The coherence of tourism facilities with the forest landscape

Abstract

Organizing tourism and recreation in forested areas requires appropriate facilities to handle tourism flows. It is vital that the facilities be comfortable, fit the needs of tourists but also that they be coherent with the area’s landscape of their location. The objective of this article is to present the issue of matching of not so much the function but the external looks of the facilities to a given place, including their construction, design, colours as well as the material from which they are made. The author’s considerations are based on the analysis of literature and experts’ opinions conducted at the State Forest Enterprise – State Forests (Państwowe Gospodarstwo Leśne Lasy Państwowe, PGL LP). These considerations concern the facilities located in Polish forests, especially the town of Zakopane and its area, and the presented examples refer to the touristically attractive (due to its natural values) area. The conclusion drawn out of the conducted analyses is not optimistic. The facilities are generally not consistent with the local landscape.