Wpływ ruchu turystycznego na życie mieszkańców Uniejowa

Tourism and recreation are a very topical issue in Uniejów – a city which only recently introduced and developed these functions. This article is devoted to the tourists-residents relationship. Apart from a review of selected theoretical issues it also presents findings of surveys which examined the attitudes of the inhabitants of Uniejów and its region to the growing numbers of tourists, and their opinions about the effect of the new functions on the situation of the city. The present level of development of Uniejów's tourist functions as measured by the Baretje-Deffert index is low. The city is currently in the growth stage (according to Butler's stages of tourist areas evolution). This is in line with the positive attitude of the resident population to tourists. The respondents to the questionnaire survey reported good or fairly good relations with tourists visiting the city. Also, the majority of Uniejów's inhabitants have a positive opinion about the influence of the changes taking place in the city on the quality of life. However, some negative effects of increased tourist traffic have also been poined out, such as higher prices of goods in the shops.