Recreational activity of health resort guests as a factor increasing the attractiveness of a stay

Aim: Identification of the reasons for visiting a health resort and the forms of recreational activity of its guests, as well as assessment of the impact of recreational services on increasing the attractiveness of stays in health resorts. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using the diagnostic survey method and survey technique among 377 patients visiting the Busko-Zdrój health resort, who were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The respondents surveyed indicated mainly therapeutic purposes as the reason for coming to Busko Zdrój. The most common form of recreational activity among the surveyed group of health resorts guests is walking (75%), almost half of the respondents also indicated swimming pool activities (41%) and Nordic Walking (40%). A highly significant (p<0.0001) negative correlation was found between the number of recreational activities and the age of the respondents, as well as significant correlations of gender, professional and financial status and health condition with recreational activities. Conclusions: The recreational offer in Polish health resorts is becoming a supplement to health tourism services, which should include, among others: health resort tourism, wellness tourism and leisure tourism. Using recreational services increases the attractiveness of a stay in a health resort, especially in the group of commercial patients.