1. Introduction Health resorts as places where specialist activi- ties are conducted have been a subject of interest to researchers and practitioners analyzing various aspects of their functions (Rydz (ed.), 2005; Siko- ra, 2014, Szromek (ed.), 2010, 2012; Zajączkowski, Cegliński, 2018). Research around the world confirms the unique nature of these areas. Authors discuss the heal- ing properties of natural resources and their use (Krisciūnas, 2005; Malkhazova et al., 2022), the economic potential of spa services (Halkiv, 2017), marketing and classification (Benett et al., 2004), transformation and development (Boekstein, 2014), or even the role of health resorts in the COVID-19 Journal of Geography, Politics and Society 2022, 12(2), 51–72 https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2022.2.06 SocIo-economIc develoPment of coaStal health reSort communeS In Poland Wioletta Szymańska (1), Anna Wiśniewska (2) (1) Institute of Social and Economic Geography and Tourism, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, Partyzantów 27, 76–270 Słupsk, Poland, ORCID: 0000-0001-8673-2074 e-mail: wioletta.szymanska@apsl.edu.pl (corresponding author) (2) Institute of Social and Economic Geography and Tourism, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, Partyzantów 27, 76–270 Słupsk, Poland, ORCID: 0000-0001-5925-330X e-mail: anna.wisniewska@apsl.edu.pl citation Szymańska W., Wiśniewska A., 2022, Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland, Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 12(2), 51–72. abstract The health resort communes have a significant impact on the functioning of the local government. On the one hand, they enhance the development of tourism, but on the other hand, they inhibit the development of other branches of economy. The aim of the study is to compare and point out the developmental trends in the coastal health resort communes, which may provide conclusions on how their health and spa functions affect their development. The subject of the research is the socio- economic situation of six communes including four located on the coast in the West Pomerania Province and two located on the coast in the Pomerania Province. To evaluate the socio-economic situation, the synthetic indicator method was applied involving pointer variables available in Polish public statistics. The measurements were taken in three categories: human and social capital, material capital as well as financial and economic capital. Depending on the data availability, the time period of some indicators was adjusted to their occurrence. The main time period under research are the years 2000–2020. Key words coastal communes, health resorts, socio-economic development, synthetic index, Poland. received: 29 April 2022 accepted: 19 July 2022 Published: 19 August 2022 mailto:wioletta.szymanska@apsl.edu.pl mailto:anna.wisniewska@apsl.edu.pl 52 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska epidemic crisis) (Szromek, 2021). It seems especially important to determine the state and perspectives of health resorts operating in certain legal space and market economy (Cieślak, 2014; Dryglas, Golba, 2017; Globa, 2009; Grzegorzewska-Mischka, 2011; Januszewska, 2015; Lewandowska, 2007; Madeyski, 1999; Peter-Bombik, 2012). Therefore, determining the social and economic potential of health resorts constitutes the basis to develop a concept of de- velopment of such areas (Baran-Zgłobicka, 2015; Górna, 2013; Mirek, 2012; Soliński, 2012). However, in a wider view, the impact of health resorts and tourism on the social and economic local develop- ment is reflected in the strategic documentation of local governments and constitutes a subject of sci- entific research both in Poland and abroad (Bański, Więckowski, 2014; Cristian-Constantin et al., 2015; Kasagranda, Gurnák, 2017; Kesar, Rimac, 2011; Kurek et al., 2020; Nestorenko et al., 2017). The aim of the study is to compare and point out the developmental trends in the coastal health re- sort communes, which may provide conclusions on how their health and spa functions affect their de- velopment. The subject of the research is the socio- economic situation of six communes including four located on the coast in the West Pomerania Prov- ince and two located on the coast in the Pomerania Province. From the legal point of view, a health resort is an area where health resort treatment is provided and which has been designated to take advantage of and protect the natural resources with healing properties (Gaworecki, 2003). Obtaining the status of a health resort is a condition necessary to be al- lowed to function as a statutory health resort (Mika, Ptaszycka-Jackowska, 2007). The issue of health re- sorts, their functions and rendered services are spec- ified by the following normative acts (Królak, 2021): • the Act of 28 July, 2005 on healing treatments and health resorts as well as health resort protec- tion areas and communes (Ustawa..., 2005). • the Polish Standard PN-2001/Z-11000 Health Re- sorts. Terminology, classification and general re- quirements (Polska..., 2001). According to the regulations of the Act of 28 July, 2005 (Ustawa..., 2005), a statutory health resort is an area, which has been granted the status of the health resort in the manner specified in the Act (Ustawa..., 2005, art. 2, item 2). Such a status may be granted to an area, provided it meets all the following require- ments (Ustawa..., 2005, art. 34, item 1): 1. It has natural healing resources of confirmed healing properties under the terms of the Act; 2. It has climate with confirmed medicinal proper- ties under the terms of the Act; 3. It has health resort enterprises and spa treatment facilities prepared to implement curative servic- es; 4. It fulfills the environment protection require- ments specified in the regulations; 5. It has the technical infrastructure for water and sewage, energy, mass transport and waste man- agement. The study refers to those communes which were granted the status of health resorts and are located on the Baltic Sea coast. According to the classifica- tion of Statistics Poland (GUS, 2011), statutory coast- al resorts are those located within 3 km from the sea shore. There are statutory health resorts in the Po- merania Province (2) and the West Pomerania Prov- ince (4). These are: Sopot, Ustka, Dąbki, Kołobrzeg, Kamień Pomorski and Świnoujście (Tab. 1, Fig. 1). Tab. 1. List of coastal health resort communes including the health resort area in Poland in 2020. name of the health resort commune area of the health resort Dąbki Darłowo rural commune Villages: Dąbki, Bobolin, Bukowo Morskie, Porzecze, Żukowo Morskie – 6113.5 ha Kamień Pomorski Kamień Pomorski urban-rural commune Villages: Żółcino, precincts 1-7 in the area of Kamień Pomorski – 1994.53 ha Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg urban commune Town borders – 2567 ha Sopot Sopot town with county rights Sopot town area - 1723 ha Świnoujście Świnoujście town with county rights Health resort area – 956.27 ha A part of Uznam island Ustka Ustka urban commune The town and 5 villages of Ustka commune: Lędowo, Wod- nica, Przewłoka, Grabno-Zimowiska, Wytowno – 6899.34 ha Source: own study based on health resort statutes. