Indicators of Geographic Potential and Business Opportunities for the Development of Active Tourism: Kayaking in Poland

Poland’s natural and geographical features, including an abundance of rivers and lakes, create favorable conditions for the development of kayaking tourism. Poland is one of the leading European countries in terms of the number of kayaking trails. The aim of this study was to propose indicators for assessing the potential of Poland’s water resources for the development of kayaking activities. This research was pursued in several stages. The number of rivers where kayaking tours are organized was determined in the first stage of the study. Indicators describing the potential of the existing water bodies for the promotion of kayaking tourism were proposed in the second stage. The study produced surprising results. The number of kayaking tour operators has increased considerably in recent years, and new water tourism centers have been established in the vicinity of large urban areas. The popularity of well-established kayaking destinations in Warmia-Masuria, Podlasie and Western Pomerania, i.e., Polish regions with considerable potential for the development of water tourism, has declined. The study revealed that the success of kayaking businesses is presently determined by other factors, and further research is needed to identify these determinants.


Introduction
Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of interest in outdoor tourism, creating numerous opportunities for active recreation in nature [1]. Outdoor tourism is divided into several interlinked categories, including outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, ecotourism, outdoor tourism and adventure tourism. Considerable research is being done in adventure tourism, which involves the participation in challenging outdoor activities. Adventure tourism enables participants to directly experience nature and perform various sporting activities such as mountain climbing, sea kayaking, ski touring and mountain biking. These activities are characterized by different levels of difficulty [2], distinguishing between hard and soft tourism activities. According to [3], soft adventure tourism is more popular, whereas hard tourism involves mainly individuals who form informal groups in pursuit of challenging leisure options. At present, adventure tourism is one of the most rapidly growing subsectors of the tourist industry [4]. The growing demand for outdoor tourism has contributed to the rapid development of entrepreneurship in the tourist industry. Outdoor recreation services are being increasingly commercialized [1,5]. The rising popularity of tourist activities in the natural environment has attracted the interest of researchers [1]. The relationship between natural resources and recreation has to be carefully examined, and changes in these synergistic interactions need to be monitored. New strategies are needed to preserve the existing resources and minimize the potentially destructive influence of tourist operations on the natural environment [6,7]. Such research can contribute to sustainable development that promotes the economic growth of regions while exerting only a minor impact on the geographical environment [8,9].
The popularity of water tourism and aquatic sports is on the rise around the world [10][11][12][13]. In Poland, the number of businesses organizing kayaking tours for active recreation seekers,

1.
Kayaking travel guides available on the Polish market; 2.
Kayaking websites supported by the Kayaking Tourism Committee of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK), Tourism and Recreation Committee of the Polish Canoe Federation (PZK) and the Association of Canoeing Instructors and Trainers (SIiTK); 3.
Reports on kayaking activities organized by PTTK, PZK and SIiTK as part of their statutory operations; 4.
Websites of kayaking rentals and kayaking tour organizers; 5.
Photographs and video footage posted online by kayaking tour participants.
Entrepreneurship levels on the outdoor tourism market can be determined based on the geographic potential of Polish voivodeships and the number of companies offering outdoor tourism services. Various tourist function indicators have been proposed in the literature, including Baretje-Defert's tourist function index, Charvat's index and Schneider's index [18,19]. These indices are expressed in terms of reference unit area or population. It can be assumed that tourist function indices on the outdoor tourism market would be most highly correlated with geographic potential and natural resources.
In the present study, the indicators were calculated using two methods. In the first method, the values presented in Table 1 were converted to the area of the reference unit (the voivodeship). The second method involved the conversion of these values per unit length of watercourses in voivodeships, based on the assumption that the length of watercourses determines the development of water tourism.
The proposed indicators were calculated based on normalized data, in subsets describing the parameters of each indicator in voivodeships. For example, the GPI was calculated based on: forest area-GPI_forest (1)-(3); area of standing water bodies-GPI_water (4)-(6); length of watercourses-GPI river_length_ (7)- (9); and the number of watercourses-GPI_number of rivers (10)- (12). The GPI was calculated using Equations (13)- (15). The GPI was calculated based on forest area, area of standing water bodies and the length and number of watercourses per unit area in each Polish voivodeship (13). The GPI was expressed as the normalized sum of the above variables (14)- (15).
where GPI max ≥ GPI i k and k = {forest, water, river length, number of rivers} The BOI in Polish voivodeships was calculated using Equations (16)- (18 The values of GPI, BOI and IWRU in each voivodeship were compared to determine the presence of correlations, and to evaluate whether the development of active (kayaking) tourism in different Polish regions (voivodeships) is sustainable.
The second approach involved the assumption that water resources, in particular river length, can be expected to play the most important role in the assessment of potential kayaking tour operations. Three indicators were calculated for each Polish voivodeship based on selected data from Table 1. • RLI: the river length in voivodeships (21)  The investment indicator (II) (25) and (26) denotes the extent to which the geographic potential of voivodeships is harnessed by local businesses operating on the outdoor tourism market.
Low values of the II (investment indicator) suggest that few people use the potential of watercourses for tourism-related business activities.

