EN
The goal of the article is to start a discussion on the possibility of planning tourist and recreational functions in the Polish system of spatial planning. The method the author has adopted is an analysis of the texts of the binding legal acts on spatial planning and development of tourism and recreation. Assessment was carried out of the legal regulations concerned with the planning documents on the national, regional and commune level. Analysis was done of the correlation between these documents and their impact on the structure of spatial planning of tourist areas. A series of executive acts related to the subject topic was listed with regard to their cohesion with the legal system and their implications. On the basis of the studies that were carried out a series of difficulties was discovered in the approach to the problem of tourism development on the various levels of spatial planning. They usually result from the fact that planning documents are too generic and that they are not cohesive with the executive acts.