Geographia Polonica (2022) vol. 95, iss. 2

Articles

The concept of agency in contemporary geographic reflection. Is it a step towards the narrative of agency of place?

Jacek Kotus

Geographia Polonica (2022) vol. 95, iss. 2, pp. 121-137 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0229

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Abstract

The study addresses two current issues in social geography: the modern reflection on the topic of agency and the possibility of introducing the notion of place agency. When discussing human-environment relations, geographers more often use the terms more-than-human or non-human beings and focus on the animal andplant worlds. However, the symmetrical or mutual relationship between humans and the natural environmentcan be linked to a question arises about the wider scope of the notion of place agency and understanding the phenomenon of place as an entity acting on its own rights.

Keywords: place, agency, sense of place, conversation with place

Jacek Kotus [tatra@amu.edu.pl], Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Adam Mickiewicz University Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland

Events in urban tourism – the case of Advent in Zagreb, Croatia

Klara Sredanović, Ivan Šulc

Geographia Polonica (2022) vol. 95, iss. 2, pp. 139-156 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0230

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Abstract

Research results provide an insight into the profile, motivation and activities of visitors of mid-size cities in Central Europe, using Advent in Zagreb, Croatia, as a case study. It is based on a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of visitors of the event. The event that spread tremendously from 3 to 30 locations in the period 2010-2019, attracts mainly younger visitors with higher educational background, mostly from Croatia, Europe and East Asia, with a complex motivation. Two main groups of visitors are distinguished based on their travel distance, length of stay and motivation.

Keywords: event tourism, urban tourism, Christmas market, Zagreb, Croatia

Klara Sredanović [klarakiric@gmail.com], Department of Geography, Faculty of Science University of Zagreb Marulićev trg 19/II, 10000 Zagreb: Croatia
Ivan Šulc [isulc@geog.pmf.hr], Department of Geography, Faculty of Science University of Zagreb Marulićev trg 19/II, 10000 Zagreb: Croatia

Methodological challenges of regional research on tourist traffic. A proposal for a systemic solution for the Podkarpackie Province

Krzysztof Szpara, Beata Gierczak-Korzeniowska, Mateusz Stopa

Geographia Polonica (2022) vol. 95, iss. 2, pp. 157-180 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0231

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Abstract

Research on tourist traffic is a major methodological challenge because a potential respondent is on the move and difficult to capture. There is a need to identify both tourists and one-day visitors. It is important to know motives for their arrival, forms of their stay, assessments of individual components of the tourist offer or consumer loyalty. In 2020, the Podkarpackie Province resumed the idea of regional research on tourist traffic. The aim of this article is to present the methodology of cyclical research of tourist traffic in the Podkarpackie Province. It uses the experience gained during the pilot studies conducted in 2020. The methodology and measurement tool contribute to the standardisation of tourism research in Poland at the provincial level. The proposed solutions activate and integrate various environments into the development of tourism in the region. They allow observation of changes in the structure of tourist traffic and evolution of tourists’ opinions and expectations. On the other hand, they are flexible in order to respond to changes in tourism. The solutions suggested in the methodology are to provide comprehensive and unique data which will facilitate an effective tourism policyat the regional level and can be used by businesses in the tourist industry.

Keywords: methods, regional research, tourist traffic, Podkarpackie Province, Poland, COVID-19 pandemic, applied geography

Krzysztof Szpara [kszpara@o2.pl], Polish Geographical Society, Rzeszów
Beata Gierczak-Korzeniowska [beatagierczak@ur.edu.pl], Department of Economics and Management, Institute of Economics and Finance University of Rzeszów ul. Ćwiklińskiej 2, 35-601 Rzeszów: Poland
Mateusz Stopa [mateusz.b.stopa@uis.no], Department of Media and Social Sciences University of Stavanger, Norway

Spatial patterns and time-accessibility of supplier network of the automotive industry in Slovakia

Jaroslav Rusnák, Pavol Ďurček, Milan Takáč, Kristián Óvári

Geographia Polonica (2022) vol. 95, iss. 2, pp. 181-200 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0232

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Abstract

The article deals with the spatial pattern of the supply network of the automotive industry according to the time-accessibility to four car assembly plants in Slovakia. Empirical results are anchored in the spatial concept of integrated periphery and theoretical framework of the nested structure. We obtained the data after a personal meeting with the General Secretary of the Association of the Automotive Industry in Slovakia.The database contains a list of 313 suppliers of different levels. We assume that with increasing distance from automobile assembly plants and decreasing level of the supply network, the geographical concentration of the supply network will become lower. Our results confirm the assumption that tier-1 suppliers are located closer to assembly plants with higher geographical concentration compared to bottom suppliers‘ levels. On the other hand, these spatial patterns change when we consider a regional production system of the automotive industry that reaches beyond the national territory scale (e.g., KIA) or a launch of a new car assembly plant (JLR) arriving into a developed environment with an existing network of suppliers.

Keywords: Automotive industry, integrated periphery, nested structure, supply network, time-accessibility, spatial pattern, Slovakia

Jaroslav Rusnák [jaroslav.rusnak@uniba.sk], Department of Economic and Social Geography Demography and Territorial Development Comenius University in Bratislava Mlynská dolina, 842 15 Bratislava: Slovak Republic
Pavol Ďurček [pavol.durcek@uniba.sk], Department of Economic and Social Geography Demography and Territorial Development Comenius University in Bratislava Mlynská dolina, 842 15 Bratislava: Slovak Republic
Milan Takáč [takac28@uniba.sk], Department of Economic and Social Geography Demography and Territorial Development Comenius University in Bratislava Mlynská dolina, 842 15 Bratislava: Slovak Republic
Kristián Óvári [kristian.ovari46@gmail.com], Statistical Office of the SR Lamačská cesta 3/C, 840 05 Bratislava: Słovak Republic