Contemporary Threats to the Development of Sustainable Urban Tourism
151
• the condition of the natural environment for decisions related to tourist arrivals in
cities.
Relations between tourist traffic to cities, urban tourist economy and the natural
environment along with the socio-cultural one are linked and mutually conditioning,
in accordance with the general concept of sustainable tourism. In both examples, the
analysed phenomena are characterized by a relatively low level of intensity. In the first
example, the volume and structure of water tourism traffic in the analysed city, despite
the fact that it presents some potential threat to the sustainable tourism economy of the
city and the condition of the natural environment, does not cause interference due to
its relatively small scale. Therefore, it can be concluded that, above all, the mass and
high concentration of tourism over time constitute the greatest threats to sustainable
urban tourism. In the second example, despite the widely available information on
poor air conditions in many urban tourist destinations with well-developed tourism,
no significant restrictions on travelling are observed. This demonstrates the common
model of tourist behaviour associated with tourist trips to the most popular large
tourist metropolises without significant impact of certain threats, but also suggests
relatively low social awareness. In the conducted research, the respondents were
asked to identifyacity, which in their opinion is associated with risk due to reasons
of low air quality. However, it is difficult to objectify the results of these studies. The
respondents were Poles, and they recognized large global metropolises, including
European ones, as well as Asian cities and many large cities in Poland as such cities.
6 Assumptions of the Concept of Sustainable Urban
Tourism Development Policy
A constant increase in tourist traffic in many urban tourist destinations and the dynamically progressing development of mass tourism cause an increase in demand for the
natural and socio-cultural environment. Pressure on the pace of tourism development
may result in the inability to defend the environment. Therefore, public authoritiesmust intervene and include issues related to the impact on sustainable tourism within
the scope of objectives, activities and financing under their tourism policy. Only then
it will be possible to create responsible sustainable urban tourism, which should be the
basis for the involvement of all participants, i.e., tourist enterprises, city government,
tourists, and residents.
The presented issues regarding threats to the development of sustainable urban
tourism should be the basis for actions undertaken by competent tourism policy
entities. Tourism policy, as a sectorial policy, is the activity of determining economic,
political, social and cultural objectives that are related to the development of tourism;
it obtains comprehensive positive effects resulting from the existence of supply and
demand and it strives to meet social needs in the field of tourism by specifyingthe
necessary means. More fully, tourism policy should be defined as an activity of
the state and its organs, consisting of the determination of economic and social
151
• the condition of the natural environment for decisions related to tourist arrivals in
cities.
Relations between tourist traffic to cities, urban tourist economy and the natural
environment along with the socio-cultural one are linked and mutually conditioning,
in accordance with the general concept of sustainable tourism. In both examples, the
analysed phenomena are characterized by a relatively low level of intensity. In the first
example, the volume and structure of water tourism traffic in the analysed city, despite
the fact that it presents some potential threat to the sustainable tourism economy of the
city and the condition of the natural environment, does not cause interference due to
its relatively small scale. Therefore, it can be concluded that, above all, the mass and
high concentration of tourism over time constitute the greatest threats to sustainable
urban tourism. In the second example, despite the widely available information on
poor air conditions in many urban tourist destinations with well-developed tourism,
no significant restrictions on travelling are observed. This demonstrates the common
model of tourist behaviour associated with tourist trips to the most popular large
tourist metropolises without significant impact of certain threats, but also suggests
relatively low social awareness. In the conducted research, the respondents were
asked to identifyacity, which in their opinion is associated with risk due to reasons
of low air quality. However, it is difficult to objectify the results of these studies. The
respondents were Poles, and they recognized large global metropolises, including
European ones, as well as Asian cities and many large cities in Poland as such cities.
6 Assumptions of the Concept of Sustainable Urban
Tourism Development Policy
A constant increase in tourist traffic in many urban tourist destinations and the dynamically progressing development of mass tourism cause an increase in demand for the
natural and socio-cultural environment. Pressure on the pace of tourism development
may result in the inability to defend the environment. Therefore, public authoritiesmust intervene and include issues related to the impact on sustainable tourism within
the scope of objectives, activities and financing under their tourism policy. Only then
it will be possible to create responsible sustainable urban tourism, which should be the
basis for the involvement of all participants, i.e., tourist enterprises, city government,
tourists, and residents.
The presented issues regarding threats to the development of sustainable urban
tourism should be the basis for actions undertaken by competent tourism policy
entities. Tourism policy, as a sectorial policy, is the activity of determining economic,
political, social and cultural objectives that are related to the development of tourism;
it obtains comprehensive positive effects resulting from the existence of supply and
demand and it strives to meet social needs in the field of tourism by specifyingthe
necessary means. More fully, tourism policy should be defined as an activity of
the state and its organs, consisting of the determination of economic and social