Exploring the potential for geotourism development in the Danube region of Serbia

Abstract

The very turbulent geological past of the Danube region in Serbia, coupled with the influence of the Danube River, has created a rich and complex geodiversity. However, the geotourism potential of this region still remains fully undiscovered. In this paper we proposed an inventory of geosites in the Danube region of Serbia and analyzed them in order to reveal which among them possess the greatest geotourism potential. The selected sites were analyzed by applying the Modified Geosite Assessment Model (M-GAM) which revealed the most suitable geosites for future geotourism development. The main goal is to emphasize the geotourism potential of the Danube region in Serbia and determine the current state and geotourism potential of geosites located in this region. The results indicate that further geotourism development should primarily be focused towards Boljetinska River Canyon, Galerija volcanic tuff site and Viminacium palaeontological park. The results also reveal information about the major fields of improvement for each geosite and identify which areas require more attention and better management in the future in order for this area to become a well-known geotourism destination which would attract a larger number of tourists in the future.