The paper is devoted to the analysis of the potential of the health-improving tourist and recreational space of the Azov Sea coast as a traditional region with a therapeutic and recreational profile. The geographical location, climate peculiarities of the Azov Sea coast, history of its recreational development allow to consider this region as a single, but at the same time heterogeneous health-improving tourist and recreational space. The paper is presented the sanatorium-resort potential of the Azov Sea coastal region in the Soviet period, and analyses the current material and technical, resource and personnel base of the health tourism and recreational space of the Azov Sea region. The results of the monitoring revealed a significant reduction of health resort facilities on the Azov Sea coast since the Soviet era and some shift of target audiences towards children's recreational holidays. The paper is identified the features, directions and barriers to the development of resort recreation in the region. The paper considers the findings about the main local recreational poles of the region. Today they are the coast of Taganrog Bay, the Taman and the Kerch Peninsulas. A positive pole could be the Northern Azov Sea coastal region, which counts about 30 health-improving institutions and has a significant balneological base. The balneological opportunities of Mariupol, Berdyansk, Obitnaya Spit, Genichesk, Primorsk, Belosarayskaya Spit, Biryuchy Island Spit, Kirillovka, Novoazovsk, Yurievka, Urzuf, Strelkovoye, etc. have a significant potential. Their development will lead to the emergence of new recreational routes and the implementation of the federal tasks for the development of the researched region.