Variability of mobile phone network logins in the Białowieża National Park during the 2019 and 2020 summer holiday periods in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract This article analyses the variability of the number of mobile phone network users in and around the Białowieża National Park during the summer holidays in 2019 and 2020 based on Call Detail Records. The data collected was used to analyse the mobility of Poles in the study area during the SARS CoV 2 pandemic. The research shows that despite the area's peripheral location and the prevailing pandemic, the number of users of the mobile network in the summer of 2020 increased compared with 2019 – by 20.2% in July and 14.3% in August. The increase in users logged in results from the increased number of tourists who were looking for remote places that could afford them some protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the summer of 2020.