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 53 2. data and methods The analysis of the socio-economic situation of the coastal communes holding the status of health re- sorts in Poland was made on the basis of the syn- thetic indicator developed with the data available in the public statistics of the Statistics Poland – Lo- cal Data Bank (Local..., 2022). The analysis of most of the indicators was carried out in the time period of 2000–2020. Depending on the data availability, the time period of some indicators was adjusted to their occurrence (e.g. the European Union funds for pro- grams and projects per capita where data are availa- ble since 2010). Also, certain inaccuracy of the Polish statistics must be emphasized especially those con- cerning the population, which results from the fact that part of the foreign and internal migration had not been registered (Michalski, 2014; Sakson, 2002; Śleszyński, 2005; Wiśniewski et al., 2020). Moreover, T. Michalski and W. Szymańska (2017) distinguished 5 groups of problems concerning the analysis of leg- acy statistical data, i.e. statistical data timing (delay or longer than one year period of collecting data), low specificity or high specificity of the process, problems with unequivocal definitions of indicators (fluctuations in the period of defining, classifying and interpreting the data), problems with delimita- tion of units (changes to the territorial divisions, dif- ferent units collecting data for different institutions) and the human factor. Despite all the difficulties, the analysis made on the basis of public data reflects the changes that have taken place over the years. Thanks to the applied method, the differences in the sizes of health resorts measured by the number of their residents and their economic potential were basically eliminated by using relative measures. The measurements were taken in three categories: 1. Human and social capital, which constitutes a crucial factor enhancing local development; 2. Material capital, which describes the elements of infrastructure related to the living conditions and life quality of the inhabitants dependent on the economic situation; 3. Financial and economic capital related to the fi- nancial and economic situation of the health re- sort communes and including indicators describ- ing the level of changes in the development of tourism and health resort activity. 23 indicators were applied in total, 10 of which de- scribed the human and social capital, 4 indicators described the material capital and 9 indicators de- scribed the financial and economic capital (Tab. 2). The synthetic indicator procedure applied in the study required standardization of diagnostic criteria due to the fact that the data in a multidimensional matrix were in various measurement units. There- fore, the diagnostic criteria were transformed into such a form where the range of their variability had a fixed length of 1 with the method of unitarization according to the following formula (Młodak, 2006): for stimulants ; for destimulants ; where: Zij – standardized value of criterion xj, min xij – minimum value of criterion xj, max xij – maximum value of criterion xj. The value of the synthetic indicator is the arith- metic mean for such standardized criteria of each place. Fig. 1. Map of coastal health resort communes in Poland in 2020. Source: own study based on Tab. 1. Zij = xij – min xij max xij – min xij Zij = max xij – xij max xij – min xij 54 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska 3. results and discussion 3.1. health resort traditions of coastal communes in Poland Coastal health resort communes in Poland (exclud- ing Dąbki health resort) have a long history and tra- dition connected with the development of health resort treatment dating back to the beginning of the 19th century (20th c. pre-war Ustka, 20th c. post- war Sopot) (Tab. 3) Kołobrzeg, Kamień Pomorski and Świnoujście were the first to be granted the status of statutory health resorts as early as in 1967 by or- der of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of 25 July 1967 on the list of localities recognized as health resorts (Zarządzenie..., 1967). The following places were granted the status of health resorts later: Ustka in 1988, Sopot in 1999 and Dąbki in 2007. However, all of them had been receiving visitors arriving to re- lax at the sea and take advantage of the medicinal properties of the sea climate. Not all the health resort communes have the same natural conditions to be used in health resort treatments. Having natural resources and a climate with medicinal properties are necessary conditions (Ustawa..., 2005, Art. 34, item 1). However, in the past, creating health resort houses, therapeutic stays and brine baths establishments provided a basis for shaping and developing health resort treatment Tab. 2. Indicators characterizing the social and economic situation of the coastal health resort communes. the area the name of the indicator human and social capital demographic potential: • the dynamics of the population changes compared to the previous year (%); • population growth per 1000 inhabitants – average level; • migration balance per 1000 inhabitants – average level; • indicator of population aging – the number of inhabitants aged 65 and older per 100 inhabitants up to 14 years of age – the dynamics of changes in relations to the previous year (%). Social potential: • educational level of council members – percentage of council members holding an academic degree; • share of social foundations, associations and organizations in the total number of national economic entities (%). labor market: • the number of employed people per 1000 inhabitants – average level; • registered unemployment rate – the number of unemployed people per 1000 working-age popula- tion – average level; • the number of economic entities per 1000 working-age population – average level; • natural persons conducting economic activity per 1000 inhabitants – average level. material capital Social infrastructure: • number of apartments per 1000 inhabitants - the dynamics of the changes compared to the previous year (%); • usable floor area per capita – average level. technical infrastructure • expenditure on municipal economy and environmental protection per capita – average level; • share of people using the sewage network (%) – average level. financial and economic capital Public finances: • the commune income per capita – the dynamics of increase/decrease compared to the previous year (%); • share of the commune’s own income in the budget – average level; • share of the investment spending in total spending – average level; • the European Union funds per capita to finance programs and projects – average level. tourism: • total tourist accommodation (as in VII) per 1000 inhabitants – average level; • expenditure per capita in department 630 – Tourism– average level. health resorts: • accommodation (as in VII) in health and spa establishments per 1000 inhabitants – average level; • expenditure per capita in department 851 – Health protection – average level; • share of newly registered entities in medical sector in the total number of economic entities – aver- age level. Source: own study. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 55 Tab. 3. Health resort traditions of coastal communes in Poland. name of the health resort commune health resort traditions health resort status Dąbki Darłowo rural commune 1920s – holiday makers, sanatorium of the Berlin Health Fund 2007 – health resort status Kamień Pomorski Kamień Pomorski urban-rural commune 1876 – discovery of brine and peat deposits 1882 – the first brine baths establishment “Fenix” 1967 – health resort status Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg urban commune 1803 – the first sea baths establishment 1830 – the first brine baths establishment 1882 – the beginning of peat treatments 1967 – health resort status Sopot Sopot town with county rights 1823 – the first baths establishment 1824 – the first Spa House 1999 – health resort status Świnoujście Świnoujście town with county rights 1822 – setting up the Association of Building a Sea Baths Establishment 1823 – the first season for health resort patients 1826 – the first therapeutic baths 1967 – health resort status Ustka Ustka urban commune 1832 – arrivals to relax at the sea 1911 – the first balneology establishment 1988 – health resort status Source: own study based on GUS (2011). Tab. 4. Natural medicinal resources and climate factors applied in health treatments in coastal health resorts in Poland. name of the health resort commune natural medicinal resources; climate factors Dąbki Darłowo rural commune natural resources: peloids - low-type peat deposits. climate factors: “harsh” marine climate rich in iodine and strong cooling stimuli attenuated by large forest areas. Kamień Pomorski Kamień Pomorski urban-rural commune natural resources: mineral waters — sodium chloride, iodine; peloids - low- type peat deposits. climate factors: marine climate, moderated and attenuated by dense forest areas. Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg urban commune natural resources: mineral waters — sodium chloride, iodine, chalybeate; peloid - low-type peat deposits. climate factors: marine climate strongly stimulating, clean non-allergenic air, sea aerosols rich in iodine, essential oils and bromine contents, favorable thermal and humidity conditions. Sopot Sopot town with county rights natural resources: — sodium chloride water (brine), iodine water. climate factors: marine climate rich in high iodine and essential oils content from coniferous forests. Świnoujście Świnoujście town with county rights natural resources: sodium chloride, iodine, chalybeate waters; peloid depos- its. climate factors: marine climate gently stimulating, moderated by coniferous forest areas and parks. Ustka Ustka urban commune natural resources: sodium chloride (brine), iodine, chalybeate waters, hypo- thermal waters, peloids – low-type and transitional peat deposits. climate factors: marine climate rich in iodine, calcium salts, magnesium mod- erated by forest areas (pines). Source: own study based on health resort statutes. 56 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska with the use of natural resources in those places (Tab. 4). The coastal health resorts operate on the basis of peloids and brine water. Only Dąbki does not have any medicinal waters. In the case of coastal com- munes, it is particularly important to take advantage of the marine climate which is usually strongly stim- ulating, rich in iodine but often attenuated by forest areas (Tab. 4). As far as health resort activity is concerned (in ac- cordance with Ustawa..., 2005, Art.13 item 1), health resorts usually base their activities on 6–7 groups of diseases (Tab. 5). Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście are the only health resorts that offer a wider range of services (11 groups of diseases). All the described health resort communes offer treatment for ortho- pedic and traumatic diseases, neurological system diseases (excluding Dąbki health resort), rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, diseases of the upper and lower respira- tory tract (excluding Sopot which only offers treat- ment for lower respiratory tract diseases). Some health resorts specialize in treating other diseases for instance, Dąbki, Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście and Ust- ka health resorts specialize in endocrine diseases; Kołobrzeg, Sopot and Świnoujście specialize in os- teoporosis; Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście specialize in obesity and skin diseases; Kołobrzeg also specializes in treating women’s diseases. Apart from differences in terms of the area and profile, the communes under analysis are not homogeneous in terms of the population: So- pot, Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście are medium-size towns, Ustka and Kamień Pomorski are small towns, while Dąbki is a place located in a rural commune (Tab. 6). Those facts make the social and economic Tab. 5. Health resort activity of coastal health resorts in Poland in 2020. Name of the health resort Commune Health resort activity Dąbki Darłowo rural com- mune Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseas- es and high blood pressure, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, diseases of the lower respiratory tract, endocrine diseases. Kamień Pomorski Kamień Pomorski urban-rural commune Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure (including rehabilitation), diseases of the lower respiratory tract, neurological system diseases and children’s diseases: cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg urban com- mune Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, neurological system diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, diseases of the up- per respiratory tract, diseases of the lower respiratory tract, diabetes, obesity, endocrine diseases, osteoporosis, skin diseases. Sopot Sopot town with county rights Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, neurological system diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, diseases of the lower respiratory tract, osteoporosis. Świnoujście Świnoujście town with county rights Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, neurological system diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, diseases of the up- per respiratory tract, diseases of the lower respiratory tract, obesity, endocrine diseases, osteoporosis, skin diseases, women’s diseases. Ustka Ustka urban commune Orthopedic and traumatic diseases, neurological system diseases, rheumatic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure, diseases of the lower respiratory tract, endocrine diseases. Source: own study based on health resort statutes. Tab. 6. Population in coastal health resort communes in 2000 and 2020. health resort 2000 2020 Ustka 16,419 15,199 Sopot 42,348 35,286 Kamień Pomorski 14,485 14,217 Kołobrzeg 45,107 46,198 Dąbki (Darłowo commune) 7,470 7,965 Świnoujście 42,207 40,948 Source: Local Data Bank. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 57 development of each of the places have completely different backgrounds; therefore, they show ele- ments of distinctiveness. 3.2. human capital in coastal health resort communes in Poland The human capital was defined on the basis of the demographic and social potential of the communi- ties under study. Each of them constitutes a signifi- cant factor of developmental opportunities under- stood in social, economic and cultural categories. The demographic potential1 of the health resort communes under study undoubtedly shows stable population dynamics; however, it must be empha- sized that there is a visible depopulation trend espe- cially in the second sub-period i.e., the years 2010– 2020. In the first decade, Sopot and Świnoujście experienced a population decline. The situation significantly worsened in the majority of the coastal health resorts in the second decade under study, and apart from Darłowo all the other resorts re- corded a population decrease. The final balance for the years 2000–2020 shows a stagnating population situation of the coastal health resorts and depopula- tion as the predominant trend (Tab. 7). The rate of population aging points to the aging of the population in all the resorts under study. The lowest average dynamics of that rate characterized Sopot, which has the oldest age structure compared to the others. The lowest average dynamics of ag- ing was also recorded in Darłowo commune, which is the only one to represent rural areas. On aver- age, the other health resort communes have shown an increase in the share of the oldest population 1 From 1999 to 2009, (according to the administrative divi- sion of 31 XII), the balance of population size and structure was calculated on the basis of results of the National Census (NSP)-2002. Since 2010, the basis for calculating the balance of the population size and structure have been the results of NSP-2011. As there is no balance of population registered for permanent residence any more, the methodology of cal- culating all demographic ratios has changed and individual demographic and migration facts were related to the popula- tion (formerly referred to as “current status - resident”). The balance sheet data for permanent and actual population and the rates for 2010 based on the data of NSP 2002 have a his- torical value only. The balance sheet data of the population for 2010 was prepared according to the administrative divi- sion valid on 1 I 2011. However, due to the specificity of the Local Data Bank, they were calculated according to the ad- ministrative division of the country valid on 1 I 2010 (exclud- ing changes that do not affect the indicators and names of the administrative units of