Travel Book Publishers and Kayaking Travel Guides
In the first stage of the study, travel guides and maps in printed and electronic format were analyzed to collect data about the number of rivers where kayaking tours are organized. Kayaking travel guides were searched on the websites of travel book publishers. The websites of five companies that publish active tourism guides were analyzed: Ciekawe Miejsca, Pascal, Galileo, Empik and ExpressMap Polska ( Table 2). Most of the travel guides on offer were dedicated to mountaineering, hiking and cycling. Additional search words had to be used to find kayaking travel guides. The search results (as of 25 May 2021) are presented in Table 2. The data in Table 2 indicate that kayaking tourism is not extensively promoted in Poland. It should be noted that the travel guides published by Ciekawe Miejsca promoted kayaking trails mainly in the voivodeship of Masovia. Ten guide books focusing on the Warsaw region (Masovia) described kayaking trails on 34 rivers [20][21][22]. Other travel guides covered kayaking trails on 22 rivers in Podlasie voivodeship [23], as well as trails on five rivers in Pomerania. Ciekawe Miejsca recently launched a new series entitled Kayaking Trails in Poland, and nine travel guides in this series were published in 2021 [24,25]. The travel guides released by the remaining publishers focused on other types of tourist activities. The analysis revealed that printed travel guides described kayaking trails on a total of 64 Polish rivers. A review of online archival resources also revealed several kayaking travel guides published in previous years [26][27][28][29][30][31][32].

Community Websites Created by Polish Kayaking Enthusiasts
In addition to kayaking travel guides, information about kayaking trips and trails is also available on the websites of tourist and sports organizations. In Poland, there are at least 105 kayaking tour operators (clubs, circles, associations) affiliated with the Kayaking Tourism Committee of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK), Tourism and Recreation Committee of the Polish Canoe Federation (PZK) and the Association of Canoeing Instructors and Trainers (SIiTK) [33]. These providers organize kayaking tours as part of their statutory operations. Each year, a list of kayaking activities and trips planned by these organizations is published online in the Kayaking Directory (https: //pzkaj.pl/dane/turystyka/Informator_Kajakarza_2021.pdf, accessed on 20 August 2022).
The number of kayaking tour operators and kayaking events organized in recent years is presented in Table 3. In 2021, 94 operators organized 153 kayaking events on 98 rivers and in 22 other sites (lakes, canals and the Baltic Sea) (Kayaking Guide 2021). In 2022, kayaking events were planned in a total of 120 locations including 89 rivers, 19 lakes and nine other sites (canals, whitewater courses and lagoons). These data were included in the developed database. A community website dedicated to kayaking has been created as a joint initiative of PZK, PTTK and SIiTK at http://kajak.org.pl (accessed on 1 January 2020). The website presents kayaking trails and provides useful information for tour organizers and the participants (http://kajak.org.pl/splywww/, accessed on 21 August 2022) ( Figure 1). A total of 156 kayaking trails on 142 rivers are described on the website. Canoeing Instructors and Trainers (SIiTK) [33]. These providers organize kayaking tours as part of their statutory operations. Each year, a list of kayaking activities and trips planned by these organizations is published online in the Kayaking Directory (https://pzkaj.pl/dane/turystyka/Informator_Kajakarza_2021.pdf, accessed on 20 August 2022). The number of kayaking tour operators and kayaking events organized in recent years is presented in Table 3. In 2021, 94 operators organized 153 kayaking events on 98 rivers and in 22 other sites (lakes, canals and the Baltic Sea) (Kayaking Guide 2021). In 2022, kayaking events were planned in a total of 120 locations including 89 rivers, 19 lakes and nine other sites (canals, whitewater courses and lagoons). These data were included in the developed database. A community website dedicated to kayaking has been created as a joint initiative of PZK, PTTK and SIiTK at http://kajak.org.pl (accessed on 1 January 2020). The website presents kayaking trails and provides useful information for tour organizers and the participants (http://kajak.org.pl/splywww/, accessed on 21 August 2022) (Figure 1). A total of 156 kayaking trails on 142 rivers are described on the website.   2022  89  150  2021  94  153  2020  94  163  2019  94  160  2018  95  155  2017  105  164  2016  101  158  2015  101  165  2014 105 165 Kayaking tour operators and equipment rentals can register in the database available on the website. To date, 397 businesses, including 76 kayak manufacturers and 41 Kayaking tour operators and equipment rentals can register in the database available on the website. To date, 397 businesses, including 76 kayak manufacturers and 41 kayaking gear stores, have registered on the website. The locations of kayaking trails and the registered businesses were compared on a map, and the analysis revealed an absence of spatial correlations between these two datasets. Businesses operating in the water tourism sector (397) are not located in the proximity of the identified kayaking trails (157), which suggests that the presented data are incomplete and lack cohesion. A detailed analysis of the website revealed that most of the presented trails were described by kayaking enthusiasts from western Poland (www.kajaki.org.pl, accessed on 21 August 2022). Therefore, the existing database of kayaking trails should be expanded by conducting additional research and reviewing online resources dedicated to kayaking.

