Economics and Management of Geotourism (Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management)

This book covers all aspects of the economics and management of geotourism, an increasingly important sector of nature tourism that focuses on the geology and landscape of different territories, providing a pleasurable and educational tourist experience. Geotourism is a sustainable form of tourism that has the potential to deliver significant benefits to host communities. To date, however, geotourism has been examined primarily from the natural sciences perspective, to the detriment of issues related to local social and economic impacts, inter-organizational collaboration, tourist responses, and community participation. This book therefore fills a major gap in the literature. While a key focus is the impacts of geotourism on economic and social development processes and the quality of life of local populations, detailed attention is also devoted to topics such as geopark and geosystem management, innovative and entrepreneurial strategies in geotourism, and territorial marketing. In addition, readers will gain a clear understanding of the extent to which the opportunities and challenges facing geotourism reflect current trends in the tourist industry as a whole. Preface: The Economics of Geotourism 6 References 8 Contents 10 Contributors 11 Geotourism as Promoter of Sustainability Development: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda 13 1 Introduction 13 2 Literature Review 14 3 Methodology 15 4 Results 16 4.1 Characterisation of Papers Under Study (1997-2019) 16 4.2 Characterisation of Journals and/or Sources Under Study 18 4.3 Cluster Analysis 20 4.3.1 Cluster 1: Sustainable Geotourism Development 20 4.3.2 Cluster 2: Geopark Network 22 4.3.3 Cluster 3: Geosites ́ Tourism Value 23 5 Conclusion 25 References 26 The Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark Territorial Development Strategy: A Holistic Vision for the Twenty-First Century 31 1 Introduction 32 2 The UGGp: From Geology to Territorial Development 32 3 The Estrela Geopark and Its Management Strategy 33 3.1 Geoconservation and Geological Heritage 37 3.2 Environment and Sustainability 40 3.3 Science and Research 42 3.4 Education and Training 46 3.5 Tourism and Community Development 50 3.6 Communication, Promotion and Dissemination 52 4 Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark and Territorial Cohesion 55 5 Final Remarks 56 References 57 Leveraging Landscape: The First Four Years of UNESCO Global Geopark Odsherred 59 1 Introduction 59 2 Place Branding: Critical Perspectives 61 3 Introducing Odsherred 63 4 Why Geopark Odsherred? 64 5 What Constitutes Geopark Odsherred? 66 6 Who Constructs Geopark Odsherred? 68 7 How Is Geopark Odsherred Managed? 72 8 Conclusion: Four More Years 73 References 74 Geopark Certification as an Efficient Form of Sustainable Management of a Geotourism Destination 77 1 Introduction 77 2 Sustainability Management 78 3 Knowledge Management as a Specific Part of Geopark Management 79 4 Participatory Management 80 5 Certification Process as a Base of Geoparks Quality Management 81 5.1 Evaluation Prerequisites and Criteria for the Certification of UNESCO Global Geoparks 81 5.2 The Process of Certification and Revalidation of UNESCO Global Geoparks 85 5.2.1 Application and Certification Process 85 5.2.2 Revalidation and Recertification Process 86 5.3 Discussion of Quality of the Certification of UNESCO Global Geoparks 87 6 Conclusions 93 References 94 The Management of Arouca Geopark ́s Route of Geosites: A Strategic Geologically Based Product in a Geotourism Destination 98 1 Introduction 98 1.1 UNESCO Global Geoparks and Geosites 98 1.2 Geotourism and Storytelling of Geological Heritage 100 1.3 Geotourism and Destination Management Organizations 101 2 Arouca Geopark ́s Route of Geosites 102 2.1 Arouca UGGp: Geodiversity Stories at the Service of Development 102 2.2 Implementation and Promotion 104 2.3 Interpretive Visits: Data 110 2.4 SWOT Analysis 111 3 Discussion and Future Perspectives 111 References 114 Geotourism and Destination Brand Selection: Does Social Media Matter? 116 1 Introduction 117 2 Statement of the Problem 117 3 Background 118 3.1 Geotourism in Iran 118 3.2 Geotourism and Destination [Brand] Selection 119 3.3 Geotourism and Social Media 120 4 Theoretical Foundations 120 5 Methodology 123 5.1 Sample 123 5.2 Reliability and Validity 124 6 Findings 125 6.1 Descriptive Statistics 125 6.2 Inferential Statistics 125 6.3 Hypotheses Testing 129 7 Conclusion 129 References 130