The Impact of Implemented Innovations on Competitiveness of Tourism Companies in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship

The growing demand for tourism services has led to the establishment and development of many companies in the hospitality industry, which are driven by a need to stand out in the market and acquire new clients. To do this, they make efforts to improve their competitiveness by implementing specific innovations in hopes of strengthening their market position. The aim of this paper is to discuss the effect of innovations on the competitiveness of tourism and hospitality enterprises, using chosen companies from the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship in Poland as a case study. The empirical part of the research consisted of one questionnaire addressed to the clients and the other one addressed to the employees and owners. Both questionnaires were conducted in three companies. The results of these surveys provided information which indicated that the most important assets that allowed companies to distinguish themselves on the market were the innovations that they implemented. In addition, over half of the employees in these companies declared that innovations had contributed to an increase in the number of customers. (original abstract)