Geodiversity and geotourism in Greater Cairo area, Egypt: implications for geoheritage revival and sustainable development

Abstract

Egypt is one of the oldest countries in the world to attract tourists with its wonderful treasures that can be found constantly in the landscapes and rocks in the desert areas surrounding Cairo and the Nile Valle. Geotourism in developing countries is a sustainable natural tourism phenomenon that may contribute to the growth of the national tourism industry and may attract a segment of tourists increasingly interested in such tourism. In Egypt, the Greater Cairo area possesses excessively geodiversity and geotourism sites that represent a good percentage of all documented touristic sites. These geosites blend the old and modern characters together in a wonderful way. Unfortunately, some of these sites are quite forgotten. Therefore, they should be known and promoted by adding them to the tour guides and trips. The present study highlights nine geosites with high potential for sustainable development of the Greater Cairo area. The studied geosites include plateaus, springs, caves, protectorates, and the Egyptian Geological Museum. Thus, a variety of geosites reflects history, geomorphology, geology, and tectonics of the Greater Cairo area. The Value of a Site for Geotourism index was estimated via many field trips to assess the inherent value of individual geosites in the light of representativeness, rarity, scenic-esthetic, historical-archeological-cultural, and accessibility. Results revealed that seven sites reflect a high score index that represented their relevance for the proposed geotourism, while the score index of the other two sites is inadequate. Comprehensive development of the investigated geosites and future management strategies are vital for preserving such geosites and the rising geoconservation in the Greater Cairo area. The applied methods in the present study are applicable for the various geosites in Egypt and similar areas.