A Functioning Model for Large-Scale Protected Areas in Roztocze in the Context of Sustainable Tourism

Abstract

This paper contributes to the research into the sustainable development of tourism. It analyses large-scale protected areas (one national park, four landscape parks, two protected landscape areas) located in the Roztocze region, at the SE border of Poland, which are most exposed to tourist movement overload due to their attractiveness. The study presents a proposal for a research procedure based on the method of multidimensional comparative analysis, which facilitates interpretation of the state of tourism function by calculation of the values of indicators of tourism potential and function. The result of the study is a model. It shows that with the exception of the National Park, the current state of tourism can be described as sustainable in most of the analysed areas. In addition to their scientific value, the results obtained may have a practical dimension, as they indicate specific factors causing the loss of balance in the environment, which should be monitored or addressed by stakeholders (government, local authorities, entrepreneurs, local communities), leading to the maintenance of sustainable tourism development in a specific area. The procedure proposed in the study can be applied to any other naturally and culturally valuable area.

1. Introduction

The problems addressed in this paper constitute an element of research into the sustainable development of tourism. Understood as a sector of the economy, it produces a wide variety of effects, creating the possibility of linking economic objectives with overall regional development while maintaining an awareness of the need to respect natural resources and the socio-cultural authenticity of local communities [1,2].

The mainstream discussion focuses on a methodology leading to the proposal of a model for the functioning of tourism in naturally and culturally valuable areas. They are particularly threatened by tourism due to their attractiveness. Thus, some balance should be sought within the boundaries of these areas. Such assumptions are represented by the idea of sustainable tourism [3]. The concept refers primarily to the determination of an acceptable level of growth in the size of tourist movement that would not cause negative changes in the environment, which is important for the quality of life [4].

There are many definitions of the term “sustainable tourism” in the literature, sometimes differing significantly from each other. A broad overview of these definitions has been provided by Durydiwka, Kowalczyk, Kulczyk [3], Butler [5], and Liu [6]. For the purposes of this paper, a definition was adopted in which sustainable tourism is understood as “… a phenomenon in which activities undertaken by tourists do not cause losses or changes in the natural environment that are difficult to reverse and, at the same time, bring benefits to the tourists themselves, to the communities living in the places and areas they visit, as well as to people and institutions providing tourist services” [3]. Such an approach is also presented by Gołembski [7] (p. 370), who proposes that the aim of sustainable tourism is “to integrate tourism activities with nature conservation goals to and shape new attitudes and behaviours of tourists and tourism organisers. These new attitudes should be ethically and socially beneficial to the local population”. Understood in this way, sustainable tourism is a certain ideal model that can only come into being when there is a state of balance between its four essential elements (environment, tourists, local communities, tourism service providers) [3].

However, there are several important factors that hinder a practical implementation of sustainable development principles in tourism. Firstly, tourist reception areas show great diversity in terms of both natural and cultural environmental resources and the degree of development of tourism phenomena. Secondly, such handicaps arise from the varying scale and types of socio-economic problems in tourism reception areas and the complex nature of tourism phenomena overlapping these problems. Thirdly, there is a lack of a single clearly defined way of implementing the principles of sustainable development and criteria for measuring its effects [8,9,10,11].

In the context of the latter statement, it should be noted that there are still few studies presenting criteria and methods for assessing sustainable tourism development. A review of the literature shows that qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and conceptual/review methods are used for this purpose [2].

Most commonly, authors seek to determine how to establish a pathway for sustainable tourism development and how to measure progress towards this goal. They use qualitative-quantitative methods, especially interviews and feedback from various stakeholders covering environmental, economic, social, and political-institutional aspects. They also focus on identifying targets/activities that require monitoring in order to maintain sustainable tourism development, e.g., [12,13].

Another group of authors uses mainly quantitative methods to indicate the possibility of sustainable tourism development in a specific area, taking into account the number of tourist attractions, the volume of tourist movement, and the use of accommodation [11,14,15,16,17].

With reference to the above considerations, the authors of the present study attempted to prepare a methodological procedure from the group of quantitative research with stakeholders—service providers and local communities—in mind, which will make it possible to determine the current initial state of the functioning of tourism in naturally and culturally valuable areas. The authors believe that the procedure will be the basis for identifying factors that should be monitored and covered by measures, leading to the maintenance of sustainable tourism development in the analysed areas. At this stage, the knowledge obtained from the scientific community should be used by stakeholders responsible for the future of such areas. Such cooperation between different communities is an important element of public participation recommended, for example, in international biosphere reserves or geoparks [18,19].

The Roztocze region was adopted as an area for the investigation of the functioning of tourism in naturally and culturally valuable areas. It includes border areas of Poland and Ukraine distinguished by high biodiversity and interesting historical and socio-cultural as well as economic spatial features. It is considered a peripheral region [20]. As recognised by other authors, e.g., [11,21,22], sustainable tourism is regarded as an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of such regions by exploiting their unique natural, cultural, and social potential.

The main aim of this study is to present a model of tourism functioning in large-scale protected areas in the Roztocze region (Roztocze National Park; four Landscape Parks—Szczebrzeszyn, Krasnobród, Puszcza Solska, South Roztocze; two Roztocze Protected Landscape Areas—one in Lubelskie Voivodship, the other in Podkarpackie Voivodship) in the context of sustainable tourism using the method of multidimensional comparative analysis. In addition, an application-based objective is to develop recommendations for a proposal of long-term environmentally safe directions of tourism development.

Setting the objectives is supported by the following research tasks: (1) acquisition of data and preparation of a unified database thereof; (2) calculation of the partial indicators for potential tourist attractions (PIPTA), the accommodation base (PIPAB), the function—tourist attractions (PIFTA), and the accommodation base (PIFAB); (3) calculation of synthetic indicators of tourism potential (SITP) and tourism function (SITF); (4) illustration of the values of all calculated partial and synthetic indicators in a two-dimensional space with respect to the ray symbolising the state of sustainable tourism development; (5) introduction of straight lines into the two-dimensional space presenting average values of all calculated indicators; (6) evaluation of the position of the analysed protected areas with respect to the ray symbolising the state of sustainable tourism development and with respect to the fields determined by the lines of average values of all indicators; (7) preparation of recommendations.

