Julie Palmer; Karoly Nemeth; Alan Palmer; Szabolcs Kosik
Abstract
The Manawatu and Wairarapa regions, lower North Island, are an important geological archive for New Zealand but are not among the iconic geotourism attractions of New Zealand. Recently the geoheritage values of the region have been discussed by various groups including Massey University and Horizons ...
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The Manawatu and Wairarapa regions, lower North Island, are an important geological archive for New Zealand but are not among the iconic geotourism attractions of New Zealand. Recently the geoheritage values of the region have been discussed by various groups including Massey University and Horizons Regional Council with an aim to promote the region to visitors seeking destinations with geological significance. The suggestion has been made the Manawatu River form the backbone of a geopark. While Manawatu River is regionally significant, we argue it lacks the unique attributes needed for globally significant geoheritage value. Here we demonstrate the wider region has at least two globally unique and geologically superb features that should be evaluated using global comparative studies. Exceptional turbidite successions representing accretionary prism successions are exposed in the Wairarapa region. These are comparable to the iconic “flysch” locations of the North American Cordillera, the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Carpathians. Furthermore, a succession of thrust faults and related mélange sequences are among the best exposed and most accessible in New Zealand. These undoubtedly carry high geoheritage value and we propose that these two geological features, with community support, regional council funding and the local university (Massey) facilitating the transfer of knowledge to the community, should be signposted and promoted to visitors. In the long term the stunning geological succession of the Wairarapa Mudstone Country should gain international recognition and form the basis of a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Aleksandar Antić; Nemanja Tomić; Slobodan Marković
Abstract
The region of Carpathian Serbia is much dominated by karst terrain with numerous geological and geomorphological features, especially caves and natural stone bridges, potentially significant for geotourism development. The geotourism potential of these sites is still largely untapped. In this paper, ...
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The region of Carpathian Serbia is much dominated by karst terrain with numerous geological and geomorphological features, especially caves and natural stone bridges, potentially significant for geotourism development. The geotourism potential of these sites is still largely untapped. In this paper, we analyze several natural stone bridges that possess geotourism potential. These sites include Velika Vratna, Mala Vratna, Suva Vratna, Samar, Valja, Osanica and Rajska stone bridge. This study aims to identify and evaluate the current state and geotourism potential of natural stone bridges as important resources for the development of karst geotourism in Carpathian Serbia by applying the Modified Geosite Assessment Model (M-GAM). The results indicate that the Vratna River basin currently has the best-rated Main Values, but it comes short for Additional Values, especially tourism infrastructure meaning that this should be the primary focus of any future geotourism development of this site. On the other hand, Valja stone bridge has the highest Additional Values but still with plenty of room for improvement. The paper also indicates the importance of other karst features in the vicinity and their role in completing the geotourism offer of this area.
Michael Benton; Karoly Nemeth; Slobodan Markovic; Djordjije Vasiljevic
Isabel Margarida N Antunes; Carlos de Carvalho; Mohamed Abioui
Abstract
The "Barrocal" city Park of Castelo Branco is an urban park developed to protect the geoheritage of the tardi-Variscan granite landscapes of the only city existing in the area of the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark. The "Barrocal" Granite is part of a Late Carboniferous unusual reversely zone intrusion ...
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The "Barrocal" city Park of Castelo Branco is an urban park developed to protect the geoheritage of the tardi-Variscan granite landscapes of the only city existing in the area of the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark. The "Barrocal" Granite is part of a Late Carboniferous unusual reversely zone intrusion with a granodiorite core and different granites in the rim. The weathering processes developed many textbook examples of granite landforms that are now accessible and available for appreciation by the local community and tourists in a 40 ha park, the newly geotourist attraction of the Geopark.
Mohamed Abioui; Lhassan M Barki; Mohammed Benssaou; Abdelkrim Ezaidi; Nezha El Kamali
Abstract
The rock engravings, the subject of this article, are artistic representations made by people from cultural communities who no longer exist. The rock art was a way of expressing their thoughts, culture and beliefs, before the invention of writing. The engravings represent an archive of an ancient civilization ...
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The rock engravings, the subject of this article, are artistic representations made by people from cultural communities who no longer exist. The rock art was a way of expressing their thoughts, culture and beliefs, before the invention of writing. The engravings represent an archive of an ancient civilization which developed over thousands of years throughout North Africa, from the Atlantic to Egypt and from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahel. Morocco has more than 300 listed rock art sites, scattered throughout the country. Foum Chenna is a major site in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of southern Morocco. The engravings were predominantly made by pecking out images of human figures, animals and patterns, and the area today is the center of interest for the recently-formed Association of Rock Art Heritage of Southern Morocco, based in Zagora. Foum Chenna is a place of primary importance with more than 800 schematic engravings made using the pecked technique, a characteristic of this period. The majority of engravings which depict riders associated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic representations, also, importantly, the numerous rock inscriptions recounting a scriptural tradition and reflecting the historical beginnings of Libyan writing, were today revitalized to transcribe the Tamazight language. The need to study and protect this heritage should not be limited to the preserve of just a few specialists. Knowledge of it can be used, with care, for sustainable human development. The rock art and other featuresmay make the region worthy of international recognition by UNESCO. In this paper, we look at Foum Chenna site from the perspective of geotourism and importance of the site for geoeducation, and the value of Foum Chenna site as geosite. Besides, soils, considered as some of the extraordinary manifestations of the culture of the Foum Chenna, are of huge scientific importance.