Identification of Navigable Rivers Where Kayaking Tours Are Organized
In Poland, kayaking tours are organized mainly by private operators. These businesses are listed in official databases, and they also advertise their services online. Kayaking tour operators were searched in Google maps, and their registered addresses were identified based on location markers. These businesses advertise kayaking tours and present detailed information about kayaking trails on their websites. Tour participants post photographs and video footage from their kayaking trips on YouTube, which is also a good source of information about kayaking activities in Poland. Navigable rivers where kayaking tours are organized were catalogued based on an analysis of these websites and user posts. A total of 207 rivers were catalogued.
The study demonstrated that information about kayaking trails and navigable rivers is highly fragmented. A list of navigable rivers where kayaking tours are organized was developed based on a review of kayaking travel guides, websites of kayaking tour organizers and equipment rentals, the kayaking community site, as well as the results of own study. The datasets were merged with the use of GIS tools based on the names of the listed rivers, and the resources of the National Register of Geographic Names (PRNG). Vector images (Figure 2) depicting the location of navigable rivers in subsets of kayaking trails were generated. The created vector images contained sets of points distributed at intervals of 4 km along selected watercourses. A comparison of the first two data sources revealed differences in the location of businesses advertising kayaking tours and kayaking trails. The presented analysis produced more cohesive results. These findings indicate that the development of the kayaking sector should be monitored to generate more reliable data (Table 4). Based on the generated catalog of 260 rivers, the number of rivers in each Polish voivodeship, including rivers where kayaking tours are organized, is presented in Table 5. These data were used for the cartographic visualization of the potential of rivers for the development of kayaking tourism in Poland (Figure 3a), rivers where kayaking tours are organized (Figure 3b) and the percentage of rivers in Polish voivodeships that are utilized for kayaking (Figure 3c).
Vector images (Figure 2) depicting the location of navigable rivers in subsets of kayaking trails were generated. The created vector images contained sets of points distributed at intervals of 4 km along selected watercourses. A comparison of the first two data sources revealed differences in the location of businesses advertising kayaking tours and kayaking trails. The presented analysis produced more cohesive results. These findings indicate that the development of the kayaking sector should be monitored to generate more reliable data (Table 4).  Based on the generated catalog of 260 rivers, the number of rivers in each Polish voivodeship, including rivers where kayaking tours are organized, is presented in Table  5. These data were used for the cartographic visualization of the potential of rivers for the development of kayaking tourism in Poland (Figure 3a), rivers where kayaking tours are organized (Figure 3b) and the percentage of rivers in Polish voivodeships that are utilized for kayaking (Figure 3c).  Based on the generated catalog of 260 rivers, the number of rivers in each Polish voivodeship, including rivers where kayaking tours are organized, is presented in Table  5. These data were used for the cartographic visualization of the potential of rivers for the development of kayaking tourism in Poland (Figure 3a), rivers where kayaking tours are organized (Figure 3b) and the percentage of rivers in Polish voivodeships that are utilized for kayaking (Figure 3c).   On average, kayaking tours are organized on 42% of Polish rivers (Table 5). It should be noted that the percentage of rivers utilized for kayaking exceeds 50%, or even approaches 65% in some regions (voivodeships).

Indicators Calculated per Unit of Reference Surface
The values of GPI, BOI (based on CEIDG data) and IWRU for kayaking in Polish voivodeships were calculated based on the data presented in Table 1, and the methods described in (1)- (18). The values of the above indicators are shown in Tables 6 and 7, and in Figures 4 and 5. The data are presented on thematic maps in Figure 6. Table 6. Values of the geographical potential indicator (GPI) in subsets (2,5,9,18)      The calculated values of the proposed indicators (Table 6) were used to determine the presence of correlations between the GPI, IWRU and BOI. The values of the correlation coefficients are very low, non-significant and varied. The coefficient of correlation between GPI and IWRU is 0.28, the coefficient of correlation between GPI and BOI is 0.06, and the coefficient of correlation between IWRU and BOI is 0.35. The values of GPI, IWRU and BOI in voivodeships are presented graphically in Figure 5.

