Influence of Jasna Gora Sanctuary on the City of Czestochowa

What economic impacts does Jasna Gora (the most important tourist attraction) tourism bring to the city of Czestochowa in the 21^st century

The study is linked to Option E: Leisure, Tourism, and Sport; especially to: Tourism and sport at the local and national scale. Its goal is to specify the importance of the main religious worship facility in the city of Czestochowa – Jasna Gora

Jasna Gora has a positive economic impact on the city of Czestochowa and affects its tourism firmly. It’s reasonable to say that the economy of Czestochowa will be driven, as a result of necessary expenses that are needed to be spent in a tourist city, which can be very profitable and can finance the further development of the city, reference to Figure 1. (page 6.) – Butler’s model.

Czestochowa is a tourism hotspot situated in the southern part of Poland in the Silesian Voivodeship (reference Figure 3).

Czestochowa is known all over the world for one of the most important religious buildings - Jasna Gora. The location became a worship location due to the presence of (the image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa with claimed miraculous abilities), which is closely related to the presence of foreign tourists. The main attraction attracts on average 2.5 million of pilgrimages per year . In addition, Jasna Gora can attract tourists with other attractions such as the old town or the prominent mountain trails (Szlak Orlich Gniazd). The two most crowded districts, (known as 'the very center of the city') during the tourist season are marked on the map in Figure 4. They are also the main area of research. The collected data will also be supported by articles from the Central Statistical Office.

The inhabitants of Czestochowa experience many difficulties during the tourist season, such as traffic difficulties caused by pilgrimages. Despite there is a widespread belief that tourism significantly contributes to the development of the city, which will be checked in research.

Interviews were carried out at specific locations marked with a pink X on the map (Figure 4. Page 9.), to assess Jasna Gora's effect on small businesses in Czestochowa.

Some data cannot be examined by any of the methods used below. Secondary data are intended to fill in missing information that may be relevant to the experience. These will be mostly statistical articles provided by Glowny Urzad Statystyczny (Central Statistical Office) to keep the information as up-to-date and reliable as possible.

Table 1. shows where 30 respondents, including 11 Jasna Góra employees and 19 employees of facilities outside of Jasna Gora, were interviewed on October 11th and 18th, 2022. Figure 5 displays the employee division.

JUSTIFICATION - 

The purpose of this survey was to determine the extent to which tourism affects people who own businesses, and also provide information that may be useful in investigating the problem. This method allowed getting answers from people from other backgrounds which makes the survey and results more diverse, detailed, and, above all, objective.

Commercial land use is converting land to be able to sell goods and services . Thoughtful land use is beneficial for society and the economy and may lead to an increase in the development of a location. This method makes it possible to examine how the city ensures that tourism brings as much profit as possible

Table 4. shows the breakdown of the city's components. For each of the areas, one table was made consisting of the same categories.

The survey conducted in area A clearly indicates that the tourist season begins in the summer.

Businesses thrive most in the summer season and most likely decline completely in the winter season, making it impossible to make a living from most tourist businesses for a full year. It is worth noting that businesses that depend only on tourism (gift shops, stalls) do not have enough profit to keep their owners. On the other hand, we see that universal services such as restaurants (they can be used by tourists, as well as residents) are less dependent on the tourist season. It can be therefore assumed that tourism is the main source of livelihood for tourist services located in area A.

The results indicate that tourists in area A often use the services and account for a large percentage of the owners' profits. The answer of the bar owner leads to an interesting conclusion - although tourists do not use the bar's services more often than residents, they leave a large profit. It can therefore be speculated that tourists are willing to leave more money in the city at one time than the average resident.

The results of question 6 combined with the results of question 4 lead to the conclusion that organized groups of pilgrims use the services more often, so the profits are greater. Observations not included in the surveys show that there are more parking spaces for coaches in Area A than for cars. As a result, tourists more often decide to go on a group trip than on an individual trip, which can also give profits to transport companies in Czestochowa.

Question 7 allows for determining the priorities of tourists. According to businessmen who run their services in area A, tourists focus mainly on visiting Jasna Gora.

Prediction - Czestochowa may continue to heavily rely on tourism as a major source of economic activity in the future. However, in order to sustain this, the city will need to work towards developing more diversified and year-round tourism offerings that cater to both tourists and residents alike. This may involve investing in infrastructure, such as additional parking facilities. Additionally, businesses in the area will need to find ways to adapt to the seasonal nature of tourism, by perhaps offering more universal services that cater to both tourists and residents or finding ways to generate revenue during the off-season months. Ultimately, the success of the city's tourism industry will depend on its ability to balance the needs of tourists and residents and find a way to leverage tourism as a driver of economic growth while also preserving the city's cultural heritage and character.