

The competition scene with 10 bar stations

The logo of the competition

EUROCUP, the unique international junior bartenders´ competition, began to write its history in the school year 1992/1993. Many successful achievements of the Hotel Academy in various gastronomy exhibitions and competitions in the former Czechoslovakia and abroad had preceded EUROCUP.

The most important professional events were the international exhibitions Gastroprague that had been held in Prague every four years in 1974 – 1990. At the international gastronomy exhibition Gastroprague 1990, a  teacher of special subjects at that time and later the head of the Hotel School Prešov

Source: own proceeding

50

Current Issues of Tourism Research MVDr. Milan Pribula established relations with the Chairman of the western Czech section of the Czechoslovak Bartenders´Association Shaker´s Club in the city of Plzeň Mr. Miloš Tretter who had organized bartender´s courses at the Hotel School Prešov since 1991. At one of the exhibitions, the idea to organize a junior bartenders´ competition in Prešov came out. A  co-founder MVDr.  Jozef Šenko, a  deputy head master for special subjects at that time, now the head of the school was appointed the general manager of the competition. Since the first year of the competition, the tradition of handing over the Challenge Cup to the best performance and the cup of the Major of Prešov to the best team has been kept. Since 2003, the Cup of the Chairman of Prešov Region has been awarded to the best competitor from Prešov Region. Apart from the teams from Slovak schools, competing teams from the Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and Ukraine have joined in the competition since it started for the first time. Since the year 2009, the competition can be truly called Worldcup because a competing team from Mexico has joined in the competition. In 2010, the Mexican team was the absolute winner. In Slovakia, similar competitions for junior bartenders´ have been organized, but only Slovak competitors join in them. The competition for junior bartenders´ Bacardi &Martini Cup in Poděbrady in the Czech Republic is well known. In Slovenia, G&T Cup Bled, organized by College of Tourism Bled for Slovenian schools and the member schools of AEHT is held. However, Eurocup is the biggest competition for junior competitors and has been held for the longest period of time in Europe. Mr. Hans Russegger, AEHT Treasurer, who paid a  visit at the 19th consecutive year of the competition wrote, “Brilliant organisation and an amazing welcome! For the 19th consecutive year the EUROCUP International Young Bartender Competition took place in the charming Slovak town of Prešov from October 18th – 20th 2011. Your reporter has already taken part in large conferences and has often attended competitions organised by hotel schools right across Europe. But this time, in my role as observer, I was impressed by all stages of the programme as they unfurled before my eyes. The organisation of the competition had been carefully prepared in every detail, and the various parts of the event were a brilliant success. At the opening evening after the official welcome speeches, the students laid on a magnificent dance and music show. The following day the various tests making up the competition ran impeccably well and bore witness to the high level of skills mastered by the contestants. The equipment, the ingredients, the time allocation, the decoration of the glasses – all these aspects were governed by strict rules and were evaluated by a  highly qualified judging panel. The handball gymnasium, recently acquired by the school, was the ideal venue loudly applauded by the spectators sitting in the raked seating. And finally, it´s no secret that we also like hotel schools because in general the food is so good. And so it was that the quality and rich variety of all the meals served at EUROCUP 2011 in Prešov were undeniable proof of the high level of gastronomy, a level rarely achieved at AEHT events! But what is the explanation of this extremely

high level of performance? The answer is not hard to find: the complete success of EUROCUP 2011 in Prešov was due to the complete commitment of the entire school – of its director, its teachers and all its students. All of them spoke, with one voice and all of them worked with dedication until late at night, always attentive to the needs of their guests. In short, if you want to get to know our Slovak friends, then come to this pleasant town of Prešov and discover for yourself their amazing and incomparable hospitality which obviously comes from the bottom of their hearts!” Mrs. Irena Fáziková, of many years´ standing manager of the competing team from the Hotel Academy in Prešov, recollects, “In Slovakia in 1970s mixed drinks were served only at hotel bars in Interhotels when had been ordered by foreign visitors. We hadn´t had the tradition of drinking mixed drinks yet. Slovak customers ordered beer, wine or “clear alcohol” – spirits, mineral water, cider, juice and lemonade. Who else could carry a  torch lightening the road we had to go along as the school preparing the followers – specialists in the field of catering. We started a club at school and promoted an assortment of mixed drinks. We felt that we arose the interest in preparing mixed drinks and, on the day of the meeting of the parents´ association, we performed preparing mixed drinks and the students´ parents were offered to taste them. A lot of parents for the first time in their lives could see “live” how mixed drinks were prepared and how they tasted. Some parents followed the performance of our first “bartenders” with disbelief, but nobody blamed. It was encouraging. Filled with optimism, we began to prepare for the competition Gastroprague 1992. It was an international professional competition of cooks, confectioners, waiters and bartenders. The category of junior bartenders for students of hotel schools had not existed yet. Our performance was not included in the competition, nevertheless it was successful and we were encouraged to join next competitions. The next year our application was included in the category “bartenders” from hotel schools. We joined the Gastroprague´90 competition that had been prepared despite the events in 1989. After the changes in 1989 the international competition Gastroprague was not held any more. It was necessary to pay attention to young people, to use their potential and increasing interest in the profession of a bartender and preparing mixed drinks. We joined the competitions organized by the bartenders´ association in the Czech Republic – Shaker´Club for bartenders – professionals and the category of junior bartenders from hotel schools and vocational schools. The bartenders´ courses that started at our school in 1991 helped our students who were preparing for the competition and at the same time for Eurocup Juniors. The first competition was held at the Dukla Interhotel Prešov on April 22 – 24, 1993. The competitors prepared assigned drinks Martini Cocktail and Pink Lady. The final soft drinks was prepared according to the competitors´ own recipes.” I  was lucky to have been a  participant at the birth of the project EUROCUP twenty years ago. The first competition, as stated above, was held at the Dukla Interhotel Prešov and there were about forty competitors and a small number of viewers. The competitors performed with great interest and enthusiasm. The next competitions followed that entered into connection