the country’s territorial division), which results in the difference between the data published in the GUS studies. compared to children (aged 0–14) by about 6% an- nually in the last 20 years. A similar situation occurs with regard to the aver- age natural birth rate. It is negative and shows a pop- ulation decrease, which is the highest in Sopot. The average birth rate is positive only in Darłowo in the years under study. Equally negative trends are visible in the average migration balance. Over the years, the average rate was positive only in Darłowo and Świnoujście. How- ever, Ustka and Sopot recorded the biggest popula- tion losses. In general, the indicator of demographic poten- tial was the most favorable in Darłowo commune, and it was the lowest in Ustka and Sopot (Fig. 2). All the more favorable indicators under analysis exert- ed an influence on the favorable demographic po- tential compared to the other coastal health resort communes: relatively high population dynamics, low population aging dynamics, positive average birth rate and migration balance. Quite the opposite situation occurred in Sopot where the only favorable indicator was the population aging rate, However, it should not be overestimated due to exceptionally old age structure of the population of that town. Social potential was related to the measurement of shaping social awareness and the general level of social development of the local communities which influence local development (Tab. 8, Fig. 3). In this respect, the variables point to a clear dom- inance of Sopot as a town with a community that is well-shaped, aware and striving to achieve the speci- fied objectives. Both the share of people holding an academic degree and prepared to make decisions about the town and a larger share of non-profit or- ganizations than in the other resorts point to an un- doubtedly high level of social capital in this town. Darłowo commune has the lowest average share of its council members holding an academic degree. However, it also reports a kind of resilience of local communities as it takes the second place in terms of NGO’s share in the total number of economic entities. In all the coastal health resort communes, the civic society awareness has been on the increase as the indicators are clearly more favorable in the years 2010–2020 than in the previous years. In this respect, Ustka is an exception as there has been a decrease in the average share of people holding an academic degree among the town’s council members. Another area defining the human and social capi- tal is the labor market. It defines social engagement in the economic development and a conscious shap- ing of material capital through own entrepreneur- ship (Tab. 9, Fig. 4). 58 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska Tab. 7. Indicators characterizing the demographic potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. commune demographic potential 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average population dynamics (%) Ustka 100.06 99.18 99.62 Sopot 99.15 99.04 99.09 Kamień Pomorski 100.15 99.67 99.91 Kołobrzeg 100.44 99.81 100.13 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 100.60 100.05 100.32 Świnoujście 99.83 99.87 99.85 Average dynamics of the population aging rate (%) Ustka 105.23 107.23 106.23 Sopot 103.63 102.17 102.90 Kamień Pomorski 105.04 106.30 105.67 Kołobrzeg 105.93 105.53 105.73 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 101.74 105.48 103.61 Świnoujście 106.32 104.93 105.63 Average birth rate (‰) Ustka 0.23 -3.59 -1.68 Sopot -5.22 -5.81 -5.52 Kamień Pomorski 0.44 -3.29 -1.43 Kołobrzeg 0.85 -2.17 -0.66 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 1.71 0.14 0.93 Świnoujście -1.20 -3.77 -2.49 Average migration balance (‰) Ustka -3.25 -4.76 -4.00 Sopot -4.72 -2.95 -3.84 Kamień Pomorski -1.32 -0.90 -1.11 Kołobrzeg -2.19 0.29 -0.95 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 1.77 0.33 1.05 Świnoujście -1.23 1.63 0.20 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. Tab. 8. Indicators characterizing the social potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. commune Social potential 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average level of town council members holding an academic degree (%) Ustka 71.75 58.00 64.88 Sopot 97.31 98.52 97.92 Kamień Pomorski 58.31 72.67 65.49 Kołobrzeg 66.45 80.24 73.34 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 9.94 38.00 23.97 Świnoujście 69.42 73.69 71.56 Average share of NGO’s in the number of economic entities (%) Ustka 1.73 2.52 2.17 Sopot 3.03 4.00 3.57 Kamień Pomorski 1.53 2.61 2.13 Kołobrzeg 1.24 2.36 1.86 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 2.84 3.88 3.42 Świnoujście 1.21 1.78 1.53 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 59 Sopot deserves attention in this respect as it has a well-developed labor market, low average unem- ployment rate, the best developed sphere of eco- nomic activity and entrepreneurship on average. However, Kołobrzeg showed the highest average number of natural persons running their own eco- nomic activity per 1000 inhabitants. The worst situation connected with the labor market is in Darłowo commune where all the indica- tors compared with the other health resorts are the worst on average. In general, Sopot, then Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście have the best labor market. Unfor- tunately, apart from Darłowo commune, also Kamień Pomorski and Ustka have poor labor market where 46.3 43.3 42.8 41.6 32.2 100.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Darłowo Ustka Kamień Pomorski Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Fig. 2. The synthetic indicator of the demographic potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Fig. 3. The synthetic indicator of the social potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. 60 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska the value of the partial synthetic indicators does not exceed 40%. In general, Sopot has the biggest potential in terms of human and social capital (Fig. 5). Despite unfavorable demographic trends, it is a health resort with a very high social potential and developmental opportunities. Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście are also very well developing resorts. Although this indicator in all the three towns was similar in the years 2000– 2010, Sopot clearly gained an advantage over the others in the next decade. 3.3. material capital of the coastal health resort communes in Poland Material capital refers to the investment which enables satisfying social needs and influences the opportunities of economic development including economic activity and entrepreneurship. The study describes it on the basis of social and technical infrastructure. The social infrastructure was defined only on the basis of the housing market which seems conveni- ent and willing to improve the housing conditions for living in a health resort with developmental po- tential (Tab. 10, Fig. 6). In this respect, Kołobrzeg is an outstanding town. It has the highest dynamics of its housing resourc- es (Świnoujście is the next) which makes it a very friendly place to live despite giving way to Sopot in terms of the comfort (i.e. average usable floor area of apartments per capita). Both indicators point to the worst situation in Kamień Pomorski, where there has been a visible increase in the housing resources and the average Tab. 9. Indicators characterizing the labor market of the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000- 2020. commune labor market 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average dynamics of employed people per 1000 inhabitants (%) Ustka 99.00 99.15 99.08 Sopot 102.29 101.60 101.94 Kamień Pomorski 100.21 99.43 99.82 Kołobrzeg 99.98 99.73 99.86 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 101.24 100.22 100.73 Świnoujście 97.65 100.92 99.28 Average unemployment rate per 100 working-age population (%) Ustka 9.38 5.31 7.12 Sopot 3.64 2.69 3.12 Kamień Pomorski 