Natural resources capacity to secure sanatorium and resort activity in the Carpathian region

Abstract

The area and the present population in the oblasts of the Carpathian region are outlined as of 1 January 2022. The content of “natural resources of tourism and recreation activity” is substantiated. The group of tourism and recreation activity is suggested to be divided into three subgroups – sanatorium and resort activity, tourism and health-improving activity, and tourism and recreation activity. The natural resources capacity to secure sanatorium and resort activity in the Carpathian region is analyzed across the parameters of balance reserves of underground mineral and thermal waters, therapeutic peloids, and ozocerite. The largest balance reserves of underground mineral waters are concentrated in Lvivska and Zakarpatska oblasts, while Chernivetska and Ivano-Frankivska oblasts have somewhat fewer reserves. Thermal underground mineral waters are estimated in the deposits in Berehove of Zakarpatska oblast. Peloids are developed in Velykolyubinske and Cherchenske deposits of Lvivska and Ivano-Frankivska oblasts, respectively. The state balance includes only the Boryslavske ozocerite deposit in Lvivska oblast. Competitive advantages of securing the coverage of the region’s oblasts’ population with balneological resources are suggested to be estimated based on total partial indices, while those of the region – the composite integral index. The ranking is performed based on the results of total partial indices calculated as a total of partial indices of the coverage of the region’s oblasts’ population with various types of balneological resources. The analysis of the ranking scale shows that Zakarpatska and Lvivska oblasts are ranked first and second, respectively, and Ivano-Frankivska and Chernivetska oblasts are third and fourth in competitive advantages of the coverage of the oblasts’ population with balneological resources. Lvivska oblast prevails in the variety of balneological resources for the provision of health-improving and tourism-health-improving services. The coverage of the population of oblasts and the Carpathian region with balneological resources depends on their balance reserves and is inversely proportional to the present population.