2. Features of Large-Scale Protected Areas in the Roztocze Region

Roztocze is a cross-border geographical region in central-eastern Poland, on the eastern border of the European Union and Ukraine. It is marked in the landscape as a distinct range of hills stretching from Kraśnik to Lwów. Its overall length is about 180 km, with 110 km within Polish borders, and its width varies from a dozen to twenty-something kilometres [23]. It is marked by distinct edges, several dozens of metres high. It is characterised by a varied land surface conditioned by its geological structure. The region dominated by Late Cretaceous carbonate-siliceous rocks covered by Miocene limestone in the south-western part and by loess in the western part. Absolute heights rise from about 300 m a.s.l. at the northwestern end to 390 m a.s.l. at the southeastern end [24]. The region is a second-order watershed between the Bug, Wieprz, and San rivers. It is distinguished by high abundance of groundwater, numerous and efficient springs, and low density of the river network [25]. The location of the Roztocze region between the Polish highlands and the Carpathian Mountains, in the zone of disappearing Atlantic climate influences and increasing continental climate influences and in the range of mixed temperate zone forests (beech, fir, spruce) and forest–steppe, makes the region concentrate very diverse biogeographical elements—Holarctic, Mediterranean, and Iranian–Turanian. It also provides a frontier for numerous animal species [26].

As a borderland area, Roztocze is distinguished by a significant saturation of cultural resources with a marked religious and national diversity. This diversity is reflected, among other things, in the naming of settlements, spatial arrangements of settlements, and architecture, especially sacred and secular [26,27].

Economically, the region has an agricultural character. The land use structure is dominated by arable land (32%) and forests (31%) [28].

The above-mentioned conditions formed the basis for the development of natural and cultural landscape features, which are subject to legal protection due to their uniqueness in Poland and Europe.

The most important forms of large-scale protection in Poland include national and landscape parks and protected landscape areas [29] (p. 27). There are seven such forms in the Roztocze region, i.e., the Roztocze National Park, four Landscape Parks—Szczebrzeszyn, Krasnobród, Puszcza Solska, and South Roztocze, and two Roztocze Protected Landscape Areas—one in Lubelskie Voivodship and the other in Podkarpackie Voivodship (Figure 1,

Table 1. Greater Roztocze protected areas and communes within their borders.

Forms of Nature Protection	Area of Forms of Protection (km2)	Name of Commune	Share of Protected Area within Communes (%)
Roztocze Park National Park	84.7	Zwierzyniec	51.83
		Adamów	2.97
		Józefów	1.44
		Zamość	0.02
Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park	193.7	Radecznica	86.64
		Szczebrzeszyn	23.31
		Zwierzyniec	17.88
		Frampol	15.67
		Tereszpol	12.75
		Sułów	5.26
		Goraj	1.44
		Biłgoraj	0.41
Krasnobród Landscape Park	94.5	Krasnobród	51.81
		Tomaszów Lubelski	10.18
		Susiec	3.46
		Józefów	2.03
		Adamów	2.00
Puszcza Solska Landscape Park	293.9	Łukowa	48.44
		Susiec	45.81
		Narol	29.45
		Józefów	28.45
		Obsza	17.32
		Cieszanów	7.28
		Aleksandrów	5.54
South Roztocze Landscape Park	202.3	Lubycza Królewska	16.54
		Narol	14.81
		Horyniec-Zdrój	67.77
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Podkarpackie Voivodship)	312.4	Horyniec-Zdrój	32.20
		Narol	55.75
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Lubelskie Voivodship)	200.0	Batorz	56.02
		Chrzanów	97.53
		Dzwola	3.92
		Godziszów	61.98
		Modliborzyce	18.14

Source: own research.

).

The Roztocze National Park is the most important large-scale form of nature conservation in the Roztocze region. The beginning of nature protection in its area dates back to 1934, when the first nature reserve Bukowa Góra was established. After the end of World War II, efforts were made to establish a national park in this area. The multiyear design, organisational, scientific, and administrative work was successful. The park, covering an area of approximately 48.1 km², was established in 1974. Its range was later expanded several times [30]. Currently, it covers the areas of four communes, mainly the commune of Zwierzyniec (Table 1). Almost 96% of its land use is covered by forests. There are pine forests (55.8%), fir forests (19.4%), and Carpathian beech forests (17.4%). Its most valuable fragments: Jarugi, Bukowa Góra (Figure 2b), Nart, Czerkies, and Międzyrzeki are subject to strict protection. The Wieprz, Świerszcz, and Szum rivers flow through the park area. The Echo Ponds (Figure 2a) in this area are used as a bathing site, which attracts around 70,000 people annually [31,32].

The object of the park’s protection is to preserve and maintain the unique landscape of the Central Polish and European uplands with its natural biodiversity, to preserve cultural values, and to shape appropriate human attitudes towards the natural environment [33].

The park is available for science, education, and tourism. The Education and Museum Centre, together with the Tourist Information Point in Zwierzyniec, is the main tourist service centre. More than 50 km of hiking trails, 11 nature trails, and two bicycle routes are available for tourists. Along the tourist routes, an off-road educational and tourist base (Izba Leśna and Gajówka Komanówka in Florianka) functions in revitalised historic buildings [33,34]. Tourist movement in the park is estimated at around 358,000 per year [35].

Located in the immediate vicinity of the park, Zwierzyniec is the main tourist destination, closely related to the functioning of the park. The town owes its existence to the Zamoyski family. For more than 420 years, it has primarily served as a recreational and leisure destination, with industrial and administrative functions [36]. Its spatial layout dates back to the 18th–19th centuries. Most of the historical buildings are connected with the Zamoyski family (buildings of the Ordynat estate management—the Administration Palace and the Ordynat’s Palace, the Plenipotentiary’s Palace, the Baroque Church of St John Nepomucen, the brewery buildings) [37]. The offer of attractions has been enriched by a nationwide cultural event—the Summer Film Academy.

The accommodation base is located in the nearby towns—Zwierzyniec, Obrocz, and Guciów. It is diversified, as it includes holiday resorts, hotels, guest houses, school youth hostels, training and recreation centres, youth hostels, guest rooms, agrotourism accommodation, and camping fields.