14.71 9.48 11.80 Kołobrzeg 8.02 4.03 5.80 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 16.47 9.66 12.69 Świnoujście 8.12 3.79 5.71 Average number of economic entities per 1000 inhabitants (‰) Ustka 232.68 230.74 231.60 Sopot 306.86 406.55 362.24 Kamień Pomorski 202.24 226.38 215.65 Kołobrzeg 312.68 293.27 301.89 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 118.89 148.59 135.39 Świnoujście 245.53 253.21 249.79 Average number of natural persons running their own economic activity per 1000 population (‰) Ustka 121.44 99.20 109.74 Sopot 111.00 126.60 119.21 Kamień Pomorski 106.78 104.60 105.63 Kołobrzeg 164.44 129.40 146.00 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 62.56 76.10 69.68 Świnoujście 132.67 119.70 125.84 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 61 usable floor area of apartments over the years. How- ever, it is the slowest increase compared to the other health resorts. The potential resulting from the technical infra- structure was defined on the basis of average spend- ing on the municipal economy and environmental protection per capita and the average level of the sewage network use. In all the communes, both indicators have been rising though the increase is not the same. While the average spending on the municipal economy and environmental protection per capita has increased 91.2 51.0 38.3 29.4 14.4 68.1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Ustka Kamień Pomorski Darłowo 66.8 59.0 52.9 47.8 40.7 34.2 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Kołobrzeg Darłowo Świnoujście Kamień Pomorski Ustka Fig. 4. The synthetic indicator of the labor market potential of the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Fig. 5. The synthetic indicator of the human and social capital in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. 62 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska more than threefold in Ustka, Kołobrzeg and Darłowo, more than twofold in Świnoujście, twofold in Sopot, it has only increased by 40% in Kamień Po- morski. Nevertheless, it must be emphasized that the level of spending is significantly higher in Sopot and Darłowo commune than elsewhere (Tab. 11). As far as the sewage network is concerned, it seems that Sopot, Ustka and Kołobrzeg health re- sorts have nearly satisfied all the needs as almost all their residents use their technical infrastructure. Darłowo and Kamień Pomorski have not reached a satisfying level due to the communes’ rural or ur- ban-rural character. Sopot has a good level of investment in its tech- nical structure judging from the indicators under analysis (Fig. 7). However, it is not good enough in Darłowo and Kamień Pomorski although spending per capita on the municipal economy and environ- mental protection is more than average in Darłowo. Tab. 10. Indicators characterizing the social infrastructure in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. commune Social infrastructure 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average dynamics of housing resources per 1000 population (%) Ustka 102.53 101.41 101.97 Sopot 101.94 101.56 101.75 Kamień Pomorski 101.18 101.32 101.27 Kołobrzeg 103.12 102.29 102.70 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 101.59 101.33 101.46 Świnoujście 103.92 100.92 102.42 Average usable floor area of apartments per capita (m2) Ustka 24.55 28.96 26.76 Sopot 27.48 32.81 30.14 Kamień Pomorski 22.16 26.63 24.39 Kołobrzeg 26.17 33.38 29.78 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 25.57 30.66 28.12 Świnoujście 24.01 33.41 28.71 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. 77.6 66.6 45.0 39.0 0.0 96.8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Sopot Ustka Darłowo Kamień Pomorski Fig. 6. The synthetic indicator of the social infrastructure potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 63 Finally, the material capital indicator is the high- est in Sopot, although it increased in Kołobrzeg in the second decade (Fig. 8). Kamień Pomorski has the lowest material capital indicator which results from the worst social and technical infrastructure com- pared to the other health resorts. 53.7 53.5 49.9 31.0 30.3 100.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Świnoujście Ustka Kołobrzeg Darłowo Kamień Pomorski Fig. 7. The synthetic indicator of the technical infrastructure potential in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Tab. 11. Indicators characterizing the technical infrastructure in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. commune technical infrastructure 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average spending per capita on municipal economy and environmental protection (PLN) Ustka 158.82 502.41 330.62 Sopot 534.35 1048.73 791.54 Kamień Pomorski 238.93 330.22 284.57 Kołobrzeg 142.79 433.36 288.07 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 275.13 923.29 599.21 Świnoujście 199.81 514.16 356.99 The average share of the sewage network users (%) Ustka 97.21 97.70 97.46 Sopot 98.54 99.73 99.13 Kamień Pomorski 61.62 74.60 68.11 Kołobrzeg 97.70 99.11 98.40 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 14.08 26.48 20.28 Świnoujście 93.16 94.23 93.70 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. 64 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska 3.4. financial and economic capital in the coastal health resort communes in Poland The financial capital including the communes’ own income is a crucial element determining local devel- opment and the result of that development at the same time. Similarly, investment spending and the value of the EU funds prove the activity of the com- munes’ authorities and their engagement in the lo- cal development (Tab. 12, Fig. 9). The income dynamics of the coastal health resort communes in Poland declined in Sopot, Kamień Po- morski and Kołobrzeg. Generally, the income itself increased; however, the average increase in the in- come slightly declined in the second decade. The average income increase remained at a similar lever in Ustka and Darłowo communes and significantly increased in Świnoujście. Sopot had the highest average share of its own income in the budget in the period under study. This indicator improved in Sopot, Darłowo and Świnoujście in the years 2010–2020. Yet, the average share of their own income in the budget decreased in Ustka and Kołobrzeg in the same period. In gen- eral, Kamień Pomorski had the lowest share of their own income in the budget in the period under study. As far as the investment spending is concerned, only Świnoujście reported an increase in investment spending in the years 2010–2020 compared to the previous decade. All the other health resorts were characterized by stagnation (Ustka, Darłowo com- mune) or even decrease (Sopot, Kamień Pomorski, Kołobrzeg) in average investment spending. As far as the evaluation of the EU funds is con- cerned, the available data did not allow conducting an evaluation for the years 2000–2010. However, they remain a very crucial element of the commune’s budget and oftentimes condition the investment development which is not possible from the com- munes’ own financial resources. In general, as far as the public finances are con- cerned, i.e., income, investment spending, obtain- ing EU funds, all the communes under study are at a similar level. However, Ustka excels in this respect as it obtained significant EU funds in the years 2012– 2015 thus securing many investment opportunities for itself (Fig. 9). Only Kamień Pomorski has the low- est financial capital and showed the lowest level of nearly all the indicators on average compared to the other health resorts. Tourism is undoubtedly a very important area of the communes’ economy. When it is described as an average phenomenon calculated per capita, it points out to Darłowo which has a clear tourism profile, and tourism economy has an important share in the la- bor market and affects the developmental trends of that commune. Average spending on tourism was the highest in Sopot and Darłowo (Tab. 13, Fig. 10). 