Innovations in the Polish tourism sector in the eyes of consumers – selected examples

The purpose of the article is to analyse selected aspects of innovation in the Polish tourism sector from the perspective of consumers and to highlight those areas where innovative solutions should be implemented. The author uses empirical data to verify the following hypothesis: consumers’ perception of innovations concerning tourism products in the Polish market varies considerably and depends on respondents’ characteristics. The study was based on information collected from 407 respondents using the computer-assisted web interview method (CAWI), which constituted a country-wide quota sample, representative of the Polish population aged 18 or over, in terms of age, sex, education, the size of the place of residence. The results of the study indicate that consumers are mostly in favour of innovation in the tourism sector, notice emerging developments in this field and are very optimistic about the country’s innovation capacity. Differences in opinions about innovative tourist products were depended on the professional status of the respondents. Consumer awareness may be one of the key elements in the development of the sector. The development of innovative tourism services in Poland should be a continuous process, especially in less developed areas, which depend heavily on tourism. The development in this area is facilitated by favourable attitudes of consumers towards innovation in the tourism sector, especially in niche markets, and specialised local resources could help to intensify innovation activities.