Cognitive tourism (natural, cultural, festival, sightseeing), qualified tourism (hiking, cycling, canoeing, horse riding), and recreational tourism (agrotourism) are developing on the basis of the existing resources in the park and its surroundings. Short-term stays or stays of several days dominate mainly in the summer season [24,31].

Located in the western part of the Roztocze region, the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park covers the areas of eight communes (Figure 1, Table 1). The area is distinguished by extremely varied relief. The landscape consists of hills reaching 340 m above sea level (e.g., Mt Dąbrowa 343.8 m a.s.l.) separated by a dense network of river valleys and gullies. Their occurrence is supported by the thick loess cover. They form highly branched, long (up to several kilometres) systems. Their average density is as high as 9 km/km² [23].

The fertile brown soils favour agricultural activity. This is reflected in the agro-forestry landscape, which has been shaped over the centuries. It is formed by the spatial arrangements of narrow fields separated by high baulks, with mid-field trees, mid-forest settlements, and enclaves. It is a unique cultural landscape of European significance (Figure 2c). Arable land accounts for about 68% of the park’s area, and forests constitute about 28% [38]. Carpathian beech and upland fir forest communities predominate in the area [39].

Few cultural heritage elements have been preserved in the park and its immediate vicinity. Among the best known is the early medieval settlement in Sąsiadka from the 11th century—a remnant of one of the Czerwieńskie Grody—Sutiejsk [40]. Also of interest are the multicultural monuments of Szczebrzeszyn (synagogue, Jewish cemetery, Renaissance churches, Greek Catholic/Orthodox church), another element of the Czerwieńskie Grody [41].

Radecznica with its 17th-century Baroque sacred complex is an important pilgrimage site, which attracts around 15,000 visitors annually [32]. The area is characterised by chapels and roadside statues. Examples of traditional homesteads and wooden houses from the 19th and early 20th centuries have also been preserved, as well as individual wooden water mills and windmills [42]. Based on its history and functions, several important cultural events of national importance take place in the area. The most important of these is the Capital of the Polish Language Festival in Szczebrzeszyn, which attracts around 12,000 tourists in the summer season [43].

The tourist resources predestine the area for the development of sightseeing, cultural, pilgrimage, qualified tourism (hiking, cycling, water tourism), and recreation (agrotourism). Almost all accommodation facilities and equipment are concentrated in Szczebrzeszyn. They are used mainly in summer season queries and field inventories. The main tourist destinations in the area are Szczebrzeszyn and Radecznica [44].

The Krasnobród Landscape Park is located in the central part of the Roztocze region, in the area of five communes (Figure 1, Table 1). Its landscape is characterised by single hills of varying heights reaching a maximum of about 386.5 m above sea level (Wapielnia). They are separated by the valleys of the Sopot, Jacynka, and Wieprz rivers. Along their channels, there are numerous and efficient springs—the Sopot in Husiny and the Wieprz in Hutki and Krasnobród. The springs in Krasnobród-Podklasztor and in the St Roch reserve, associated with the history of revelations and considered medicinal, are visited by pilgrims [32,45]. The waters of the Wieprz and Jacynka feed water reservoirs used as bathing beaches in Krasnobród and Jacnia [32]. Due to the poor soils (mainly brown soils), a forest–agricultural landscape prevails; forests account for about 61% of the park’s area and agricultural land constitutes about 39% [46]. Fresh pine forest and mixed forests with a high proportion of fir and beech predominate. Their most valuable fragments are protected in the reserves of St Roch and Zarośle [47]. These forests influence the climate characteristics. The mildly stimulating local climate and the deposits of peat (the low peatbog type, “Majdan Wielki”) in the Wieprz valley were the basis for Krasnobród obtaining the status of a health resort [48].

The leading cultural attractions of the park are associated with Krasnobród, which is visited annually by approximately 100,000 tourists [32]. The most valuable of these are: the 17th/18th-century church and monastery complex, the 19th-century Chapel on the Water, the 18th-century Chapel of St Roch in Zagórze (Figure 2d), and the Baroque palace and park complex (now a sanatorium for children) Outside the city, historic wooden houses and homesteads from the 19th/20th centuries have been preserved in the neighbouring villages of Hucisko, Hutków, Majdan Wielki, Majdan Mały, Stara Huta, and Szur. There are numerous chapels, shrines and wayside crosses in the park [42,49].

The tourist resources predestine the area for the development of sightseeing, cultural, pilgrimage, qualified tourism (hiking, cycling, water tourism), recreation, and agrotourism as well as health tourism. Krasnobród is the main tourist destination. This is where most of the accommodation base of the analysed area is concentrated. In contrast to the other tourist destinations in the Roztocze region, it is a holiday resort with a large number of beds, accounting for over 60% of the total [50]. In addition, guest rooms and agrotourism accommodation are offered in the nearby villages of Hutki, Nowa Wieś, Kaczórki, Grabnik Górny, Jacnia, and Wólka Husińska. The accommodation facilities are used mainly during the summer season [44]. There is a sanatorium in operation throughout the year with over 140 beds [51].

The Puszcza Solska Landscape Park is located in the central part of the Roztocze region, on its border with the Sandomierz Basin. It covers the areas of seven communes (Figure 1, Table 1). Within the boundaries of the Roztocze region, the characteristic elements of the landscape are vast areas of flatlands 300–315 m a.s.l., hills that overlie the edge of the region (307 m a.s.l.), and relatively wide valleys of the Tanew River with its tributaries, Szum and Sopot. In the narrowed and deeply incised sections of the valleys of these rivers, there are steep rapids (low waterfalls) where the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) gaizes are exposed, which are the oldest in the area. Measuring about 1.5 m, the waterfall on the Jeleń River near Susiec is the highest one. These characteristic elements of the relief have been placed under reserve protection—Szum in the commune of Józefów and Czartowe Pole and Nad Tanwią (Figure 2e) in the Susiec commune [52]. They enjoy high tourist interest generating annual movement of 45–55 thousand (Czartowe Pole) and 80–100 thousand (Nad Tanwią) visitors. In addition, the surface water resources are supplemented by the lagoons on the Niepryszka River in Józefów on the Sopot River in Majdan Sopocki fulfilling a recreational function [32]. The geotouristic attractions in the park include numerous excavations of Miocene limestone and shell conglomerates, e.g., in Huta Różaniecka. Visited by more than 31,500 tourists per year, the Babia Dolina quarry in Józefów is the most popular quarry. In terms of use, the park is dominated by forest complexes accounting for almost 88% of the total area. Fresh coniferous forest (43%) and wet coniferous forest (17%) predominate. Riparian forests and alder forests are characteristic in the river valleys [32,52].

