Abstract:

significant role in regional development, influencing employment levels, shaping the income structure of local communities, and contributing to infrastructure development. In peripheral regions, such as the Podlaskie Voivodeship, tourism has additional significance—it serves as a key alternative to heavy industry and large-scale infrastructure investments, which are typically concentrated in central and western Poland.

Podlaskie is perceived as a region of exceptional natural, cultural, and ethnographic values ​​[Barwiński 2004; Kiryluk, 2015; Gralak, 2020]. The presence of sites such as Białowieża National Park, Biebrza National Park, and Narew National Park, as well as rich multiculturalism and borderland traditions, make the voivodeship an attractive holiday destination for tourists seeking peace, contact with nature, and authentic experiences [Niewiadomski, 2009; Siedlecka and Guziuk, 2017]. Despite this potential, Podlaskie has remained outside the mainstream of domestic tourism for many years. This was due to various factors: poorer transport accessibility, lack of intensive promotion, and the stereotype of the region as "remote" and "underdeveloped" [Barwiński, 2014; Kochanowski, 2020] and the concentration of tourist traffic in more popular destinations, such as Masuria, Pomerania, the Tatra Mountains or Lower Silesia [Pilichowska and Glądała, 2021].