Summary:

The survey which was supposed to provide information on popularity of rural holiday destinations among the academic youth has revealed that rural areas are most willingly visited by students who come from cities (49.3%). The locations most frequently chosen by the respondents included: the Baltic coast, Helski Peninsula, Kujawy and Kaszuby Region. It was also observed that male students are more willing than female students to spend holidays outside towns (54.6%). The recreational activities indicated by the respondents who chose to spend their free time in the village were mainly cycling and hiking (34.3% vs 28.4%). Another form of activity was sightseeing (32.3%), and kayaking (30.4%). People who declared to have spent their holiday time in the country were more often involved in sailing (mainly men - 66.6%) and rowing (mainly women - 54.5%) sunbathing and diving (7.8%) than those who chose to go to the city. Students are regarded to be an active and important group of tourists who tend to visit the village even two times a year and stay there for longer periods of time (even 8 - 14 days). It is likely that trips to regions characterized by peace, quietness and clean air will increase among the analyzed group of tourists.