83.3 73.3 65.7 49.2 35.0 15.2 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Ustka Darłowo Kamień Pomorski Fig. 8. The synthetic indicator of material capital in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 65 61.5 58.4 52.5 38.3 35.8 1.4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Ustka Świnoujście Sopot Darłowo Kołobrzeg Kamień Pomorski Fig. 9. The synthetic indicator of public finances in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Tab. 12. Indicators characterizing public finances in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000– 2020. commune Public finances 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average income dynamics of the commune per capita (%) Ustka 109.40 110.48 109.94 Sopot 113.62 102.94 108.28 Kamień Pomorski 111.15 105.78 108.46 Kołobrzeg 110.80 106.45 108.62 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 111.05 110.13 110.59 Świnoujście 108.18 115.30 111.74 Average share of the commune’s own income in the budget (%) Ustka 62.89 60.94 61.92 Sopot 69.44 72.47 70.95 Kamień Pomorski 53.65 53.09 53.37 Kołobrzeg 68.41 61.62 65.02 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 55.51 62.01 58.76 Świnoujście 53.91 59.91 56.91 Average share of investment spending in total spending (%) Ustka 19.52 19.42 19.47 Sopot 28.81 22.23 25.52 Kamień Pomorski 14.80 12.44 13.62 Kołobrzeg 22.97 17.20 20.09 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 20.30 20.23 20.26 Świnoujście 18.55 27.13 22.84 Average share of the EU funds per capita (PLN) Ustka x 121.62 121.62 Sopot x 12.47 12.47 Kamień Pomorski x 0.35 0.35 Kołobrzeg x 15.53 15.53 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) x 0.25 0.25 Świnoujście x 44.02 44.02 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. 66 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska The social and economic development of health resort communes is mostly stimulated by their health and spa activity. However, having the sta- tus of a health resort has both advantages and disadvantages in terms of economic policy. Health and spa activity was assessed on the basis of the average number of beds in health and spa enter- prises, spending in the department 851, i.e., Health protection and the level of registering new entities of the medical sector (Tab. 14). The health and spa activity has improved in the communes under study in the last twenty years. Excluding Świnoujście, all the other communes re- ported an increase in the number of accommoda- tion in health resort enterprises. Apart from Darłowo commune, average spending per capita in the area of health protection has increased. Unfortunately, Tab. 13. Indicators characterizing tourist economy in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000– 2020. commune tourism 2000-2010 2010-2020 2000-2020 Average number of beds (sleeping places) in tourism accommodation enterprises per 100 inhabitants Ustka 337.15 316.32 326.74 Sopot 88.21 130.51 109.36 Kamień Pomorski 32.29 46.67 39.48 Kołobrzeg 234.00 337.85 285.92 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 527.59 625.13 576.36 Świnoujście 203.19 252.54 470.32 Average spending on tourism per capita (PLN) Ustka 43.98 38.07 40.04 Sopot 357.38 142.88 214.38 Kamień Pomorski 23.14 139.20 100.52 Kołobrzeg 54.47 103.87 87.40 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 45.27 241.20 175.89 Świnoujście 49.03 69.70 62.81 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. 89.0 56.5 46.7 36.5 26.8 17.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Darłowo Sopot Świnoujście Kołobrzeg Ustka Kamień Pomorski Fig. 10. The synthetic indicator of tourism economy in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 67 69.5 46.7 33.0 28.2 14.4 12.1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Sopot Darłowo Kamień Pomorski Ustka Fig. 11. The synthetic indicator of the economy of health resorts in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Tab. 14. Indicators characterizing health and spa economy in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. commune health resort 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Average number of beds (sleeping places) in health and spa enterprises per 1000 inhabit- ants Ustka 16.09 38.78 27.43 Sopot 9.36 17.33 13.34 Kamień Pomorski 0.00 36.43 18.22 Kołobrzeg 128.90 129.05 128.97 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 74.02 90.75 82.38 Świnoujście 32.21 24.10 28.15 Average spending on health protection per capita (PLN) Ustka 28.72 46.09 40.30 Sopot 53.84 119.03 97.30 Kamień Pomorski 23.27 31.08 28.48 Kołobrzeg 32.66 57.01 48.89 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 135.54 65.05 88.55 Świnoujście 254.42 275.44 268.43 Average share of newly registered enterprises of the medical sector in the total number of economic entities (%) Ustka 2.63 2.21 2.28 Sopot 5.34 4.81 4.90 Kamień Pomorski 3.95 3.17 3.30 Kołobrzeg 3.46 6.99 6.40 Darłowo (Dąbki health resort) 1.72 1.23 1.31 Świnoujście 3.74 2.50 2.70 Source: own study based on Local Data Bank. 68 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska the number of newly set up enterprises in the medi- cal sector has decreased in all the health resort com- munes apart from Kołobrzeg. If a commune reached the saturation level in terms of the number of enter- prises in the medical sector, the indicator should not be very relevant. In general, the health and spa activity is best de- veloped in Kołobrzeg, where both accommodation, new medical sector entities and even expenditure on health protection are at a high level on average (Fig. 11). Kołobrzeg excels among the other com- munes under study in this respect. It reached such a high level as early as in 2000–2010 and improved it significantly in the next decade. In general, the financial and economic indicator is similar in the health resorts under study. Kamień Pomorski is in a slightly worse situation. It must also be emphasized that Sopot excelled in this respect in the first decade; however, the level of its capital has flattened since 2010 and is nearly the same as for dominating Kołobrzeg (Fig. 12). 3.5. changes in the social and economic development in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020 When comparing the general social and econom- ic situation in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020, Sopot takes the first place, while Kołobrzeg takes the second place at the beginning of the period under study. In all the types of capital, both towns took the first and the second place, respectively (Fig. 13). Towards the end of the period under study, the role of Kołobrzeg is increasing while Sopot loses its strong position. The most favorable changes in terms of the financial and economic capital take place in Kołobrzeg, which significantly exceeded Sopot in the years 2010–2020. In addition, the role of that capital becomes more important in Ustka, Świnoujście and Darłowo, which means that Sopot lost significantly compared to the other communes. The changes to the social and economic devel- opment in the coastal health resort communes were the most favorable in Kołobrzeg, where all types of capital increased (Tab. 15). Świnoujście reported a significant rise due to the improvements in the hu- man capital as well as in the financial and economic capital. Unfortunately, it is weakened by a decrease in the value of the material capital indicator. Two health resorts reported a decrease in the val- ue of the synthetic indicator. In Sopot, it was due to a significant loss of importance of the financial and economic capital, while in Kamień Pomorski it was due to a significant decline in the human capital and in the financial and economic capital, which were the poorest compared to the other communes. All the changes that took place in the years 2000– 2010 and 2010–2020 clearly point to an increasing role of Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście and a decreasing role of Sopot. 51.9 47.2 46.9 46.2 37.3 9.