The natural attractions of the park are enriched mainly by the multicultural monuments of the town of Józefów—the 19th century parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the synagogue from the 18th/19th century, and the Jewish cemetery. Interesting are the remains of old industrial plants—an 18th-century paper mill in Hamernia in the Sopot River valley and a wooden 19th-century mill in Susiec on the Jeleń River. Located near Józefów, Górecko Kościelne is also a well-known local pilgrimage centre. The spatial layout of the village from 1582, the larch parish church of St. Stanislaus from the 18th century, and the 19th century historic wooden chapels (Pod Dębami, Na Wodzie) surrounded by six monumental pedunculate oaks have been preserved in this area [52].

The tourist resources predestine the park area for the development of sightseeing, cultural, pilgrimage, and qualified tourism (hiking, cycling, water tourism), recreation, and agrotourism. Susiec and Józefów are the main tourist destinations of the area [32]. The analysed area has a diverse accommodation base. In Susiec, there is a hotel, holiday centres, and guest houses, while in the other towns there are tourist cottages, private accommodation, agrotourism farms, and youth hostels.

The South Roztocze Landscape Park is located in the eastern part of the Roztocze region, adjacent to the Polish border with Ukraine (Figure 1, Table 1). The element distinguishing this Park from the other analysed areas are the remnant hills—the highest in the Polish part of the Roztocze region—Długi Goraj (395 m a.s.l.), Krągły Goraj, and Wielki Dział (390 m a.s.l. each). These hills overlie a high plateau reaching about 350 m a.s.l. dissected by deep valleys of the Tanew and Rata rivers and gorges [53]. The park is characterised by high forest cover, reaching about 70% of the area. The communities are dominated by pine stands. The remaining areas are used for agriculture. This activity is carried out on brown soils and on rendzina [54]. The Miocene petrified trees are a unique geological peculiarity of the park [55]. Their exhibition can be seen in the Museum of Petrified Trees in Siedliska, which is visited by about 4000 people annually.

There are valuable cultural attractions in the park due to its location in the zone of interpenetration of religions and cultures. There are numerous historic Greek-Catholic Orthodox churches, including those in Wola Wielka, Hrebenne, Siedliska, Werchrata, and Prusie (ruins). Of interest are the ruins of the Basilian monastery complex from the 17th century in Monastyr. Unique elements of the park’s cultural landscape are the original stone crosses, statues, and tombstones, e.g., in Brusno Stare, Wola Wielka, and Prusie, made of local Miocene limestone in the former stonemasonry centre in Brusno Stare. The military attractions related to the World War II period include earthen fortifications and bunkers, the so-called Molotov Line [27,56,57,58].

The tourist attractions predestine the park for the development of sightseeing, cultural, and qualified tourism (hiking, cycling). The tourist traditions are very short in the area. The accommodation base (private accommodation, pilgrim’s house, chalets) is poorly developed. Seasonal short-stay tourism prevails. The most important villages from the point of view of tourism development are Siedliska and Werchrata [32].

The Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodeship includes the area of two communes (Figure 1, Table 1). In the landscape, there is a plateau of about 330 m above sea level dissected by dry valleys and the Tanew basin near Narol. The edge zone of the Roztocze region has deep valleys of a few rivers—e.g., the Łówczanka River [59]. The area is characterised by a large number of springs (1 spring per 5 km²) [25]. Their waters, containing sulphate ions, have medicinal properties. Together with peloids (low peatbogs), they constitute the therapeutic resources on the basis of which the Horyniec-Zdrój spa operates [60]. The land use structure is dominated by agricultural land—about 50%. Large areas are occupied by forests—about 46%. These include continental mixed coniferous forest with a predominance of pine and subcontinental oak–hornbeam [59].

There are numerous cultural attractions in the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, the Greek Catholic church complex of St. Paraskeva from the 16th–19th centuries in Radruż is the most valuable (Figure 2f). It is visited by around 20,000 people every year. In addition, there are numerous historic Greek-Catholic Orthodox churches, including those in Narol-Krupiec and Nowe Brusno, historic Roman Catholic buildings, including churches in Lipsko, Narol, Płazów, and Horyniec-Zdrój, and the Franciscan monastery complex in Horyniec-Zdrój from the 18th century. The original stone crosses, statues, and tombstones in the multicultural cemeteries, including those in Nowe Brusno, Radruż, and Horyniec-Zdrój, are unique elements of the cultural landscape of the area and the buffer zone. Other important secular monuments include the palace complexes of the Poniński family in Horyniec-Zdrój, the Łoś family in Narol, and the Brunicki and Wattman family complexes in Ruda Różaniecka. The military attractions include earthen fortifications and bunkers, the so-called Molotov Line [27,56,57,58].

The tourist attractions predestine the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area for the development of health, sightseeing, cultural, and qualified tourism (hiking, cycling). Apart from Horyniec-Zdrój, tourist traditions are very short in this area. With the exception of the sanatorium facilities and guesthouses in Horyniec-Zdrój and the hotels and tourist cottages in Narol and Ruda Różaniecka, the accommodation base is poorly developed. Due to the spa nature of Horyniec-Zdrój, year-round tourism prevails here, while seasonal short-term tourism is characteristic of the rest of the area. The most important tourist destinations include Horyniec-Zdrój, Radruż, and Narol [32].

The Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lubelskie Voivodeship is located within the borders of five communes (Figure 1, Table 1). It covers a vast area of a plateau with an altitude of over 300 m (maximum 336.6 m a.s.l.). It is characterised by significant gradients (more than 100 m). Located in the western part of the Roztocze region, it is distinguished by a thicker loess cover (up to 20 m) with deep dry valleys and gullies. This area includes the watershed zone of the Wieprz and San rivers. The largest water voids in Poland are associated with it. In contrast to the scarcity of surface water, the area is distinguished by its significant groundwater abundance. This is evidenced by its few but efficient springs—such as the Biała Łada in Malinie [61].

