Urban tourism in Szczecin and its impact on the functioning of the urban transport system

Urban tourism becomes one of the main functions of the cities and its importance is still growing. This is the result of, among others, increasing prosperity, as well as improvement of the mobility of societies. The cities offer a number of products aimed at tourists, the quality and attractiveness of which often determine the competitiveness of cities thus determining their development. On the one hand, intensive tourism is a favourable phenomenon associated with the activation of the local economy, but on the other hand, it can interfere with the functioning of the city. High volume of tourist traffic can also cause degradation of tourist values, thereby reducing - in the long term - the tourist attractiveness of the place. This article analyses urban tourism in Szczecin in terms of its impact on the functioning of the city, especially in relation to the functioning of the public transport system and the supply of goods carried out in the urban tourist space. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.