ABSTRACT. - Touristic Potential and the Induced Risks by Its Development to the Praid Salt Mine.The beginings of the Praid salt mine are dated even since the roman age. The first document in which the Praid salt mine appears is dated since 1905. The underground salt exploration has started in 1762. Regarding the curing secret of Praid salt mine, has started to be told among the 1960’s, in the Gheorghe Doja salt mine spaces, which were opened between 1948-1949, when caves and underground climeotherapy started.The functional rate of the resort is of 50-60%, being completed by the other kind of requests (rest, treatment). On the basis of the made researches, a series of factors have been underlined, which competes to the speleotherapy: the high degree of purity (180-270 pieces, germs/ cm3 and the relative high humidity of the air ( 15,4-16,40C), the reduced speed of air currents (0,072 m/s), the high content of the CO2 in the air(611-799 mg/m3), the negatve ionisation (413-580 ion/m3), the very low ozone quantity in the air and partial high pressure of oxigen ( higher than 12-15 mm Hg column to the exterior). The treatment rooms and anexes are enlighted by electric power, having a continuous ventilation. There are playgrounds , chairs and long chairs, billiards, ping-pong, handball gates, an ecumenical chapel and a bar.Between 1999-2007 the analysis of the touristic flow reveals a continuos growth both of visitors and unhealthy people who came for treatment in the salt mine. Among their frame, the ill people are predominant no matter the period of the year. The main factor that threatens the structure and quality of Praid salt mine as a touristic resource is that of the underground medium quality deterioration by its over exploatation in certain periods of the year. The continuous growth of the tourists number and the tourism development has lead to the medium aggression by the used waters that come from the salt mine and from the touristic units, as well as the polluting agents coming from transport. Due to the touristic seasonal flow , which reflects the intensity of the touristic circulation, is the inducing phenomenon of the economic inefficiency risk, having influences upon the low coefficient of the touristic basis occupation
Key-words: risk, development, speleotherapy, Praid