Given the fertile brown soils, the land use structure is dominated by agricultural land—approximately 75%. The share of forests is small—only about 22%. These are mostly multi-species deciduous subcontinental oak-hornbeam forests. Small areas are occupied by Carpathian beech and riparian forest in the valley bottoms [61].

There are few cultural attractions in the Area. The attractive agricultural landscape with a characteristic arrangement of fields and baulks is a distinguishing feature. Numerous chapels and wayside crosses are typical [61].

In relation to the characteristics of the terrain and climatic conditions, there are ski lifts in Batorz and Chrzanów during the winter season, which are used by approximately 40,000 people per year [24].

The tourist attractions predestine this Roztocze Protected Landscape Area for the development of sightseeing and qualified tourism (skiing, hiking, cycling). The tourist traditions in this area are very short [24]. The accommodation base consists of single agrotourism facilities located near the ski infrastructure, mainly in Batorz.

3. Materials and Methods

In this study, a model was prepared to help determine the status of tourism operations in seven large-scale protected areas in the Roztocze region in the context of sustainable tourism development.

In accordance with the adopted research procedure, the study area was established in the first stage. Since all data necessary for the research are compiled within the borders of administrative units (mainly communes), the research area was selected according to the following criteria: (1) the location of the protected areas within the boundaries of the communes located in the Roztocze region; (2) the inclusion of the communes with the largest percentage of their area in the total of the protected area and/or the concentration of tourist attractions and accommodation (

Table 2. Area accepted for the study.

Forms of Nature Protection	Area of Forms of Protection (km2)	Name of Commune	Share of Protected Area within Communes (%)
Roztocze Park National Park	27.5	Zwierzyniec	51.83
Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park	124.1	Radecznica	86.64
		Szczebrzeszyn	23.31
Krasnobród Landscape Park	67.9	Krasnobród	51.81
		Adamów	2.00
Puszcza Solska Landscape Park	183.3	Susiec	45.81
		Narol	29.45
		Józefów	28.45
South Roztocze Landscape Park	202.2	Lubycza Królewska	16.54
		Narol	14.81
		Horyniec-Zdrój	67.77
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Podkarpackie Voivodship)	178.7	Horyniec-Zdrój	33.20
		Narol	55.75
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Lubelskie Voivodship)	109.6	Batorz	56.02
		Chrzanów	97.53

Source: own research.

, Figure 1).

With the essence of the proposed model in mind, the functioning of tourism in the highlighted areas was examined. This picture was obtained by calculating the size of the tourism potential and function. The tourist potential was assumed to include the number of tourist attractions (natural and cultural) and the number of beds [62,63]. The data on the number of natural and cultural attractions and the number of overnight stays were obtained using the field inventory method from primary sources and the query method from secondary sources [42,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79].

The degree of development of the tourism function was determined following Matczak [80] on the basis of the number of tourists visiting tourist attractions and the number of people using accommodation. The volume of tourist movement for the years 2021–2022 was estimated based on various data sources: (1) data published by the Central Statistical Office (number of tourists in accommodation facilities); (2) data obtained from the tourist information points in Józefów, Krasnobród, and Susiec (number of people using the services of the Tourist Information); (3) estimates of the number of tourists conducted by the communal offices in Radecznica, Szczebrzeszyn, Krasnobród, Józefów, Susiec, Narol, Lubycza Królewska, and Horyniec-Zdrój; (4) interviews (e.g., Borderland Museum in Lubaczów, Museum in Siedliska); (5) monitoring of cycling and walking tourists movement carried out by the Marshal Office in Lublin; (6) websites of the Polish Tourist Society [81]; (7) data from home websites of the sites; (8) the study conducted by Kruczek and Nowak [35]. To this end, inventory and query methods were employed (Figure 3).

Next, the collected data were processed. The taxonomic method of multivariate comparative analysis [82] was used with reference to Hellwig’s development pattern [83].

At the outset, diagnostic variables defining the tourism potential and function were defined (

Table 3. Diagnostic variables of the potential and function grouped into spheres with adopted measures and weight units.

Spheres	Symbols [x]	Diagnostic Variables	Unit of Potential	Unit of Function	Protected Areas (ith)	Weight of Variable
Natural attractions	x1	flora peculiarities	number of objects/1 km2	number of tourists/km2	Roztocze National Park Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park Krasnobród Landscape Park Puszcza Solska Landscape Park South Roztocze Landscape Park Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Podkarpackie Voivodship) Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Lubelskie Voivodship)	0.5
	x2	rocks and groups of rocks
	x3	gullies, ravines
	x4	river valleys
	x5	springs
	x6	steep rapids (waterfalls)
	x7	caves
	x8	disused and active quarries
	x9	outcrops
	x10	dunes
	x11	heritage parks
	x12	museums and nature collections
	x13	viewpoints
	x14	water reservoirs/recreational lagoons
	x15	educational paths/trails
	x16	Forest cover	0–20.0% = 0 points (objects)/1 km2 20.1–40.0% = 1 point (object)/1 km2 40.1–60.0% = 2 points (objects)/1 km2 60.1–80.0% = 3 points (objects)/1 km2 80.1–100.0% = 4 points (objects)/1 km2
Cultural attractions	x17	fortified settlements	number of objects/1 km2	number of tourists/km2	Roztocze National Park Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park Krasnobród Landscape Park Puszcza Solska Landscape Park South Roztocze Landscape Park Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Podkarpackie Voivodship) Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Lubelskie Voivodship)
	x18	historical urban layouts
	x19	historical rural layouts
	x20	churches and church and monastery complexes
	x21	orthodox churches and orthodox church complexes
	x22	synagogues
	x23	Jewish cemeteries
	x24	historical cemeteries
	x25	chapels, shrines, and wayside crosses
	x26	castle, palace and manor complexes
	x27	historic residential buildings
	x28	historic public utility buildings
	x29	historic technical and industrial buildings
	x30	historic military building
	x31	museums, collections and open-air museums
	x32	events
Accommodation facilities	x33	hotels	number of objects/1 km2	number of tourists in accommodation facilities/km2	Roztocze National Park Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park Krasnobród Landscape Park Puszcza Solska Landscape Park South Roztocze Landscape Park Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Podkarpackie Voivodship) Roztocze Protected Landscape Area (Lubelskie Voivodship)	0.5
	x34	motels
	x35	resorts
	x36	boarding houses
	x37	guest rooms
	x38	agrotourist accommodation
	x39	hostels

). Following Gołembski et al. [84], the numerical values of the two adopted point components—potential and function—were related to a specific unit of measurement, i.e., the area of each of the study areas. Forest cover within each area was calculated using GIS tools. The percentage of forest cover in each area was then determined and classified into the adopted classes and equivalent points were awarded to the sites (Table 3). The following matrix was the basis for the arrangement of the diagnostic variables [x1–x39] in the seven protected areas (ith) (1):

$$\mathit{Xij}=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}x1& \dots & x3\\ \dots & \dots & \dots \\ xn1& \dots & xnm\end{array}\right]$$

(1)

where Xij is the value of the j variable in the ith protected area.

