Ekonomiczne Problemy Turystyki

This article analyses the Polish tourism promotion system as compared to the French solution, which is a model solution according to the author, one that is based on the so-called “institutional promotion”. A decision has been made to compare these systems of tourism promotion for two reasons. Firstly, both systems of tourism promotion are based on a significant number of institutions that function both on the local level and on the regional level, ones that cooperate at the same time with the National Tourism Organization. Secondly, in spite of the potentially evident similarities, the analyzed systems of promotion exhibit many divergent features, which, consequently has an effect on the size and structure of the incoming tourist traffic. The following research thesis has been assumed: an effective tourism promotion system must be based on the mutual cooperation of all the institutions that are involved in promotional activities. This concerns those entities that function on all the levels of administration (local, regional and national).