Refl ections on the directions of development of cultural tourism

Abstract

The main aim of the work is to analyse the students’ opinions about selected new forms of cultural tourism. The subject of the research was: poorism, urbex, esoteric tourism, questing, thanatotourism and geocaching. The level of their knowledge was systematically examined and information about their perception was collected. In order to collect information that allowed to assess the level of knowledge and participation in these forms of tourism, the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviews) technique was used, thus reaching the student community of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. The research was conducted from April to July 2018. It was considered important to determine whether these currently niche varieties of cultural tourism may in the future have an impact on its shape. The collected opinions, in accordance with the adopted assumption, may be a prognosis of the future direction of cultural tourism development as one of the forms of tourism that has an impact on the maintenance of cultural heritage. The study found that fi eld games, such as geocaching and questing, are perceived by respondents as very interesting and useful forms, both for tourists and for the promotion of the region. As an attractive students considered the urbex, which provides much stronger emotions than the game competition. Due to its exploratory and often external nature, this form is considered by the respondents as the nearest to authenticity tourism. However as a least developed forms of tourism during the survey students pointed poorism and esoteric tourism.