Cultural heritage and development of tourism in Orlík region

The aim of this work is to evaluate the cultural heritage in the development of tourism in the region of Orlicko. For studying, there were used secondary and primary data. Thanks to marketing research, we got 1,584 valid questionnaires. There were used computer programs (MS Excel and Statistics Cz v. 6) for data processing. The data interpretation tools used descriptive statistics and the analysis of testing hypotheses. There was conducted field research of the area. The monuments were entered into the newly formed layers of geographic information system Janitor in the form of polygons. In the region of Orlicko, there exist more than 130 cultural monuments in 21 types. These results confirm the presumption about diversity of the structure of assumptions heritage tourism. This diversity is also noticeable in the villages of the defined area. More than 5 types of monuments offer urban areas Varvažov, Čimelice, Orlik nad Vltavou and Mirovice. In the first four there is localized at least one attraction of a greatly importance. These communities also show the highest potential. It was demonstrated, that the importance of cultural heritage in the areas is different. There were found significant differences in the motives and characteristics of the target site, which affect the choice of place of holiday. These differences were detected in groups partitioned by gender, level of participation in cultural and historical attractions and by their interest in history. The main motives for holiday were: to release from everyday life and work, visit interesting places and get them known. Participants wish to leave their homes for having fun and change the place. The importance of cultural and historical attractions in the locality is increasing in conjunction with participation in cultural tourism and the increasing interest in history. The same tendency can be seen in knowledge as a reason for holiday. When the holiday place is selected the highest importance is: natural environment, the existence of historic cities in the region, a healthy environment, the possibility of refreshments and meals, and bathing options. For women, it is more important the existence of the cultural and historical attractions in the region and associated motives, than for men. In the designated area, there are high requirements for the use of cultural heritage in the development of tourism. Major attractions are concentrated in several villages. The region is not primarily associated with the culture; the motives of visitors are more connected with recreation. There is also possibility of developing cultural and historical attractions as a source of secondary supply