The next stage resulted in acquisition of comparable values of diagnostic variables defining the tourism potential and function related to attractions and accommodation facilities (Figure 3, stage 4b). It comprised three activities:

(1) Calculation of preliminary values for each diagnostic variable using Formula (2):

yij = xij,

(2)

where i—protected area number (i = 1,…, m), j—item number (j = 1,…, n), xij—value of feature j in the ith protected area, yij—value of a stimulant item j in the ith protected area.

It was assumed that all the analysed variables stimulate the development of tourism; hence, the initial position xj is a stimulant, so it becomes yj without conversion (2).

(2) In the next step of the procedure—the calculation of tourism potential and function indicators with the taxonomic method of multivariate comparative analysis—all 39 diagnostic variables (features) were grouped into 2 spheres (Table 3).

(3) The numerical values of the diagnostic variables adopted to assess the tourism potential and function within the boundaries of the spheres were then summed and divided by the area of each of the seven analysed areas, respectively. This yielded preliminary values of the tourism potential and function for the adopted spheres (total attractions and accommodation facilities) in each of them (

Table 4. Preliminary values of tourism potential and function in the analysed areas.

Analysed Areas	Preliminary Values of Tourism Potential		Preliminary Values of Tourism Function
	Diagnostic Variables of
	Attractions (Stimulants y1–y32)	Accommodation Base (Stimulants y33–y39)	Attractions (Stimulants y1–y32)	Accommodation Base (Stimulants y33–y39)
Roztocze National Park	2.109	56.327	17,013.782	433.382
Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park	0.564	3.167	281.265	32.877
Krasnobród Landscape Park	0.693	16.481	813.808	37.649
Puszcza Solska Landscape Park	0.928	57.320	1498.601	280.044
South Roztocze Landscape Park	0.480	1.538	23.318	4.946
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodship	0.543	7.700	111.919	69.015
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lubelskie Voivodship	0.196	0.351	280.702	0.000

Source: own research.

).

Next, the variables were normalised (Figure 3, stage 4c) using Equation (3).

nij = yij/yij_max,

(3)

where yij is the initial value of each diagnostic variable in the ith protected area and yij_max is the highest value of the initial diagnostic variable in the ith protected area.

This was performed using the quotient transformation method, and the preliminary tourism potential values expressed in different units were compared [84]. The maximum value of each variable obtained for the analysed protected area was taken as a reference point. The variable normalisation results are presented in

Table 5. Normalised values of tourism potential and function in the analysed areas.

Analysed Areas	Normalised Values of Tourism Potential of		Normalised Values of Tourism Function
	Attractions	Accommodation Base	Attractions	Accommodation Base
Roztocze National Park	1.000	0.983	1.000	1.000
Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park	0.267	0.055	0.017	0.076
Krasnobród Landscape Park	0.329	0.288	0.048	0.087
Puszcza Solska Landscape Park	0.440	1.000	0.088	0.646
South Roztocze Landscape Park	0.228	0.027	0.001	0.011
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodship	0.257	0.134	0.007	0.159
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lubelskie Voivodship	0.093	0.006	0.016	0.000

Source: own research.

.

Thus, all the normalised values of the variables were in the range of 0.000–1.000 (where 1.000 was the highest normalised value of the analysed variable for the protected area and 0.000 was the lowest value).

The next step consisted in calculation of partial indicators of the potential and function of each of the diagnostic variables as the ratio of each normalised value describing the variable and its assigned weight (Figure 3, stage 4d) using Equation (4).

Mij = nij × wj,

(4)

where Mij is the partial measure in the ith protected area, nij is the normalised value of item j in the ith protected area, and wj is the weight assigned to diagnostic variable j.

The weights (importance ranks) were assigned to the diagnostic variables of the potential and function (Table 3) proposed by Gołembski et al. [84]. The sum of weights assigned to the variables was 1.000, with 0.500 for the spheres—a total of two covering natural and cultural attractions and a sphere covering accommodation facilities.

The assignment of weights to the individual characteristics is the most subjective part of the method used. The use of weights stems from the belief that the individual variables, which are partial evaluation criteria, have different importance in the final assessment of each sphere. However, despite the subjectivity in assigning the weights, the relatively large number of characteristics adopted in the study facilitates the elimination of the effects of possible erroneous assumptions, as pointed out by e.g., Greco et al. [82] and Gołembski et al. [84].

This procedure yielded partial indicators: tourist attraction potential (PIPTA), accommodation base potential (PIPAB), tourist attraction function (PIFAT), and accommodation base (PIFAB). The values of the partial indicators are shown in

Table 6. Partial indicators of tourism potential and function in the analysed areas.

Analysed Areas	Partial Indicators of Tourism Potential of		Partial Indicators of Tourism Function
	Attractions (PIPTA)	Accommodation Base (PIPAB)	Attractions (PIFAT)	Accommodation Base (PIFAB)
Roztocze National Park	0.500	0.492	0.500	0.500
Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park	0.134	0.028	0.009	0.038
Krasnobród Landscape Park	0.165	0.144	0.024	0.044
Puszcza Solska Landscape Park	0.220	0.500	0.044	0.323
South Roztocze Landscape Park	0.114	0.014	0.001	0.006
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodship	0.129	0.067	0.004	0.080
Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lubelskie Voivodship	0.047	0.003	0.008	0.000

Source: own research.

.

After calculation of the values of the partial indicators, we proceeded to calculate the values of the synthetic indicators—synthetic indicator tourism potential (SITP) and synthetic indicator tourism function (SITF). This was achieved by summing the values of the partial indicators accordingly (Figure 3, Stage 4e).

