ESPERANTO AND TOURISM

The emphasis of this article is on the history of Esperanto tourism and "Esperanto friendly" environments, towns and cities, which adjust to this language their cultural and tourist services and facilities. The UEA (Universala Esperanto-Asocio), as the umbrella organization of the Esperanto movement, also encourages such activities. Among the Esperanto friendly environments, the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland, has obtained a prestigious position by fostering a lively Esperanto movement and running a grammar school, which teaches the language. In addition, the town organizes competitions in Esperanto poetry, publishes the magazine Monda turismo and annually prepares an international exhibition of Esperanto tourism. Finally, in Bydgoszcz, there is the school of higher education Internacia Studumo pri Turismo kaj Kulturo en Bydgoszcz that has trained tourism workers in Esperanto for over twenty years. The activities of the school should serve as an encouragement to both the teachers and students of tourism how to explore new business possibilities with the assistance of the most famous planned language worldwide.