The Place of Tourism in Promotional Policy of Communes from Eastern Poland

Abstract Introduction. Promotion in managing local government units constitutes a significant element of communication with various groups of stakeholders, mainly with inhabitants and tourists. This instrument is playing a more and more significant role in the competition for limited resources. Therefore, its significance for territorial marketing is growing. The aim of the study was to identify the directions and range of promotional activity undertaken by communes taking into account their type and financial resources devoted to fulfilling tasks within this area and to define their competitive position. Material and methods. The research was conducted in compliance with the principles of indirect measurement method and data were collected with the use of a questionnaire. Additionally, statistical methods and the author's own method of “assessing promotional position” of local government units were used. The analysis included results obtained from 50 communes from eastern Poland (27 rural, 10 urban and 13 urban-rural communes). Results and conclusions. The research made it possible to identify the competitive position of a commune concerning its promotional activity aimed at inhabitants and tourists, taking into account its territorial range. Additionally, differences in using particular promotional tools were revealed and differences concerning the territorial range and segments which the activities undertaken by the communes are aimed at were noted. The calculations showed the correlation between money spent on promotion by the examined units and their general revenue.