The values of partial and synthetic indicators obtained in this way were analysed. In the first step, they were presented in a two-dimensional space. Then, a ray was drawn from the beginning of the coordinate system, symbolising the state of equilibrium between tourism supply and demand, which the authors regard as an expression of sustainable tourism development (Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6). Areas located above this line are characterised by tourism phenomena that retain the characteristics of sustainable tourism, for which no preventive or protective measures need to be taken currently. In contrast, areas located below this line show characteristics of tourism phenomena that threaten the natural, cultural, social, and economic environment.

The resulting models were detailed with a view to preparing recommendations for further long-term tourism management in the analysed areas in order to maintain their sustainable development. To this end, the arithmetic averages of each of the partial indicators—tourist attraction potential (PIPTA) and tourist attraction function (PIFAT)—were marked in the two-dimensional space of the coordinate system. The same procedure was applied to the partial indicators—accommodation base potential (PIPAB) and function (PIFAB)—and to the synthetic measures—synthetic indicator tourism potential (SITP) and synthetic indicator tourism function (SITF) (Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6). This made it possible to distinguish protected areas in which: (1) the potential and the function reached the highest values, (2) the potential reached the highest values and the function reached the lowest values; (3) the function reached the highest values and the potential reached the lowest values; and (4) the potential and the function reached the lowest values.

For this interpretation, it was important to use a uniform statistical method to establish class ranges. Although no uniform procedure has yet been developed for this, it is important to relate the data to a set of values in a uniform way. As shown by Evans [85], the following methods are possible: quantiles, arithmetic mean, multiple standard deviation, and natural limits. The results presented in this paper were obtained with the use of the arithmetic mean method, which gives an unambiguous and comparable reference of class boundaries to a set of values.

4. Results

The obtained values of partial and synthetic indicators made it possible to build a model of the functioning of tourism in the seven analysed large-scale protected areas in the Roztocze region.

The ray symbolising the state of sustainable tourism development is the most important element of the model obtained. The location of the analysed protected areas in relation to it, resulting from the size of the indicators, makes it possible to determine the state of tourism functioning within their borders.

4.1. Model of Functioning of Large-Scale Protected Areas in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development

The results in the form of the magnitude of the potential and function synthetic indicators (Figure 4) indicate that the areas located above the line of the state of sustainable tourism development, i.e., those where no preventive and protective measures need to be taken currently, are all the landscape parks and both protected landscape areas. The only area of concern is the Roztocze National Park, for which SITP is 0.992 and SITF is 1.000. Values close to 1.000 indicate that the area is at the limit of sustainable tourism development. Thus, remedial measures should be taken in order to maintain such a state.

In addition to this overall result, the model also provides information about potential and function components that have influenced this state of affairs. This is illustrated by the magnitudes of the partial potential indicators describing the number of tourist attractions (PIPTA) and accommodation base (PIPAB) and their use (PIFTA, PIFAB) (Figure 5 and Figure 6).

As shown by the results of the study of the size of the Partial Indicators—Potential of Tourist Attractions (PIPTA) and Functions of Tourist Attractions (PIFTA), the Roztocze National Park is an area on the borderline of sustainable use of tourist attractions. In all the other areas, the values of the indicators are low and similar to each other (Figure 5). Hence, it can be concluded that the number of tourists can still be increased in relation to the existing attractions.

The analysis of the relationship between the size of the partial potential indicators of accommodation base (PIPAB) and functions (PIFAB) (Figure 6) shows that the number of accommodation places in the Krasnobród Landscape Park and the Puszcza Solska Landscape Park can safely accommodate even more tourists. The situation is different in the RPN, where the indicator of the number of beds is lower (0.492) than the indicator of their use (0.500). This means that an excess of tourists can already be seen in the area. Considering the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodship and the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park, a shortage in the number of beds can be observed despite the low tourist movement. The other two areas—the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lubelskie Voivodship and the South Roztocze Landscape Park—are still in the initial phase of tourist movement initiation with an almost complete lack of accommodation.

After introducing straight lines presenting the average values of partial indicators of attractions to the model, it was found that in terms of the potential (average 0.187) and their use by tourists (average 0.084), the Roztocze National Park reached its maximum (Figure 5). Also noteworthy is the Krasnobród Landscape Park, where the number of attractions is significant, but it is still possible to increase tourist movement in this area without harming the environment. The remaining areas can safely increase both the number of attractions and the associated tourist movement.

Considering the distribution of the magnitudes of the partial indicators of the number of beds and their use in a two-dimensional space in relation to the average magnitudes (0.178 and 0.142, respectively), it appears that only two of the analysed areas—the Roztocze National Park and the Krasnobród Landscape Park—have the most developed accommodation facilities (Figure 6). Regarding their use, further growth of tourist movement in the accommodation facilities is still possible/acceptable in the Krasnobród Landscape Park, while it is not advisable in the Roztocze National Park. In the other analysed areas, it is still environmentally safe to increase both the number of accommodation facilities and tourist movement, as indicated by the low values of the indicators.

4.2. Recommendations for Actions to Maintain Sustainable Tourism Development in Large-Scale Protected Areas

The results obtained in the study show that:

-

The greatest threat to the functioning of sustainable tourism can be identified in relation to the Roztocze National Park, which is extremely important due to the valuable natural and cultural resources of the area. This is caused by the threshold number of tourists in tourist attractions and the already excessive number of tourists in the accommodation base. Therefore, the volume of tourist movement should already be monitored and, in order to relieve the park, directed to neighbouring areas. In addition, the number of accommodation places in the immediate vicinity of the Roztocze National Park should not be further increased, especially in the town of Zwierzyniec.

-

With regard to the Krasnobród Landscape Park, which is also distinguished by a large number of attractions and accommodation places, with a view to further sustainable tourism development, an increase in the number of attractions and their use can be recommended, while further development of accommodation and related tourist movement should be sensibly planned. This is important, as this protected area is located in close proximity to the Roztocze National Park, which has a direct impact on the number of tourists observed there.

-

With regard to the Puszcza Solska Landscape Park, the magnitudes of the indicators for attractions and accommodation and the tourist movement present there are close to average. Therefore, they can all still be developed without any threat to the environment.

