Geotourism: A Tool for Sustainable Development of Geoheritage Resources

Abstract

The theoretical understanding suggests that geotourism relates tourism and geology in such a way that the public can experience the earth’s geological wonders with environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation through formal and informal education. With proper enforcement emplaced, this idea of protection through usage should lead to an increase in ecological and socio-cultural awareness and behaviour among geotourists and local guardians of geological heritage. In the prospect of geotourism, geotourists and local public are related in a way that the former play its part in geoheritage conservation through visiting geological heritages while expenditures spent by geotourists contributed to the gross income of the latter and partially to the nation through various tax structures. These economic benefit as well as environmental incentives of geotourism would encourage local public to embrace into geotourism industry and geoheritage conservation. Thus, when these mechanisms work perfectly, geotourism will offer one realistic key solution to the apparent conflict between environmental and cultural protection, and economic growth.

A Proposed Geoheritage Inventory System: Case Study of Isalo National Park, Madagascar

“…During the last decade, the concepts of sustainable development and ecotourism have expanded globally and have become as the most important parts of the geoconservation and valorization of geoheritage [1]- [4].…”

New Evidence of the Bangestan Geoheritage Resource in Iran: Beyond Hydrocarbon Reserves

“…Although geoheritage resources can be exploited in different ways, the most evident and economically profitable approach is their use for tourism development [20]. Geotourism can bring serious socio-economic benefits [3,21,[55][56][57], but it also helps to diversify the existing tourism practices and economic activity in general. These are important mechanisms of the local sustainable development; providing new jobs, increasing cultural exchange, and promoting the local (as well as regional and national) image and brands.…”

Community-Based Ecotourism Management: The Case of a Cooperative in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

“…Another important aspect of the development of ecotourism and geotourism activities pointed by Ross and Wall (1999), Ehsan et al (2013), and Allan (2015) is education and the transposing of ecological values. It was observed the behavior and enthusiasm of the members of the tourism cooperative were generated through constant training in the management of natural resources.…”

“…According to Ehsan, Leman, and Ara Begum (2013), the increasing amount of scientific information delivered to the general public has triggered the growing interest of tourists in participating in activities of geoconservation. This awareness of tourists and service providers has resulted in the development of geotorusim products, which involves certain activities aimed to improve the enviromental protection as well as the quality of life of the communities involved.…”