Purpose. Discussion on the current situation regarding the presence and formal preparation of strategic documents concerning the development of tourism in Polish cities. Method. An Internet query was performed, along with an analysis of strategic documents; the number of the documents was determined and compared in formal respects. Results. The query performed, which refers to the strategies written down and published, has shown that only a few Polish cities possess such documents. They are not created according to a single model and in certain aspects, they diverge from the academic recommendations for this type of documents. Research limitations and conclusions. The analysed strategic documents only referred to the development of tourism in cities and the analysis only encompassed formal evaluation. Practical implications. Current and existing strategic documents were identified and analysed. Originality of study. Issues related to strategic planning and its practical implications in the context of tourism development are rarely discussed in academic theses, in particular with reference to Polish local government units. Type of work. The article presents the results of strategic document analyses.

Introduction. The spa industry has been rapidly growing throughout Europe in recent years, which has led to an associated increase in educational demand in spa management. The aim of the study was to identify the most important needs for training and the most significant skills among the spa managers and their personnel throughout Europe. Moreover, it was to research the background of spas were the study had taken place. Material and methods. 30 managers took part in semi structured interviews that used a pre-prepared questionnaire. The answers were analysed with Wilcoxon signed rank test and also the mean values were compared. Results. The needs for training and importance of skills vary from country to country but common areas of interest are: sales, marketing, quality and innovation management, legal regulations, operational and social skills. The complex character of answers to questionnaire was a result of different spa business models and differing domestic spa markets as well as variety of legal environments. Conclusions. Spa tourism creates a significant income among the other tourism disciplines since that further research is needed. Demands for the spa education differed accordingly to a stage of each country spa business development. Spa managers tend to express higher training needs for their employees than for themselves.

Purpose. Discussion regarding the development potential of large cities with respect to the idea of slow tourism, especially in the context of designated areas of specific city districts. References were made to the city of Cracow. Method. Analysis of literature on the subject made references to issues related to the idea of slow movement with respect to cities (slow city) and tourism (slow tourism). Analysis of Cracow’s case, in the context of the establishment of a slow district which is scheduled in the city, allowed for practical references with respect to the discussed issue. Findings. The performed analyses showed the complexity of the issue of slow movement, but also its attractiveness for large cities and tourists (e.g. on account of environmental protection). However, popularisation of the idea of slow movement also entails risks, especially related to its mass character and, in effect, its commercialisation. Research and conclusion limitations. Analysis of literature on the subject only referred to a fragment of the issue and case analysis focused on only one municipal centre. Practical implications. References were made to specific binding tasks from the Tourism Development Strategy of Cracow. Originality. References were made to a large municipal centre which, in the context of the slow movement idea, is a rare subject of academic papers. The subject matter was connected to specific examples of slow districts, planned in the strategic document for Cracow. Type of paper. Overview-type article and case study.

Purpose. Presentation of the current situation to the extent of touristic arrivals to Antarctica, in view of measuring the scale and structure of incoming tourism recorded at the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (King George Island, South Shetland Islands). Method. The number of persons arriving to the Arctowski Station was measured and subjects interviewed according to a standardised questionnaire. Findings. Research has indicated that there is constant interest in visiting Antarctica. These travellers are mainly people from Europe and North America, in particular seniors, with higher education, professionally active or retired, affluent and usually travelling individually. Research and conclusions limitations. Carrying out measurements regarding the scale and structure of incoming tourism is connected with various limitations, including the way in which such measurements are conducted, the access and quality of source materials or the human factor, i.e. interviewers. Practical implications. This article refers to the latest data concerning the number of persons arriving to the Arctowski Station and the structure of the tourist traffic, whichconstitute basic information for, among others, the tour operators. Originality. The problem involving the scale and structure of tourism, especially in polar regions, is still current and extremely significant due to the importance of the global ecosystem. Research on the structure of incoming tourism to Antarctica, according to the measurements at the Station, has been recently conducted and presented for the first time. Type of paper. In the article, the results of the authors research, similar to those relevant from literature, are presented.