-

With regard to the Szczebrzeszyn Landscape Park and the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Podkarpackie Voivodeship, it can be concluded on the basis of the size of the indicators that they have interesting tourist attractions visited by a small number of tourists. Therefore, it is still possible to freely increase their number and the related tourist movement, e.g., through better promotion. However, the insufficient number of accommodation places in relation to their load by tourists is a problem.

-

With regard to the South Roztocze Landscape Park, it can be concluded that a relatively small number of attractions are still visited by very few tourists. Given the uniqueness of these attractions, they should be better promoted and consequently used. Currently, such changes are hampered by an almost complete lack of accommodation.

-

With regard to the Roztocze Protected Landscape Area in Lublin Voivodeship, it should be noted that it is still in the early stages of development in terms of both attractions and accommodation.

Therefore, with a view to the sustainable development of tourism in the Roztocze region, it is already necessary to redirect tourist movement from its central part, which is linked to the Roztocze National Park area and the Krasnobród Landscape Park to the west and southeast, respectively. Such activities should be strengthened by developing accommodation in these areas, promoting tourist attractions in the border part of Roztocze, and creating attractions in the western part of the region.

5. Discussion

While there are many papers in the literature on the issue of sustainable development, there are still relatively few studies on sustainable tourism in this group. As reported by Roberts et al. [2], these are concentrated in four main strands of pillars of (a) social (including cultural and human), (b) institutional (including governance), (c) ecological (including environmental), and (d) economic (including financial) aspects. By analysing tourist attractions and accommodation facilities and their use by tourists in naturally and culturally valuable areas, this paper touches on all the aspects highlighted above.

The results present the current state of functioning of tourism in the Roztocze region. They show the possibilities and limits (threats) of the development of the specific components in the analysed naturally and culturally valuable areas, contributing to safe and sustainable development. They thus reveal the scope of actions necessary to be taken by specific stakeholders (e.g., development of attractions and accommodation facilities, monitoring tourist traffic, promotion, expanding knowledge). Therefore, in addition to their scientific value, the results of the study have a practical dimension. In addition to the expansion and application of the knowledge, they can contribute to the revival and determination of the correct direction of development of the local economy, as suggested by, e.g., Roberts et al. [2], Huber, Arnberger [18], and Mammadova et al. [19].

The proposed model is important given the current changes in e.g., climate or tourists’ attitudes and requirements as well as policies and legal regulations. They will gradually force stakeholders to implement the principles and practices of a sustainable approach in tourism activities so as to ensure a competitive advantage—building consumer trust in the quality of the rest/recreation site, taking care of their safety and health, as emphasised by e.g., Roberts et al. [2].

The results were possible to acquire with the proposed research procedure, which is one of the few approaches used to measure/assess sustainable tourism development. Aiming to assess the phenomenon as objectively as possible, it is quite complex and labour-intensive, as highlighted by e.g., Hatipoglu et al. [10] and Mika [9]. This is also recognised by Roberts et al. [2], who have found that there are still few studies presenting criteria and methods for assessing sustainable tourism development. Currently, qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and conceptual/review methods are the most commonly used approaches. Based on opinions, many of them bear the hallmarks of high subjectivity [11,12].

The proposed procedure can also be applied to other areas/destinations of tourism and was prepared with this in mind. It would be interesting to compare the results of the present study with others prepared using the same procedure and features for another region. The authors are aware that this may not be easy due to the difficulties in terms of availability and limitations of data necessary for the calculation of the indicators, which is also pointed out by Gúčik, Marciš [14], and the tedious processes of inventory, queries, and precise location of features/objects in space. This situation, however, may quickly change due to the continuous development of IT tools, techniques, and software.

Another important aspect of the application of the proposed procedure in the context of comparability of results is the adoption of an identical set of features facilitating calculation of helpful indicators, which is also pointed out by Lisiak-Zielińska, Ziernicka-Wojtaszek [15].

The procedure described and the results obtained are highly important from the point of view of studies on sustainable tourism development, as both the social and environmental impacts of tourism development are currently not systematically monitored and assessed neither at the regional nor national level. This situation needs to change quickly, which is also pointed out by Gúčik and Marciš [14].

6. Conclusions

A result of the conducted research is a model that shows the spatial differentiation of tourism potential and function in large-scale protected areas in the Roztocze region. It shows that the current state of tourism can be described as sustainable in most of the analysed areas.

The only area that stands out against this background is the Roztocze National Park, where both the number of tourists at attractions and accommodation facilities are the highest in the region, reaching threshold values for sustainable tourism performance indicators. In this case, it is necessary to take action related to monitoring of the environment and tourist movement as well as long-term spatial planning aimed at redirecting tourists to other, less known and less used but equally attractive, parts of the Roztocze region.

In this context, it is very important to take a broad view of the Roztocze protected areas system as a whole. This is because changes introduced in any of these areas will have an impact on the functioning of tourism in neighbouring areas. The best example of this is the Krasnobród Landscape Park, adjacent to the Roztocze National Park. Through its developed accommodation facilities, it has a direct impact on the volume of tourist movement observed in the National Park. Its further development, while still safe for this Landscape Park, may pose a significant threat to the biodiversity of the Roztocze National Park.

The model presented is not complete, as it is based mainly on an analysis of the intensity of tourist movement and the resulting consequences. Nevertheless, it can be further developed through introduction of, e.g., diagnostic variables describing qualitative features.

Another aspect of the research is the methodological insights. In order to obtain reliable results, which are necessary for the correct interpretation of the phenomena, it is necessary to precisely define the basic fields (boundaries of the research area), to correctly select the features, to perform a reliable inventory of elements taken into account in the calculations, to combine quantitative and qualitative research, to apply uniform statistical methods to classify data, and to use appropriate geographical information system (GIS) techniques and tools.

The results obtained using such a procedure also facilitate the preparation of a correct SWOT procedure and the determination of the strategic position of each of the analysed areas. These are extremely important indications for planning and management and for building development strategies, e.g., for naturally and culturally valuable areas.

The authors are aware of the limitations of the prepared and applied research procedure. However, they hope to stimulate a scientific discussion leading to improvement of the research workshop, allowing the development of methods for assessment of the complex phenomenon of sustainable tourism.