CULTURAL HERITAGE AS A POTENTIAL OF TOURIST BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (ON EXAMPLE OF POPRAD)

The study monitors basic preconditions of Poprad town in the process of development of tourism from the contemporary ethnological perspectives. It focuses mainly on geographical and economic aspects in the cross-section of the development of cultural heritage. It emphasizes the blueprint tradition as an example of economic and socio-cultural production. From a methodological point of view it is based on the comparison of historical and cultural basis of blueprint with the results of field practise in present day. The study aims to evaluate the current possibilities of preservation of traditional elements, their innovative use in modern industry as well as the benefits of this potential, both for cultural and economic growth in the region. In the revitalization of the blueprint manufacture we can talk about sustainability of living craft with the assumption of jobs growth in the region.