Abstract
Caves represent natural phenomena that have been used by man since ancient times, first as a refuge and dwelling, and later as objects of research and tourism. In the karst landscape of Slovak Republic in Central Europe, more than 7000 caves are registered in a relatively small area, of which 18 are open to the public. This paper deals with the analysis of the speleotourism potential of 12 of these caves, administered by the Slovak Caves Administration. Based on the obtained data, we first evaluate the number of visitors in 2010–2019. Using a public opinion survey among visitors, we then evaluate the individual indicators of quality and each cave’s resulting potential. We use a modified standardization methodology and standardization of individual evaluation criteria weights for individual evaluation indicators. The resulting values of the potential of caves for speleotourism point to the great importance of these sites for domestic and foreign tourism and the protection of nature and landscape, as 5 of these caves have been part of the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List since 1995.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Given the study’s primary goal—to determine the attractiveness of caves for speleotourism—we decided to conduct a public opinion survey regarding the general methodology of questionnaire creation
In terms of attendance analysis, we focused on the summer months of 2010–2019, when all 12 caves are open to the public (Table 4)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Many structures of a natural character have considerable tourism potential. These include mountains, canyons, islands, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, flora, and fauna. Among these vast possibilities, caves stand out primarily due to their unique properties, both scientific and aesthetic, which result in their high degree of attraction [1]. A cave represents all genetic types of underground spaces that can be explored by man, entirely or partially surrounded by rock, spanning from abri through a fissure, river caves to multilevel combined cave systems [2]. The National Council of the Slovak Republic Act no. 543/2000 Coll
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