Cultural Routes and Business and Tourism, Part I
The use of cultural routes provides an extremely attractive foundation for developing tourism strategies for regions. Local cultural heritage—when properly showcased, promoted, and supported with private business funding—attracts crowds of tourists and drives the economy. For this reason, the discussion panel on cultural routes viewed from the perspective of business and tourism held an important place in the program of the Local Government Forum in Zakopane.
The panel was moderated by Kamil Śliwiński, Managing Editor, PKB24.pl.
The panelists were:
Piotr Babicki, Starost of Starachowice County;
Martin Pavlík, Representative of the Slovak National Tourism Centre in Poland, Slovakia;
Ivan Mesek, Director of the “Kultura Nova” Foundation, Croatia;
Łukasz Filipowicz, Mayor of Zakopane;
Jan Cięciak, President of the Adolf Hyła Cultural and Educational Association;
Jozef Hrobák, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prešov Chamber of Commerce, Slovakia.
The panel began with a broader introduction on cultural diversity and elements of folklore.
Jan Cięciak spoke about the highlander traditions of the Podhale region and about how folklore in Zakopane is not “museum-like” at all—on the contrary, it is still alive and continues to inspire contemporary creators. Ivan Mesek from Croatia highlighted a somewhat different issue: in smaller Croatian towns, many “traditions” are now created mainly for tourists. On one hand it attracts people, but on the other hand, it easily results in a “showcase culture.”
The topic of overtourism strongly resonated in the discussion. Ivan Mesek stated plainly that in Croatia the situation has become very difficult—tourist pressure is enormous, concentrated in the summer season, and outside the season local life is often neglected.
During the panel it was noted that the so-called “Venice effect”—meaning the displacement of residents by tourists and rising living costs—is also emerging in Poland. Zakopane knows this well: housing and product prices are skyrocketing, businesses are struggling to survive, and some residents are simply leaving. Everyone agreed that balance is needed—tourism yes, but not at the expense of local residents.
Therefore, Łukasz Filipowicz proposed the introduction of a mandatory tourist fee. According to him, it could genuinely support municipalities and residents because Zakopane has long since reached the limits of its capacity. Jan Cięciak confirmed that such legislation should have been in place long ago.
Martin Pavlík raised the topic of sacred culture. In his view, cultural events—including those connected with religious tradition—are important because they allow younger generations to truly experience what shaped their regions. Culture is not just entertainment—it affects our thinking, wellbeing, and the way we perceive the world.
Jan Cięciak spoke about sacred art and lesser-known monuments, encouraging people to visit places that are not featured on the front pages of guidebooks but have their own unique atmosphere. He also mentioned promotional activities such as leaflets placed along trails, which help people discover less obvious destinations.
During the discussion, attention was drawn to the lack of a shared strategy for the development of border regions. It was emphasized that thoughtful and coherent cultural and tourism development requires concrete action from governments—prime ministers and ministers should ratify agreements and ensure they function at the regional level as well. It was stressed that if we do not take care of the development of borderland areas ourselves, no one will do it for us.