The role of geodiversity and geoheritage in tourism and local development

Abstract

Abstract Geodiversity and geoheritage play an increasingly important role in the tourism industry, although visitors’ interest in natural phenomena is much older than these two, relatively modern concepts. This chapter reviews several key issues emerging at the interface of geoheritage and the needs and expectations of the tourism industry, both tourists and service providers. Specific themes discussed include evaluation of geodiversity and geoheritage resources for tourism purposes, problems of interpreting Earth heritage for the general public, accessibility issues related to conservation, and the role of geoparks and allied initiatives in fostering local development. More general overviews are supplemented by case studies, illustrating each theme. These are taken from various localities globally, from Europe, South America and Oceania. It is concluded that the coverage of thematic studies at the interface between geoheritage resources and tourism science is uneven. Inventories and assessments of geoheritage and geodiversity sites for geotourism are widely reported and new resources for geotourism development are commonly explored, whereas much less is known about the actual perception of geoheritage values among visitors and the quality and effectiveness of their interpretation. Likewise, the positive impact of geotourism on local economies seems to be more hypothesized or anticipated than actually demonstrated.