E70 waterway as a stimulator of tourism development in Nakło County – status quo and prospects

Abstract

The regulated (engineered) section of the Noteć River located in Nakło County (in Polish referred to as powiat nakielski) along with the Bydgoszcz Canal is part of the international E70 waterway established in the 1990s, which is supposed to ultimately connect Rotterdam with Klaipeda. It is assumed that this fact should constitute a stimulus for a more dynamic economic development of the county, especially in the tourism sector. This opinion is reflected in the already prepared planning documents that serve the establishment of a long-term strategy of the socio-economic development for local authority units. The paper provides a critical evaluation of the attractiveness and accessibility of tourist attractions located in Nakło County in the context of the anticipated regeneration of the E70 waterway. It has been pointed out that the attractiveness of a waterway for the tourist traffic is provided not only by the accompanying heritage infrastructure but also by the natural and cultural potential of the adjacent areas and their tourist development. For this reason, Nakło County can currently only be a transit area for tourists travelling along the E70 waterway rather than a separate and self-sustaining destination.