Indicators Taking into Account the Length of Rivers
Entrepreneurship indicators, river potential indicators and investment indicators for businesses registered in the CEIDG under PKD code 7721Z are presented in Table 8 and Figure 7, taking into account the length of rivers. The results indicated that the geographic potential of Polish regions was most effectively harnessed by local businesses operating on the outdoor tourism market (kayaking tour organizers) in north-western Poland, as well as in central-eastern Poland. Low values of the investment indicator (II) in centralwestern Poland suggest that unlike businesses and associations registered in the KRS [7] ( Figures 1 and 7), tourism operators registered in the CEIDG are reluctant to capitalize on the natural potential of their respective regions.  Table 7 data. The results shown in Figure 7 are presented in graphical form in Figure 8.
Indicators calculated based on the river potential of Polish voivodeships  Table 7 data. The results shown in Figure 7 are presented in graphical form in Figure 8.   Table 7 data. The results shown in Figure 7 are presented in graphical form in Figure 8.

Discussion
The results of the research conducted with the first method, where the values presented in Table 1 were converted to the area of the reference unit (voivodeship), suggest that the local entrepreneurs have not fully tapped into the region's vast geographic potential for active tourism development. The line presenting GPI values diverges from the lines depicting the values of IWRU and BOI ( Figures 5 and 6), which indicates that geographic potential is only one of the factors that drive the growth of the kayaking sector.
In Małopolska, all three indicators were characterized by similar values, which points to sustainable tourism development that makes optimal use of the region's geographic potential and the availability of navigable rivers. In Silesia, the value of BOI exceeded the values of IWRU and GPI, which indicates that this region abounds in businesses who meet local tourist needs. In Warmia-Masuria, the value of GPI was considerably higher than the values of BOI and IWRU. Similar observations were made in Lubusz, Pomerania and West Pomerania. As demonstrated by the high values of IWRU in Lower Silesia, Masovia, Opole andŚwiętokrzyskie, a high percentage of rivers in these regions are utilized for kayaking, although the values of GPI and BOI are relatively low. A comparison of the data presented in Figure 4 indicates that the development of kayaking tourism is determined by various factors, not only specific geographical features in a given region.
The results of the research conducted with the second method, where the values were calculated based on river potential in voivodeships, revealed thatŚwiętokrzyskie, West Pomerania, Pomerania, Małopolska and Masovia fully utilize their water potential in active tourism. The voivodeships of western-central Poland have high water potential, but the number of tourism operators registered in the CEIDG is low in these voivodeships. Lower Silesia, Opole and Lubusz are characterized by low values of the EI, but a high percentage of rivers in these voivodeships are utilized for kayaking ( Figure 3). This indicates that in these regions, kayaking tours are organized primarily by clubs, circles and associations affiliated with the PTTK, as confirmed by the information available on the community website dedicated to kayaking (Figure 2b).
The results of this study indicate that geographical features are not the only factors that drive the development of active tourism (kayaking). This suggests that there are considerable opportunities for business development in the Polish kayaking sector.

Conclusions
This study aimed to determine the number of Polish rivers where kayaking tours are organized. Kayaking tour operators and equipment rentals are not actively promoted by the Polish Tourism Organization (PTO) [7,33]. Travel guides for active recreation enthusiasts also place greater emphasis on mountaineering, hiking and cycling compared to kayaking. The only notable exception is the Ciekawe Miejsca publishing house that has recently launched a series of travel guides dedicated to kayaking trails in Masovia.
Online resources are the most abundant sources of information about kayaking tourism. The websites of kayaking tour operators and equipment rentals promote active tourism, not only by advertising their services, but also by describing kayaking trails in different Polish regions.
The results of this study indicate that the popularity of kayaking is on the rise in Poland and that this form of active recreation presents numerous opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The growth of the Polish kayaking sector is driven not only by businesses that advertise their services online and search for new trails amidst increasing competition, but also by tourists, in particular hard tourism fans, who are passionate about discovering previously untraveled rivers. Adventure tourism enthusiasts describe new trails, report on their experiences online and encourage others to visit these sites [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].
The calculated values of GPI, BOI, IWRU and EI, RI, II in Polish regions (voivodeships) suggest that active tourism services are developing regardless of the geographic potential of a given region. It can be hypothesized that they are developing most rapidly in the vicinity of large urban areas. The above could be attributed to the fact that many urban dwellers participate in kayaking tours during weekends. Further research is needed to validate these observations.
Funding: This study was financed as part of a statutory research project of the Faculty of Geoengineering of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, entitled "Geoinformation from the theoretical, analytical and practical perspective" (No. 29.610.008-110_timeline: 2020-2022).
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.