A summary assessment of the Agritourism Experience in Poland

Abstract

This paper presents the nature, scale and types of agritourism as experienced in Poland where both in terms of occupation and social phenomenon it has been accepted as a new economic activity by the rural population. First, the author explains the origins of agritourism in Poland, which are different to the countries of Western Europe, revealing particularities in terminology. Next, the major achievements and issues regarding the development of agritourismm in Poland are presented, both in practice and theory. The author states that overall on balance the experience is positive and that two development processes can be differentiated: exogenous and endogenous. The endogenous one poses a challenge for Polish agritourism in search of a new identity.

Keywords

• rural tourism
• agrotourism
• types of agrotourism
• rural development
• Europa del Este
• Polonia