THE EFFECT OF HEALTH TOURISM ON THE LIVES OF THE SETTLEMENTS ¬– SETTLEMENT MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN KEHIDAKUSTÁNY

Abstract

Tourism due to its increasing economic status affects the life and development of settlements. The extent of development generated by tourism and its aspects are influenced by the size of the settlement and the type of the available touristic product. The examined health tourism in the study is the most popular touristic product of Hungary, therefore the examination of generated effects is an increasingly important area.  Among these effects we are focusing on the possible morphological changes of a settlement with a bath of national and regional attraction introduced by Kehidakustány as an example. Kehidakustány belongs to those settlements that received a significant amount of financial support as a health tourism subpart of Széchenyi Plan Tourism Program to bath and accommodation development in 2000. In the view of the past 15 years, it can be identified that remarkable changes occurred in the layout and design of the examined settlement. It has entered to the successful settlements due to its appeared and increased touristic function. Similar villages to Kehidakustány that are successful by health tourism developments have in common is that they gained high level of income by their baths resulted in major economic role in their region.