Cechy i kierunki urbanizacji turystycznej na Słowacji - przykład stacji narciarskiej Donovaly

Characteristics and directions of tourism urbanization in Slovakia - the example of Donovaly ski resort

Summary: The article describes processes of recreational urbanization on the example of the important recreational centre Donovaly in Slovakia. The aim of the article is to review these processes by verification of historical and geographical analyses and by field research. The article also accentuates some qualitative characteristics. In the last two decades, the following four fundamental factors contributed to the formation of the phenomenon, which can be specified as the recreational urbanization in Slovakia: 1) Great ambitions to attract foreign tourists to the most attractive recreation centres - especially to spa centres, to the Vysoké Tatry mountains and also to the recreation centre Donovaly. These ambitions effectuated, besides management activities, an especially intense development of infrastructure and superstructure of tourism. 2) Some recreation centres aimed not only at an increase of number of tourists, but also an increase of number of residents. This aim was to be performed by support of residence, by building apartment houses that were supposed to be something between a flat and a residence and which could be suitable for recreational rental. 3) In 2009 (before the financial crisis), there was another factor of recreational urbanization: investments in tourism projects by big investment corporations. Corporations like J&T and Penta changed their investments areas from financing industry projects (in the 1990's) to tourism projects, like financing business centres in metropolitan areas, spa projects etc. (e.g. reconstruction of spa Brusno, Tatry mountain resorts s.r.o.). 4) The last, but not irrelevant factor of recreational urbanization is the establishment of city status for the recreational centre Vysoké Tatry. The city status from 1990 was enhanced by a status of spa. The town Vysoké Tatry became formally a city and completed the process of "formal recreational urbanization" in Slovakia.

Słowa kluczowe: urbanizacja turystyczna, turystyka narciarska, Donovaly, Słowacja

Słowa kluczowe (w języku angielskim): tourist urbanization, ski tourism, Donovaly, Slovakia

Prace Geograficzne, 2011, z. 125, s. 9-18.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

ISSN 1644-3586

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