CONTEMPORARY TATRA TOURISM AND ITS ETHOS

Abstract

The paper touches upon some origins of contemporary Tatra tourism and its ethos in the ever-changing modern world. It provides a theoretical outline of the concept of ‘ethos’ regarding touristic exploration of the Tatra Mountains and the characteristics of the elements that have determined tourism in the last twenty years (based on qualitative research). The main features of tourism in the Tatra that are now being observed are popularisation, commercialisation, decline of some traditional ways of thinking about mountaineering and practicing it as well as changes within the ethos and its peculiar community (or rather disappearance of them both). In this context very important are also some environmental issues, such as devastation of the natural ecosystem and expansion of urban practices deeper and deeper into the Tatra National Park. Last but not least one other issue touched upon in the paper is the ‘touristic’ knowledge and skills that are now very rare among the tourist who visit the Tatra, which also leads to the decline of the ethos.