Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
aesthetic, culture, and the well-being of its residents
”
.In
and Roots
2008
). It has become a unique market segment in
tourism centred on sustaining and enhancing the geological
and geographical character of a place (Stokes et al.
2003
).
Dowling (
2009a
) views geotourism as having a number of
interrelated components, all of which should be present for
authentic geotourism to occur. There are
presenting this de
nition, National Geographic sparks a
“
”
debate on whether
means geographical or geological.
Joyce (
2006
) contends that
geo
nition of geotourism
needs to be explored further; as a contemporary concept,
geotourism draws on both geology and tourism. He provides
a working de
the de
ve fundamental
principles: 1. geotourism is geologically-based (that is, based
on the Earth
Geo-
tourism could be people going to a place to look at and learn
about one or more aspects of geology and geomorphology
nition for geotourism in his paper as
“
s heritage); 2. It is sustainable (i.e., economi-
cally viable, community enhancing and fosters geoconser-
vation); 3. It is educational (achieved through geo-
interpretation); 4. It is locally bene
'
.
Coenraads and Koivula (
2007
) view geotourism as having
the same objectives as ecotourism, but particularly seeks to
explain the beauty and origins of the Earth, all landscapes,
landforms, plants and animals.
According to Dowling (
2010
), geotourism is a form of
natural area tourism that speci
”
cial; and 5. It generates
tourist satisfaction. The
rst three characteristics are con-
sidered to be essential for a product to be considered
'
geo-
tourism
while the last two characteristics are viewed as
being desirable for all forms of tourism.
In relation to the concept of geotourism; sustainable
(tourism) development is the main reason for the stimulation
of geotourism. Mitchell (
1989
) documents that, from a
geographical point of view, sustainable development can be
traced to the time of Marsh when geographers started
in
'
cally focuses on geology and
landscape. It promotes tourism to geosites and the conser-
vation of geodiversity and an understanding of the Earth
Sciences through appreciation and learning. Dowling out-
lines geotourism characteristics which are, that while geo-
tourism is geologically based, it can occur in natural, rural or
urban environments; it fosters geoheritage conservation
through appropriate sustainability measures, it promotes
sound geological understanding through interpretation and
education, and it generates tourist or visitor satisfaction. Like
ecotourism, geotourism promotes a virtual circle whereby
tourism revenues provide a local incentive to protect what
tourists are coming to see, but extends the principle beyond
nature and ecology to incorporate all characteristics that
contribute to a
uencing the course of natural resource management in
several ways. Hall and Lew (
1998
) supports Mitchell stating
that geographers have been interested in the appropriate use
of the physical environment by human-kind since the middle
19th century, and have also served to chart the history of
environmental attitudes in Western and other societies.
Mitchell
ed some major contributions of
geographers to the study of tourism with respect to envi-
ronmentally, regionally, spatially, and evolutionarily. Indis-
putably, these four areas are of considerable importance to
geographers and geologists. Uncertainties about the rela-
tionship between tourism and the physical and social envi-
ronment, particularly with respect to such notions as
carrying capacity, have been at the forefront of much geo-
graphical and geological study.
As Johnston (
1991
) recognised, academic life
(
1989
)
identi
. It incorporates sustainability
principles, but in addition to the do-no-harm ethic, geotou-
rism focuses on the place as a whole.
“
“
sense of place
”
has emerged as a much talked about topic
that is frequently linked to the term
Geotourism
”
”
(Farsani et al.
2009
). It is a developing segment of tourism
based on geodiversity. People have always travelled to
appreciate the geological wonders of this world, but it is only
now that many people are giving it much more attention.
Geotourism is creating a fresh niche in the tourism sector
with fresh speci
“
sustainable tourism
'
is not a
closed system, but rather is open to the in
uences and
commands of the wider society which encompasses it
;
therefore the attention of geographers and geologists to the
issues of sustainable tourism development through geotou-
rism should come as no surprise. Geotourism is a holistic
approach to sustainable tourism focusing on all de
'
cities and different contingencies that fol-
low the general trends of tourism, but also has its own trends
(Rodrigues and Carvalho
2009
). Dowling (
2009a
) states that
geotourism, as an emerging global phenomenon,
is sus-
nable
points that create an authentic travel experience (Stokes et al.
2003
). Pforr and Megerle (
2006
) have cited work by
Buckley (
2003
) and Lang (
2003
) that de
tainable with initial focus on experiencing the Earth
s geo-
logical features in ways that encourages environmental and
cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation, and is
locally bene
'
nes geotourism as
the intersection of nature-based tourism focusing on geo-
objects and sustainable development. They see geotourism
in the context not only of a new market segment but also as a
'
cial. It promotes tourism to geosites and the
conservation of geodiversity, and an understanding of Earth
Sciences through appreciation and learning. This is achieved
through independent visits to geological features, use of
geotrails and viewpoints, guided tours, geo-activities and
patronage of geosite visitor centres.
Geotourism complements scenic beauty with the revela-
tion of how these geological features were formed (Robinson
normative direction contributing to geo-conservation and
sustainable development
. Megerle and Megerle (
2002
)
suggest that geotourism should be viewed as part of a
holistic management approach to the broad
'
eld of geolog-
ical and landscape history, including its interconnectedness
