Tourist Activity of Poles in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Light of Survey Results

Abstract Introduction. The phenomenon of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic poses a new challenge for the entire tourism sector in the local, regional, national and international dimension. The aim of the article is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourist activity of Poles. The article will fill the research gap on this topic. Material and methods. The study was conducted in the period from February till July 2022. 350 randomly selected respondents presenting different age and economic situation took part in it. The study was carried out using a questionnaire containing 27 open and closed questions. Results. The survey shows that in 2021 most of the respondents traveled for tourism reasons. In 2021, the largest number of people traveled for tourism in July, and slightly less in August, in September and October, respectively. Undoubtedly, these restrictions caused difficulties in traveling for tourism purposes. It was the time of uncertainty and many people decided not to travel for tourism in the first months of the year as they were afraid of more confining restrictions being imposed. Conclusions. The 2021 tourist season had two different faces. Poles spent the first half of 2021 in re-closure along with the accompanying restrictions. May and June brought about a significant revival in the tourism industry and the so-called revenge travel. Poles set off on a holiday getaway, although in many cases the directions, ways of traveling, expectations and requirements have changed.