Domestic Tourism Preferences of Polish Tourist Services’ Market in Light of Contemporary Socio-economic Challenges

Abstract

The available literature insufficiently explores the themes of socio-economic conditions determining the state of Polish tourism sector. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and its economic impact is an important factor creating the contemporary operating reality. Recognising the important role of tourism in the Polish economy and the diagnosed gap in the literature, it was considered reasonable and valuable to scientifically identify the presented issues, with particular emphasis on the national dimension of tourism activity. The aim of this paper is to analyse and evaluate domestic tourists’ preferences in the tourism sector in Poland and in particular, in the coastal town of Ustka. A survey was conducted to investigate these preferences. The methodology in terms of detailed research is statistical survey instruments—correlation of variables, logit function model together with odds ratio findings, for the estimation of variables, using PQstat software. Findings point to the significant impact of external environment conditions on the state of the domestic tourism industry in Poland. The key condition negatively affecting the sales of domestic tourism services is the impoverishment of the Polish community, which is a derivative of high inflation caused by the pandemic and reinforced by the armed conflict in Ukraine. Expenditure on travel is significantly reduced in domestic visitors' budgets, the length of journeys is shortened, and the cost of accommodation is optimized. The above, on the one hand, increases flexibility and reduces the cost of travel, while on the other hand, it has a negative impact on the sales value of tourism services of entities running in the explored industry. The results enrich the source material that can be used by decision-makers in designing a marketing strategy for the development of the domestic tourism services sector in Poland.