LAUSR

The purpose of the article is to determine whether potential tourists consider information about a city’s air quality in their assessment of its tourist attractiveness and how this this information affects their travel decisions. Urban tourism is a common and dynamically developing form of tourism. Cities encourage tourists to visit them with various attractions, cultural, gastronomic and accommodation offerings as well as mass events. At the same time, they are often industrial centres and important transportation hubs, which makes them characterized by a high degree of air pollution. The article presents results of a survey involving 509 respondents from Poland. The data were used to assessment to what extent information about air quality in a given city is relevant for people planning a tourist trip. In addition, the survey provided information about factors that could increase the respondents’ interest in the level of air quality in a city they were planning to visit. Particular attention was paid to the respondents’ health. Many diseases can be the result of air pollution, or can be aggravated by substances contained in smog. Therefore, the authors tried to determine whether people suffering from such illnesses were more likely to pay special attention to air quality in their prospective destinations. The results constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge about the factors affecting demand in urban tourism. They may be relevant for entities responsible for managing cities and promoting tourism products. The article also draws attention to the fact that problems arising from air pollution in cities can affect not only their residents, but also tourists.