Geotourism and Geoparks: Africa’s Current Prospects for Sustainable Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation

Abstract

Geotourism is a relatively new type of tourism with significant growth potential. Initially defined in Europe, USA and Australia, it is an international developing academic, economic and sustainable rural development investigation field. The term geotourism has been in use since the early 1990s, although its precursor activities can be traced back to the 17th century. Benefiting from its significant social, historical and industrial archaeological underpinnings, the concept is still undergoing redefinition and refinement. This paper explores current literature on geotourism and geoparks in relation to sustainable development in Africa. Furthermore, it explores current literature on the direct and indirect sustainable development impacts from geotourism and geoparks, and their implications on social, environmental and economic development on rural communities. The literature has shown that these concepts, relatively new in Africa, present essential credentials for poverty alleviation and sustainable rural development on the continent.