The Income from Accommodation and Food Services in Eco-Agritouristic Farms in Eastern Poland

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the economic effects of the touristic activities in eco-agritouristic farms operating in the Eastern Poland as well as to determine the correlation between the accommodation and food services income value and the farms’ leisure facilities base combined with the attractiveness of the recreational rural area. The study was conducted in 2010 in 50 farms located in the following provinces: Mazovia, Podkarpacie, Podlasie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmia-Mazovia. The source material was collected through the direct interview technique. The questionnaire form sent to farms’ owners was used as the research tool. The data obtained in the study allow us to conclude that the gross margin generated by accommodation and food services in each farm amounted on average 70,997.36 PLN. The highest value was recorded in the Podkarpacie Province (137,485.56 PLN) and the Warmia-Mazovia Province (118,638.91 PLN), and the lowest in the Świętokrzyskie Province (19,686.21 PLN) and the Podlasie Province (21,946.37 PLN). The revenue per occupied room/bed (POR) ranged between 34.13 PLN and 76.71 PLN. Respectively, the revenue per available room/bed (PAR) ranged from 0.84 to 42.76 PLN. The value of gross margin was significantly correlated with the attractiveness of the recreational rural area and the farms’ leisure facilities base. In contrast, the value of the PAR ratio was significantly correlated only with the farms’ leisure facilities base. The correlation between these attributes was weak but still significantly positive. Among other attributes no significant correlations was proven.

Keywords

• rural recreational space attractiveness indicator
• based recreation
• gross margin
• POR
• PAR