Percy Mabvuto Ngwira
Abstract
This paper uses sustainable tourism development paradigm to demonstrate the economic, social-cultural and environmental potentialities presented by ‘Geotourism’ and its primary product ‘Geoparks’ in the quest for sustainable tourism development in Africa. Utilising secondary data ...
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This paper uses sustainable tourism development paradigm to demonstrate the economic, social-cultural and environmental potentialities presented by ‘Geotourism’ and its primary product ‘Geoparks’ in the quest for sustainable tourism development in Africa. Utilising secondary data sources, this study finds that; geotourism and geoparks are a relatively new phenomenon and subdivisions of geology and tourism. Though arguably still in the infancy stage and emerging as tourism niche markets awaiting further development and commercialisation, geotourism and geoparks have been credited as tools for sustainable tourism development with fundamental credentials to contribute to environmental, social-cultural and economic development for rural communities. Further findings indicate that despite Africa possessing so much geomorphological features and tourism potential the continent is lagging in exploiting opportunities presented by the geotourism and geoparks development. Therefore, this scholarship attempts to identify and examine sustainable tourism opportunities presented by geotourism and geoparks. Also, Africa’s challenges in the development of geotourism and geoparks are examined and the way forward proposed. The scholarship is valuable to tourism policy makers, planners, development practitioners and other tourism stakeholders in Africa.
Kerran Olson; Ross Dowling
Abstract
Geotourism is often thought to refer solely to ‘geological tourism’, however, more recent views suggest that the term in fact refers much more broadly to encompass not only geology, but also fauna and flora as well as cultural aspects. An area’s geo-heritage can be defined as the geological ...
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Geotourism is often thought to refer solely to ‘geological tourism’, however, more recent views suggest that the term in fact refers much more broadly to encompass not only geology, but also fauna and flora as well as cultural aspects. An area’s geo-heritage can be defined as the geological base that, when combined with climate, has shaped the plants and animals of an area, which in turn determine an area's culture; that is, how people have lived in that area both in the past as well as in the present. This link has rarely been explored in academic literature, so this paper aims to address the way in which geology has shaped Indigenous tourism in Australia. An example of the ways in which the link between geotourism and a place's culture may be misunderstood is given through discussion of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in central Australia, where tourists have climbed Uluru (Ayers Rock) for generations, despite protest from traditional land owners, the Anangu people. Evolving understandings relating to the importance of cultural authenticity in tourism have led to the climbing of Uluru being banned effective from 2019.
Angus Robinson
Abstract
In Australia, geotourism is defined as tourism which focuses on an area's geology and landscape as the basis for providing visitor engagement, learning and enjoyment.Geotourism has great potential as a new nature-based tourism product. Where-ever tourism contributes a direct environmental benefit to ...
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In Australia, geotourism is defined as tourism which focuses on an area's geology and landscape as the basis for providing visitor engagement, learning and enjoyment.Geotourism has great potential as a new nature-based tourism product. Where-ever tourism contributes a direct environmental benefit to a visited location, its clients gain empathy for the holistic heritage of the area, and this reward creates enhanced customer loyalty to the operator.The Australian Government’s 1994 National Ecotourism Strategy considered that ecotourists may include a mix of independent travelers, people who travel in organised groups of a scientific, educational or recreational nature, and individuals or families who are interested in an ecotourism experience as part of a varied holiday. Having regard to demographic and lifestyle considerations, it had been considered that geotourism, if positioned as an alternative, knowledge-adding product could attract a different demographic i.e. affluent over 45 y.o. travellers, particularly from amongst geoscience professionals from within these segmentations, as well as their partners and friends. Alumni and professional societies such as the Geological Society of Australia (GSA) were identified as the most likely target groups. To address this proposition, in 2008, Leisure Solutions® and the School of Marketing, Tourism & Leisure at Edith Cowan University undertook a cooperative market research survey of members of the GSA. This paper addresses the rationale for and scope of this research work as well as reviews from then available research material which could assist marketers in understanding who are the people most likely to be interested in geotourism. The findings and conclusions from this research are also discussed.The paper also reviews the substantial progress made in Australia since 2008 in gaining the support of the Australian geoscience profession and the nature-based tourism industry in embracing geotourism.
