Promoting geotourism a case study from Northeast Iceland

Iceland is becoming a popular venue for nature-based tourism enthusiasts interested in exploring Arctic environments for scenic and recreational purposes (ITB 2009; Gossling and Alkimou 2006). Visitation to Iceland is expanding exponentially, generating significant revenue and income, making tourism the third largest foreign currency earner for the Icelandic economy. In 2006, total tourism receipts were measured at 47 billion Icelandic kroner (ISK), contributing 4.1 per cent to the nation’s GDP, and providing 12.7 per cent of the country’s income from foreign sources (Rannsoknir and Radgjof Ferdapjonustunnar 2008). In 2007, over 530,000 international tourists visited Iceland with over 80 per cent first-time visitors mainly from Europe and North America (Rannsoknir and Radgjof Ferdapjonustunnar 2008). The Icelandic Tourism Board (ITB 2007) identifies that the vast natural resources - glaciers, volcanos, geysers, and untamed wilderness - are some of the most important reasons contributing to the present 7 percent annual growth rate in visitation (Gossling and Hultman 2006). The most popular leisure activity of visitors is nature observation (ITB 2007). Outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, boat tours, jeep and glacier tours, snowmobile excursions, and horseback riding are also popular throughout the island. Overall, visitor motivation to Iceland is based on romanticized notions of the unique wilderness and the grandness of the landscape and tourist experiences that recreate a ‘natural’ image of the island (Gossling and Alkimou 2006; Gossling and Hultman 2006).

The significance of aesthetic landscape appreciation to modern geotourism provision

Many of the stakeholders involved in modern geotourism provision lack awareness of how the concept essentially ermeged, developed and was defined in Europe. Such stakeholders are unaware of how many of the modern approaches to landscape promotion and interpretation actually have nineteeth century antecedents. Similarly, many of the apparently modern threats to, and issues around, the protection of wild and fragile landscapes and geoconservation of specific geosites also first emerged in the ninetheeth century; the solutions that were developed to address those threats and issues were first applied in the early twentieth century and were subsequently much refined by the opening of the twenty-first century. However, the European engagement with wild and fragile landscapes as places to be appreciated and explored began much earlier than the nineteenth century and can be traced back to Renaissance times. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a summary consideration of this rather neglected aspect of geotourism, initially by considering its modern recognition and definitions and then by examining the English Lake District (with further examples from Britain and Australia available at the website) as a particular case study along with examples.

Geotourism and geotourist education in Poland

In 1991, a new initiative appeared during the Digny Conference: the ‘International declaration of the rights of the memory of the Earth’. This provided suitable frames leading to international projects focused on the protection of geological heritage. As a result, in 2000 the European Geopark Network was established, followed by the Global Geopark Network (2004) (for details see, for example, Zouros, 2004, 2008). Both the protection and promotion of geosites has gained a new formula, much wider and comprehensive than just a simple sightseeing of geological/geomorphological sites, as it includes elements of history and cultural heritage as well as important economic and social issues in terms of revitaliation of local economy and communities (Zouros, 2008). Finally, in the 1990s geological sciences gained a new impetus towards more interdisciplinary issues when environmental geology emerged as a response to new challenges including sustainable development, natural hazards and general shift from reactive to proactive involvement of the applied nature of Earth sciences (see, for example, Bennett and Doyle, 1997).

Interpretation rocks Designing signs for geotourism sites

Nature-based tourism experiences are attracting increasing numbers of visitors worldwide, a phenomenon that has been attributed to a range of factors including greater flexibility in terms of leisure, mobility and disposable income; a growing public awareness of environment issues; and the desire to escape from ‘everyday’ routines (Waitt, 2000). Researchers have termed the learning that occurs in these tourism settings ‘free-choice learning’ because people are free to choose what, where, when and with whom they learn (Falk, 2001). Information and educational activities delivered during free-choice learning experiences are generally referred to as interpretation. A term originally coined by Tilden (1957), interpretation is a form of communication that presents ideas and concepts in a format that is designed to interest, entertain and inspire visitors (Ballantyne et al., 2000). Unlike education in formal settings, interpretation does not consist of lists of facts, figures, and dates but rather, users illustrative media, first-hand experiences and original objects to impart meaning and demonstrate relationships (Tilden, 1977).

Geotourism product interpretation Rangitoto Island, Auckland, New Zealand

Rangitoto Island, an island of volcanic origin, is a unique geotourism attraction and landmark of Auckland, New Zealand, capturing the attention of tourists since 1890. The island’s symmetrical cone and lava slopes rise gradually from the sea, making the shield volcano an iconic landmark for Auckland residents and a popular urban recreation area for domestic and international visitors. This chapter focuses on the effectiveness of different types of interpretive media (e.g. information signs and guided tours) as educative tools for geotourism which occurs in an urban context. It is based on a study which investigated which media were used most, how much visitors learned from them and whether visitors had a preference for a particular medium. While a number of publications address cultural and historical aspects of the island (Murdoch, 1991; Graham, 2005; Philips-Gibson, 2006; Kearns and Collins, 2006) and Rangitoto’s natural history (Wilcox, 2007), no publications have investigated tourism on the island and there has been no visitor evaluation of the island and its interpretive media.

