Development of Riverside Areas in the Context of the Attractiveness for Residents

Abstract The aim of this article is to analyze the tourism potential in the riverside areas of selected cities in LubuskieVoivodeship located in the Oder River valleys. The research issue of the article was defined as a way to measure tourist potential in the development of riverside areas. In the research phase, based on the comparative multi-criteria method, special attention was paid to the accessibility of the river for the inhabitants, their usefulness for the recreation, as well as the location of the recreational infrastructures in the river valleys. The presence of infrastructure using the river’s potential is marginal in the shoreline zone of the cities under analysis. Despite the rapid growth of tourist activities its river potential is still being marginalised. The research problem was to determine the tourist potential of selected cities and to identify the cities with the greatest potential, in which the advisability of investment seems to be the most relevant and necessary. The result of considerations carried out using the multi-criteria analysis method is the selection of the city with the greatest tourism potential. Among the surveyed cities, Nowa Sól has the greatest tourist potential.