Selected Natural and Anthropogenic Factors of the Attractiveness of Popular Tourist Centres in Poland

The popularity of urban tourism is associated with major tourist attractions of urban areas, such as sights of historical interest or cultural heritage. These elements are largely responsible for the intensity of tourist traffic, especially in cities without significant natural or landscape attractions. The aim of the article is to determine the attractiveness of the most popular tourist towns in the light of environmental factors, such as air pollution and the share of green areas in the total area. One interesting observation is the fact that in many cases the analysed elements of ecological status are not reflected in subjective assessments of tourist attractiveness. When selecting destinations for urban tourism, average tourists do not attach much importance to ecological factors. This aspect is only taken into account when the natural environment is an element of tourist plans. The tourism experience is very rarely evaluated in terms of potential health risks.