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Świnoujście Kołobrzeg Sopot Darłowo Ustka Kamień Pomorski Fig. 12. The synthetic indicator of the financial and economic capital in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2020. Source: own study. Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 69 4. Summary The development of the coastal health resort com- munes is not homogeneous. The best operating ones are the already developed settlements and villages and the bigger towns in terms of resident numbers, like Sopot and Kołobrzeg, which suggests that a diversification of economic functions (serving to strengthen the tourism functions) may be ben- eficial also for the development of the health resort function. Despite significant human capital, small health resorts do not have as large economic poten- tial as the bigger ones, which impacts their poorer economic condition and a slower growth rate. The greatest differences are visible in terms of the material capital, especially the residents’ quality of life and housing resources as well as investment in technical infrastructure. The development of health resorts is a chance for the residents to improve the quality of their lives, find employment and raise their qualifications. Im- plementation of training and educational activities is an exceptionally important issue to facilitate the development of health resort functions and create atmosphere facilitating local entrepreneurship. Such activities should be addressed to people already employed in the health resorts but also to their fu- ture employees. Therefore, introducing new fields of study connected with tourism and hospitality at all levels of education may significantly contribute to creating job careers in health resorts. Health resort tourism may play an important role by stimulating 69.6 57.4 44.9 41.5 41.9 26.9 64.3 63.8 54.1 44.7 40.2 23.9 65.7 59.8 55.1 44.7 40.2 21.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sopot Kołobrzeg Świnoujście Darłowo Ustka Kamień Pomorski 2000–2010 2010–2020 2000–2020 Fig. 13. Synthetic indicator of the social and economic development in the coastal health resort communes in Poland in the years 2000–2010, 2010–2020 and 2000–2020. Source: own study. Tab. 15. The change to the value of the synthetic indicator of social and economic development in two sub-periods: 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 in the coastal health resorts. health resort human capital financial and economic capital material capital General synthetic indicator Ustka –13.48 19.63 –1.47 1.56 Sopot 11.98 –30.28 2.46 –5.28 Kamień Pomorski –7.01 -3.96 3.42 –2.52 Kołobrzeg 2.51 2.28 16.94 7.24 Darłowo –11.45 6.59 14.57 3.23 Świnoujście 10.28 16.43 –6.24 6.82 Source: own study. 70 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska social and economic development in marginalized areas which are characterized by social exclusion. However, it is necessary to find appropriate staff ren- dering services to tourists, especially health resort tourists (peripheral regions usually do not have such human resources). The experience of other areas of sanatoriums and health resorts confirms that the de- velopment of therapeutic services and other auxilia- ry services may facilitate an economic and social suc- cess of certain territorial units (Bański, Więckowski, 2014). At the same time, it is crucial to generate new jobs in the same health resorts and companies that cooperate with them. At the end of the last few years, global events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the war crisis be- tween Russia and Ukraine, have a significant impact on the economy, even the local economy. In this sit- uation, it is difficult to predict how local economies, which are very dependent on state policy, especially in the field of financial regulations, will react. references Bański J., Więckowski M., 2014, Wpływ uzdrowisk na rozwój społeczno-gospodarczy w województwie podkarpackim (Eng. The influence of health resorts on the socio-eco- nomic development in Podkarpackie Province), Expertise in IGiPZ PAN, Warszawa. Baran-Zgłobicka B., 2015, Możliwości rozwoju funkcji uzdro- wiskowej na obszarach wiejskich południowo-wschod- niej Polski (Eng. Possibilities of health resort functions de- velopment in the rural areas of south-east Poland), Studia KPZK PAN, 161, 371–384. Bennett M., King B., Milner, L., 2004, The Health Re- sort Sector in Australia: A Positioning Study. Jour- nal of Vacation Marketing, 10(2), 122–137. doi: 10. 10.1177/135676670401000203. Boekstein M., 2014, From illness to wellness-has thermal spring health tourism reached a new turning point?, Af- rican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 3(2), 1–11. Cieślak A., 2014, Funkcja uzdrowiskowa i dziedzictwo kul- turowe jako katalizatory rozwoju małych miast (Eng. Health resort functions and national heritage as catalysts for development of small towns), Problemy Rozwoju Mi- ast, 11(3), 21–28. Cristian-Constantin D., Radu-Daniel P., Daniel P., Georgiana C.L., Igor S., 2015, The Role of SPA Tourism in the Devel- opment of Local Economies from Romania, Procedia Eco- nomics and Finance, 23, 1573–157. Dryglas D., Golba J., 2017, Determinanty funkcjonowania i ro- zwoju uzdrowisk w Europie. Studium przypadku Polski (Eng. Determinants of health resorts functions and develop- ment in Europe. Case study – Poland), PWN, Warszawa. Gaworecki W.W., 2003, Turystyka (Eng. Tourism), PWE, War- szawa. Golba J., 2009, Gospodarka przestrzenna w uzdrowiskach i wielofunkcyjność uzdrowisk największym wyzwaniem dla samorządów (Eng. Spatial economy multifunctions of health resorts the greatest challenge for local gov- ernments), [in:] J. Golba, K. Rymarczyk-Wajda (eds.), In- nowacyjne kierunki rozwoju turystyki uzdrowiskowej w lec- znictwa uzdrowiskowego (Eng. Innovative directions in the development of health resort tourism in health resort treatment), Stowarzyszenie Gmin Uzdrowiskowych RP, Krynica-Zdrój, 109–114. Górna J., 2013, Miejska turystyka uzdrowiskowa i kierunki jej ewolucji w Polsce (Eng. Urban health resort tourism and the directions of its evolution in Poland), Studia Eko- nomiczne (Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Katowicach), 147, 53–67. Grzegorzewska-Mischka E., 2011, Zdefiniowanie barier w ro- zwoju uzdrowisk w Polsce (Eng. Defining barriers in the development of health resorts in Poland), [in:] M. Boruszc- zak (ed.), Turystyka zdrowotna i uzdrowiskowa (Eng. Medi- cal and health resort tourism), Wyższa Szkoła Turystyki i Hotelarstwa w Gdańsku, Gdańsk, 58–67. GUS, 2011, Lecznictwo uzdrowiskowe w Polsce w latach 2000– 2010 (Eng. Health resort treatment in Poland in the years 2000–2010), Urząd Statystyczny w Krakowie, Kraków. Halkiv L., Kulyniak I., Herbut M., 2017, Sanatorno-kurortna dìâl’nìst’: rinok poslug sanatorìïv u regìonah Ukraïni (Eng. Health resort activity: market of health resort services in regions of Ukraine), Problemi ekonomìki ta upravlìnnâ, 4(1), 18–26. doi: 10.23939/semi2017.01.018 Januszewska M., 2015, Perspektywy rozwoju uzdrowisk w Polsce (Eng. Perspectives of health resorts develop- ment in Poland), Zeszyty Naukowe Turystyka i Rekreacja, 1, 116–118. Kasagranda A., Gurnák D., 2017, Spa and Wellness Tourism in Slovakia (A Geographical Analysis), Czech Journal of Tour- ism, 6(1), 27–53. Kesar O., Rimac K., 2011, Medical Tourism Development in Croatia, Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business, 14, 107–134. Krisciūnas A., 2005, Kurortai ir kurortologijos pletra Lietuvoje (Eng: Health resorts and development of the health resort medicine in Lithuania), Medicina (Kaunas), 41(4), 355–358. Królak S., 2021, Turystyka uzdrowiskowa w Polsce rozważania nad istotą, determinantami i przyszłością (Eng. Health resort tourism in Poland – reflections on the essence, determinants and future), Rozwój Regionalny i Polityka Regionalna, 53, 125–146. doi: https://doi.org/10.14746/ rrpr.2021.53.09 Kurek K.A., Heijman W., Van Ophem, J., Gedek, S., Strojny J., 2020, Geothermal spas as a local development factor, the case of Poland, Geothermics, 85, 101777. doi: 10.1016/j. geothermics.2019.101777 Lewandowska A., 2007, Turystyka uzdrowiskowa. Materiały do studiowania (Eng. Medical tourism. Study materials), Uni- wersytet Szczeciński, Szczecin. Local Data Bank, Statistics Poland, https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/ start (accessed 02 March 2022). Madeyski A., 1999, Szanse polskich uzdrowisk w warunkach rynkowych (Eng. The chances of Polish health resorts in https://doi.org/10.23939/semi2017.01.018 https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Aleksandras-Krisciunas-33419329?