Policy and Tourism Development as Exemplified by the Lublin Region (Southeast Poland)

Abstract

Since the late 1980s a number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have emerged from an environment of centralized planning to models closer to Western European ones. This process of transformation occurred specially at a regional level, where tourism is examined as a vehicle for sustainable development especially in Europe's less developed regions. Within this context, local authorities' role in tourism development is examined. In this study it was assumed that tourist policy is composed of three fundamental groups of components: the activity of local authority and management of tourism in the municipality; promotion and information; cooperation. The relevant data reflect the socioeconomic changes that have been taking place in Poland for about 15 years at the central and local level.