Attitudes of Tourists Towards Hoteliers' Aid for Refugees From Ukraine in Krynica-Zdrój

Abstract

In the chapter, three hotels' representatives and touristic town of Krynica Zdrój representatives were interviewed to find out about the context of exceptional in numbers hosting of Ukrainian refugees by local hoteliers. The results were used to conclude tourists' attitudes towards the humanitarian choice by the hoteliers. Krynica Zdrój is a small touristic location in South-East Poland, not too far from Ukrainian borders, which is helping on a large scale to accommodate Ukrainians, but nevertheless is vulnerable to tourist attitudes; before the Covid pandemic Polish tourists tended to choose the location more and more often, generating income to hotels and town. The results show, among others, that the situation and also tourists' attitudes are determined by political bias, mixed feelings towards charity efforts and possible media inflammatory coverage. The study, tackling a current issue with global dimensions, contributes to the development of emergency situations culture in the hospitality sector and building of good practices that could be used by hoteliers during emergencies.