2/2012 with the previous ones in spite of the significant social and political changes and considerable lack of finance. The great idea had overcome all the difficulties. For the organizer – the Hotel Academy Prešov – it has always been OUR project worth of great effort and time. Today we might not realize how important is for Prešov, and maybe for the whole of Slovakia, that inconspicuous fight for the culture of drinking, for a slow social turn towards the worthwhile values of quality life in the

third millennium. Big sports have their Halls of Fame, great artists have theirs galleries. So EUROCUP deserves a tiny hall of fame in Prešov. The biggest contribution of EUROCUP is the fact that during twenty years a  lot of quality bartenders grew up. Their work brings them and the whole of Slovakia fame, they make their schools fames. The information about the EUROCUP competition is available on the website http:// www.hapresov.edu.sk/stranka/eurocup.

The samples of the drinks presented at the competition Source: own proceeding

Table 1: Statistical survey of the number of competitors and participating countries

Total number of

Total number of

competing teams

competitors

The Slovak

Foreign

The Slovak

Foreign

Republic

countries

Republic

countries

1993

8

5

24

15

Ukraine, The Czech Republic

1994

12

1

36

3

Ukraine

1995

14

5

42

15

The Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ukraine

1996

12

6

36

18

The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Switzerland

1997

14

9

42

27

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Italy

1998

18

8

54

24

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland

1999

28

7

56

14

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine

2000

26

8

52

16

The Czech Republic,Macedonia, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland

2001

28

6

56

12

Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine

2002

26

14

52

28

2003

29

13

58

26

2004

30

10

60

20

Foreign Countries

The Czech Republic, Macedonia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine Macedonia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Slovenia The Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro

51

Current Issues of Tourism Research

52 2005

31

12

62

24

2006

30

12

60

24

2007

30

13

60

26

2008

31

14

62

28

2009

30

13

60

26

2010

29

14

58

28

2011

27

15

54

30

2012

29

10

58

21

The Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovenia The Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro The Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia,Ukraine, Luxembourg, Sweden Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, The Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Italy, Mexico Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, The Czech Republic, Mexico, Slovenia The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Mexico The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine

Source: own proceeding

The map of countries that participated in Eurocup Source: own proceeding

2/2012

The young bartenders preparing drinks Source: own proceeding

The view of the backstage at the competition Source: own proceeding

53

Current Issues of Tourism Research

54

View of the audience

Excited supporters

Source: own proceeding

Source: own proceeding

References 1. Russegger, H. 2011 EUROCUP 2011 - Brilliant organisation and an amazing welcome. AEHT - Newsletter. No 3/2011. p. 9 – 10. http://www.scribd.com/doc/76044159/Newsletter-of-December-2011 2. Šenko, J. 2008 The Hotel Academy Prešov – a publication devoted to the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the school 3. The internal materials of the Hotel Academy Prešov

Anna Šenková University of Prešov in Prešov Faculty of Management Prešov, Slovakia [email protected]

2/2012

Guidelines for Authors The length of a post should not exceed 50.000 characters. It must be written in English language. All the works are reviewed. The executive editor decides on whether to publish the materials and in which order. After the review, the decision will be sent to the author by email. The authors are responsible for the lingual and formal level of submitted papers. These levels are checked by the editorial office and some small necessary changes can be done by the editor. Corrections done by the author must be returned within 4 days and no significant changes are permitted. Contributions must be sent to the email address of editor‘s office: [email protected] The contributions must be in the formats DOCX, DOC or RTF (MS Word). In the Word editor, use the Times New Roman font, size 12 pt, spacing 1.5. If your text contains pictures or tables – which will be printed only black and white – mention their meaning in the text. If the pictures are sent by electronic mail, they must be in JPG, TIFF, EPS or PDF format. All the tables, pictures and graphs must be placed somewhere in the text and also sent separately. Since Eastern european developement agency n.o. is a non-profitable organization, there would be no payment for manuscripts published in the Current Issues of Tourism Research. Each work must contain: 1. Title. It contains (in this order, always in a new row): Short and understandable title; The full name and last-name of the author/s including academic titles; 2. Abstract. Summarizes the content of the work. Usually up to 10 rows. It should clearly describe the main question of the research, solution, sources and methodology (according to the type of research). 3. Keywords. Several terms (not more than 12 words) that characterize the work. Words from the title can be repeated. 4. JEL classification (not necessary, but recommended) can be found at http://www.aeaweb.org/journal/jel_class_system.html indicated by keywords. 5. Division of the proper text. For better orientation in the text, it should contain headings. The headings should be numbered. Quotation from publications in English language – write down in the underlined comments in such a way: WAGNER, Alfred. Kirchenrecht, Wien, 2005, p. 151–152 according to ISO 690; provide also a complete list of references in the end of the contribution. 6. At the end of the text there should be the author’s profile data (name and surname, academic title, address, workplace or residence, contact phone, e-mail).

55