Transformation of the Landscape in the Conditions of the Slovak Republic for Tourism

Abstract

Tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy in Slovakia. With the orientation of localities to tourism, the landscape transformation is reflected in several positive and negative changes in the landscape. The aim of the contribution is to highlight the transformation processes leading to the creation of a tourist landscape in six selected localities in Slovakia. When selecting sites, we applied criteria such as the diversity of the original use, size or attractiveness. The environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism on the landscape of localities were valuable in terms of sustainable development principles. From the methodological point of view, the primary methodology was the drivers–pressures–state–impact–response (DPSIR) model, used for integrated environmental assessment and the life cycle methodology of a tourism center with integrated sustainable development indicators. In the work results, based on the analysis of the historical development and the current state of localities, we evaluate their phase of the life cycle and the effects of tourism on the environment. We also present the possibilities of further development and heading direction of localities from point of view of tourism while pointing out the benefits and risks connected with the planned development.

Increased appreciation of forests and their restorative effects during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…3 H), whereby production functions scored the highest discontent among all items. Interestingly, the forest recreation function (Q13) lagged behind the ecological function, probably owing to its negative perceived impact on nature in the form of uncontrolled and widely publicized cases of tourism infrastructure development in some national park areas (Oremusová et al 2021 ). Additionally, the ecological function of forests is being widely discussed as an important part of global climate change mitigation efforts (Grassi et al 2017 ).…”

Crowdsourced Geospatial Infrastructure for Coastal Management and Planning for Emerging Post COVID-19 Tourism Demand

“…The first step of this methodology requires an extended and thorough definition of the type of geospatial data that are important and are needed for the project. These data may vary according to the purpose in terms of the various fields of coastal management, such as risk and disaster management [61], human mobility management, real estate management, geoconservation, historical development [62], geoheritage management, and geotourism development [63], as well as planning for emerging tourism activities in new undeveloped areas, such as land use types, hotels, restaurants, bars, sports facilities, housing, schools, demographic data, etc. These datasets may include the following: (a) free and unused public spaces, (b) parking spaces (organized or not), boat storage spots, (c) constructions on the coastal zone (e.g., hotels, bars, restaurants, sport facilities, cinemas/theaters, supermarkets, malls, medical centers/pharmacies, gasoline stations), (d) green areas, rocky areas, (e) municipal lightning and street furniture, (f) pedestrian crossing points, underground crossing points, (g) beaches (organized or not) and facilities for people with special needs, (h) beach umbrellas, (i) access points, road networks, dead ends and path routes, (J) transportation, bus stops, ports, taxi stations (k) municipal authority building, police station, citizen service center, places of religion, (l) port authority, (m) rocky seafront, (n) residential areas, and (o) cultural heritage points of interest (Table 1).…”

Parametric Definition of Slow Tourism Itineraries for Experiencing Seasonal Landscapes. Application of Sentinel-2 Imagery to the Rural Paddy-Rice Landscape in Northern Italy

“…In this framework, new locations characterized by high scenic phenomena related to the seasonal landscape changes (e.g., spring blooming, autumn coloring foliage, controlled floods in the countryside) are emerging as new tourist destinations [11,12]. Landscape and tourism are strongly interlaced, in the sense that landscape, especially when it is considered Sustainability 2021, 13, 13155 2 of 15 from an aesthetical point of view, from the outside, is revealed as a factor of attraction for tourism [13][14][15][16]. In the tourism sector, new digital tools are required to support regional and local authorities in defining new strategies for tourism development to enhance the users' experiences through the seasonal landscapes.…”