_sg%5B0%5D=Rvo9R65b-OXLH9k4gVZwk83f6aLVbHs1bYXReCk2SzjdOOidDjNryUOmwPhvy8DJpBURgsI.EOmNkpjo2GVWExsmbn1NaRAJGSqpmAEP1-8lgeIO6XijCI7svRg-8HvrHxXL2CGGvVWhlQjJ-hHnSMCWwwabDQ&_sg%5B1%5D=BonR4TP6jRGqDoGxW8TW6UgYst9Fts6YEnYKZRHR6nRDPbmxAGHsJ6CWeGzepEZLW_EK8mo.2n6MMgNNfX4AkMORMVwT58rxPLVq4HmNdx4AEdBGBkiM-3x0YmXPOrbaYh-QwxpyP3kvthZJuahKR2bi8oXVSA Socio-economic development of coastal health resort communes in Poland 71 market conditions), [in:] M. Boruszczak (ed.), Turystyka uzdrowiskowa: stan i perspektywy (Eng. Health tourism: conditions and perspectives), Wyższa Szkoła Turystyki i Hotelarstwa w Sopocie, Gdańsk. Malkhazova S., Orlov D., Shartova N., Starikov S., Puzanova T., 2022, Health Resort Complex of Russia, [in:] Heal- ing Springs of Russia, Springer, Cham, 135-158. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-83534-7_5 Michalski T., 2014, Problemy w opracowaniu wskaźników dla monitoringu przestrzennego sytuacji społecznej w Pols- ce (Eng. Problems with developing indicators for spatial monitoring of the social situation in Poland), Biuletyn KPZK PAN, 255, 80–94. Michalski T., Szymańska W., 2017, Problemy statystycznego pomiaru jakości życia na szczeblu regionalnym i lokal- nym wynikające z małej częstotliwości lub wyraźnej spe- cyfiki procesu (Eng. Problems of statistical measurement of life quality at regional and local level resulting from low frequency or high specificity of the process), Studia i Materiały Miscellanea Oeconomicae, 21(3/1), 57–69. Mika M., Ptaszycka-Jackowska D., 2007, Formy turystyki zd- rowotnej (Eng. Forms of health tourism), [in:] W. Kurek (ed.), Turystyka (Eng. Tourism), PWN, Warszawa. Mirek J., 2012, Klastry jako szansa rozwoju przedsiębiorstw i miejscowości uzdrowiskowych (Eng. Clusters as a chance for the development of enterprises and health resorts), Ekonomiczne Problemy Usług, 98(2), 519–534. Młodak A., 2006, Analiza taksonomiczna w statystyce region- alnej (Eng. Taxonomic analysis in local statistics), Difin, Warszawa. Nestorenko T., Tokarenko O., Nestorenko O., 2017, Health- resort complex development as a part of preventive medicine in the context of providing well-being, Wroclaw Economic Review, 23(4), 239–249. doi: 10.19195/2084- 4093.23.4.19 Peter-Bombik K., 2012, Środki unijne jako wsparcie innowacji w gminach uzdrowiskowych (Eng. UE funds as an innova- tions’ support in the spa towns), Współczesne Zarządzanie/ Contemporaty Management Quarterly, 2, 177–184. Polska Norma PN-2001/Z-11000 Uzdrowiska. Terminologia, klasyfikacje i wymagania ogólne (Eng. The Polish Standard PN-2001/Z-11000 Health resorts. Terminology, classifica- tions), 2001, RS SZŚ, Rada Sektorowa Sektora Zdrowia, Środowiska i Medycyny, Warszawa. Rydz E. (ed.), 2005, Kształtowanie się funkcji turystycznych w miejscowościach uzdrowiskowych (Eng. Development of tourist functions in health resorts), Pomorska Akademia Pedagogiczna w Słupsku, Słupsk. Sakson B., 2002, Wpływ „niewidzialnych” migracji zagranic- znych lat osiemdziesiątych na struktury demograficzne Polski (Eng. The influence of „invisible” foreign migrations of the 1980s on the demographic structures in Poland), Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie, Warszawa. Sikora K., 2014, Szczególny status gmin uzdrowiskowych w Polsce (Eng. Special status of health resort municipali- ties in Poland), Studia Iuridica Lublinensia, 23, 108–124. Soliński T., 2012, Znaczenie klastrów w transferze innowacji i rozwoju turystyki (Eng. The importance of clusters in the transfer of innovation and tourism development), [in:] J. Krupa, T. Soliński (eds.), Ochrona środowiska w aspek- cie zrównoważonego rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego Pogórza Dynowskiego (Eng. Environmental protec- tion and sustainable socio-economic development of Pogórze Dynowskie), Związek Gmin Turystycznych Pogórza Dynowskiego, Dynów, 35–45. Statut Uzdrowiska Dąbki. Uchwała nr XII/143/2007 Rady Gminy Darłowo z dnia 16.11. (Eng. Statute of Dąbki Health Resort, Resolution no. XII/143/2007 of the Council of Darłowo Commune of 16.11.2007), 2007, Rada Gminy Darłowo, Darłowo. Statut Uzdrowiska Kamień Pomorski, Uchwała nr IV/27/10 Rady Miejskiej w Kamieniu Pomorskim z dnia 28.12.2010 z późn. zm. (Eng. Statute Kamień Pomorski Health Resort, Resolu- tion no. IV/27/10 of the Town Council in Kamień Pomorski of 28.12.2010 as amended), 2010, Rada Miejska w Kami- eniu Pomorskim, Kamień Pomorski. Statut Uzdrowiska Kołobrzeg, Uchwała nr XL/526/13 Rady Mia- sta Kołobrzeg z dnia 26.11.2013 z poźn. zm. (Eng. Statute of Kołobrzeg Health Resort, Resolution no. XL/526/13 of the Kołobrzeg Town Council of 26.11.2013 as amended), 2013, Rada Miasta Kołobrzeg, Kołobrzeg. Statut Uzdrowiska Sopot, Uchwała nr XXIII/383/2021 Rady Mia- sta Sopotu z dnia 19.03.2021 (Eng. Statute of Sopot Health Resort, Resolution no. XXIII/383/2021 of Sopot Town Council of 19.03.2021), 2021, Rada Miasta Sopotu, Sopot. Statut Uzdrowiska Świnoujście, Uchwała nr XXII/176/2019 Rady Miasta Świnoujście z poźn. zm. (Eng. Statute of Świnoujście Health Resort, Resolution no. XXII/176/2019 of Świnoujście Town Council as amended), 2019, Rada Miasta Świnoujście, Świnoujście. Statut Uzdrowiska Ustka, Uchwała nr XVI/151/2011 z dnia 29.12.2011 Rady Miasta Ustka (Eng. Statute of Ustka Health Resort, Resolution no. XVI/151/2011 of 29.12.2011 Ustka Town Council), 2011, Rada Miasta Ustka, Ustka. Szromek A. (ed.), 2010, Uzdrowiska i ich znaczenie w gosp- odarce turystycznej (Eng. Health resorts and their signifi- cance for the tourist economy), Proksenia, Kraków. Szromek A. (ed.), 2012, Uzdrowiska i ich funkcja turystyczno- lecznicza (Eng. Health resorts and their tourist function), Proksenia, Kraków. Szromek A.R., 2021, The Role of Health Resort Enterprises in Health Prevention during the Epidemic Crisis Caused by COVID-19, Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(2), 133. doi: 10.3390/joit- mc7020133 Śleszyński P., 2005, Perspektywy rozwoju rynku mieszkanio- wego w Polsce w świetle sytuacji demograficznej, eko- nomicznej i stanu zaspokojenia potrzeb mieszkaniowych (Eng. Perspectives of the development of housing market in Poland in the light of the demographic and economic situation and the state of the fulfillment of housing de- mand), Studia Regionalne i Lokalne, 1(19), 45–65. Ustawa z dnia 28 lipca 2005 r. o lecznictwie uzdrowiskowym, uzdrowiskach i obszarach ochrony uzdrowiskowej oraz o gminach uzdrowiskowych ((Eng. The Act of 28 July, 2005 on healing treatments, health resort, health resorts pro- tection zones and communes), 2005, Dz.U. 2005 Nr 167 poz. 1399 z późn. zm. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83534-7_5 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83534-7_5 72 Wioletta Szymańska, Anna Wiśniewska Wiśniewski R., Mazur M., Śleszyński P., Szejgiec-Kolenda B., 2020, Wpływ zmian demograficznych w Polsce na rozwój lokalny (Eng. Impact of demographic changes in Poland on local development), Instytut Geografii i Przestrzen- nego Zagospodarowania PAN, Warszawa. Zajączkowski M., Cegliński P., 2018, Analysis of Development Potential of Health Resort Enterprises on the Example of Przedsiębiorstwo Uzdrowisko Ciechocinek S.A. in Alek- sandrów County, Journal of Education, Health and Sport, 8(11), 699–710, doi: 105281/zenodo.2591815 Zarządzenie Ministra Zdrowia i Opieki Społecznej z dnia 25 lipca 1967 r. w sprawie wykazu miejscowości uznanych za uzd- rowiska (Eng. Order of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of 25 July 1967 on the list of localities recognized as health resorts), 1967, M.P. 1967 nr 45 poz. 228).