Setting an agenda for geotourism

Travel to and appreciation of natural landscapes and geological phenomena continues to grow as a niche area of tourism. Despite economic recessions, political problems, the increasing price of oil and even the risk of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, people still yearn for new experiences and need to fulfil that deep aspect our humanity, which is having a sense of wonder about the planet we live on. It is our belief that geotourism will continue to rise as an important tourism activity as our planet becomes increasingly overcrowded, as wild places continue to be diminished and people strive for sustainable lifestyles and authentic natural experiences.

Geotourism potential in North Carolina perspectives from interpretation at state parks

Established in 1789 as the 12th state, North Carolina lies in the eastern seaboard of the United States of America between the Appalachian mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. It is ranked 28th with respect to its size (139,389 square kilometers) and is the 10th most populated state with 9.1 million residents as of 2007 (US Census Bureau, 2008). The state was known for its farming/tobacco, textile and furniture industries, but substantial transformation has taken place over the past few decades and now the service industry, led by tourism, is the major part of the state’s economy (Gade, 2008). North Carolina has a unique and rich natural heritage which includes geological, landscape and biological resources that span three physiographic regions: the Appalachian Mountains, the Piedmont Plateau and the Coastal Plain (Horton et al., 1991; Stewart and Roberson, 2007). This natural heritage forms an integral part of the network of attractions enticing local, out-of-state and international tourists, who spent over $17 billion in the state and generated almost 200,000 jobs in 2007 (TIA, 2008). Indeed, North Carolina’s tourism promotional material (e.g., travel guides, brochures, websites) routinely highlight physical landscapes such as the Great Smoky Mountains, peaks like Pilot Mountain and geomorphic features such as waterfalls. Many of these geological features and attractions can be found in North Carolina’s state park (NCSP) system, which received over 12.8 million visitors in 2007– 2008 (Leung et al., 2009), with an estimated annual economic impact of $289 million to local economies (NCDPR, 2009). Landform-dependent recreation opportunities draw tourists to the state as well, with skiers enjoying the mountains and kitesurfers flocking to sandy beaches at the Outer Banks. In addition, mineral hunting has become a popular tourist activity with several independent contractors offering mine tours, cave tours and gemstone mining.

Australias geological heritage a national inventory for future geoparks and geotourism

Australia has a coastline of around 32,000 km, with varying rock types and structure, coastal type and climate. Outstanding and representative coastal sites form a significant part of the Australian inventory. Major terrains included inland deserts (for example the Simpson Desert dune field, northern tropical savannah (the Kakadu World Heritage Region, glacial and periglacial upland in the far south (southwest Tasmania, broad inland riverine plays and the young volcanic provinces of southeastern Australia and northeastern Australia.

Management of geotourism stakeholders experiences from the Network History of the Earth

A sharp increase in interest in geotourism worldwide in recent years has transformed many suitable regions into unique geotourism destinations opening up great opportunities for geoconservation and regional sustainable development. To fully capitalize on this potential, however, it is essential to bring together the fragmented stakeholders from the public and private sectors and establish appropriate structures and processes to facilitate their effective communication and collaboration. Only through such a partnership can an adequate knowledge base, built on diverse experiences and expertise, be established to provide certainty and guidance in the sustainable development of local geotourism products. Thus, effective communication networks and an open exchange of information are cornerstones of a successful implementation of geotourism in a region. The Network History of the Earth is a case in point for such a successful geotourism partnership. It was founded in 1997 as a framework for cooperation between a range of diverse stakeholders working together to develop a high quality sustainable tourism product based on the unique georesources of South-West Germany (Pforr and Megerle, 2006). South-West Germany mainly comprises the State of Baden-Württemberg and covers an area of 35,752 square kilometres with a population of around 10.7 million people (see Figure 8.3). A typical feature of the state is its wide variety of natural landscapes which can be subdivided into three main landforms, the Upper Rhine Graben (Oberrheingraben) in the west surrounded by the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in the east and the Vosges Mountains (Vogesen) on the western French side, the southwestern cuesta landscape (Schichtstufenland) gently sloping towards the south-east as well as the Alpine piedmont (Alpenvorland). These diverse and distinct landscapes form the resource base of tourism, and, in some cases, like the jurassic geopark Swabian Alb and the mining areas of the Black Forest, also for geotourism (Geyer and Megerle, 2003). The service sector industries contribute almost 34 per cent to the state’s economic activities with tourism being an important industry for the state in general, but especially economically significant for regional areas.