Tourism, Hotel and Spa in the Field of Scientific Research and Practice. Silesian University of Opava, Karvina 2014, s.193-204. METHODS AND TOOLS FOR RESEARCHING TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Zygmunt Kruczek Abstract: Research on tourist attractions is of massive importance to the development of tourism, and in particular to the creation of new tourism products, as well as efficient attraction management. The article includes an overview of the methods and tools used in research on tourism attractions. Basic methods of research of visitors to attractions were discussed as well as the marketing methods used in the study of tourist attractions, research tools and examples of their use were indicated. Key word: tourist attractions, researching, methods, tools, Introduction Since tourist attractions (like the whole of tourism) are part of a tourism system, they are a focus of research interest in various academic disciplines. Attractions are also not only of interest to the social sciences – being a research focus for psychologists, sociologists and educationalists – but also to the economic and spatial sciences. The article includes an overview of the methods and tools used in research on tourism attractions. Basic methods of research of visitors to attractions were discussed as well as the marketing methods used in the study of tourist attractions (eg ASEBA/SWOT Mystery Shooping), research tools and examples of their use were indicated. Overview of research on tourist attractions Comprehensive methods for evaluating tourist attractions can be encountered in regional studies. It is notable that, as early as the second half of the 20 th century, Piperoglou (1966) was applying a three-stage attraction evaluation method entailing: 1) preliminary ideographic classification (distinguishing attraction types); ϮͿ ƌeseaƌĐh oŶ touƌist pƌefeƌeŶĐes aŶd eǀaluatioŶ of aŶ attƌaĐtioŶ’s uŶiƋueŶess ϯͿ aŶalLJsis of aŶ attƌaĐtioŶ’s aĐĐessiďilitLJ aŶd settiŶg. A similar principle was adopted 10 years later by Ferrario (1976), whose comprehensive attraction evaluation method included an original tourist attraction classification system. His proposal incorporated as many as 22 attraction types. He subsequently analysed tourist preferences regarding the attraction types he had isolated. One of the stages of his research involved performing an analysis on the