Ski Station “Wierchomla” as a Local Center of Economic Activation

Abstract

The article examines the influence of the Ski Station Wierchomla on the local developmentby creating new vacancies and cooperation with local enterprises. The time frame covers theyears between 1998 and 2006. The article is based on the local data of the station. Thanks to the landscape the development of Wierchomla, belonged to Piwniczna-Zdrójcommune, is based on winter sports and tourism.The Ski Station, built in 1998, employs 47 persons all year round and approximately 70 persons in the winter season. The number of employees is gradually growing up at about 22.5%a year. Taking into consideration the dwelling-place of the employees the majority comes fromWierchomla (10% of the village population) and from Piwniczna and Łomnica. A constant growthof the number of employees coming from outside Wierchomla as well as the growing number ofqualified employees from the village may be observed in the examined period.The Ski Station Wierchomla cooperates with 57 companies from Poland. 37 of them aresituated in Nowy Sącz. Mostly the companies dealing with grocery trade and services. In Piwniczna there are 4 companies functioning in construction industry.The Ski Station Wierchomla is considered to be one of the best developed ski and touristresort in Poland created in the area devoid of technical infrastructure. It is supposed that Wierchomla has become an important factor of local economic development.