Journal of Geography, Politics and Society 2016, 6(4), 5–6 INTRODUCTION Marta Malska (1), Dmytro Kadnichansky (2) (1) Tourism Department, Faculty of Geography, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Doroshenko 41, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine, e-mail: malskym@ukr.net (2) Tourism Department, Faculty of Geography, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Doroshenko 41, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine, e-mail: dimakad@ukr.net Citation Malska M., Kadnichansky D., 2016, Introduction, Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 6(4), 5–6. Transformations of a political, social and economic character that have taken place in Central and East- ern Europe after 1989 (cf. Balázs et al., 2014; Birch, 2003; Michalski, 2006; Shleifer, Treisma, 2014; Staehr, 2011; Sztompka, 2004; Wendt, Ilieş (eds.), 2001) have also affected the changes in land development and tourism in this part of Europe (cf. Cudny et al. (eds.), 2012; Dugulan et al., 2012; Hall et al. (eds.), 2006; Tuţă, Micu, 2014; Wyrzykowski, Widawski (eds.), 2012). Hence, the current issue of the Journal of Ge- ography, Politics and Society is dedicated to problems related to the generally understood aspects associ- ated with tourism. Presented in this issue articles fall into two main parts. The first one is dedicated to general problems and contains three articles. The first, by T. Tökölyová, is dedicated to nation-branding in the development of tourism, as it is still a relatively poorly recognized problem in European post-Communist countries. New Zealand has been selected as a case study. It seems that this issue will be increasingly gaining popularity also in the countries of Central and East- ern Europe. The next two articles are already devot- ed entirely to countries of the region. A. Tarasionak points to the geo-economic position of Belarus as a tourist destination, while M.  Malska et al. discuss ecotourism and geotourism in Ukraine. Both of these countries are still relatively little known worldwide as tourist destinations. But, as the authors of these articles show, this may change. In the second part of the issue, devoted to par- ticular problems, there are articles relating to inter- national tourism. This is a significant issue because during the period of socialism this type of tourism practically did not exist in Central and Eastern Eu- rope. The part opens with a paper by Y.  Zhuk that discusses the impact of the border on develop- ment opportunities of small border cities (based on the example of small towns of the Lviv region). It is followed by an article by E.  Atasoy and J.A.  Wendt devoted to the determinants and changes in the in- ternational tourist traffic (based on the example of Poland and Turkey). In this section, there are also four articles that discuss the tourist attractiveness at the local and the regional level. The first three of them are devot- ed mainly to natural attractiveness. Hence A.  Kho- valko focuses on the attractiveness of the national park “Podillia Speleoregion”, M.  Kadnichanska on the Yavoriv National Natural Park, and G.V.  Herman et al. on “Valea Rose” in the Bihor country. This part finishes with a paper by N.  Pankiv dedicated to an 6 Marta Malska, Dmytro Kadnichansky analysis of the anthropogenic attractiveness of small towns (based on the example of the Ivano-Frankivsk region). The last two articles are dedicated to the issues of accommodation, in particular to hotels. Their comparison seems interesting, because I. Pandyak’s paper refers to the future, and T.  Zavadovsky and D. Kadnichansky’s article is dedicated to the past. Authors of the articles come from six different scientific centres of the six countries. However, the issues presented in the articles often go beyond the borders of those countries. The editors thank the Au- thors for preparing their papers and the Reviewers for their work. At the same time, we hope that the problems addressed in this issue will be of interest to the Reader. Marta Malska, Dmytro Kadnichansky References Balázs  P., Bozóki  A., Catrina  Ş., Gotseva  A., Horvath  J., Lima- ni D., Radu B., Simon Á., Szele Á., Tófalvi Z., Perlaky-Tóth K., 2014, 25 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The state of integration of East and West in the European Union, Publi- cations Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Birch S., 2003, Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Post-Communist Europe, Palgrave Macmillian, Hampshire- New York. Cudny W., Michalski T., Rouba R. (eds.), 2012, Tourism and the transformation of large cities in the post-communist coun- tries of Central and Eastern Europe, Łódzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe, Łódź. 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