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Small towns are a critical tier in the settlement hierarchy. For many small towns tourism is a vital sector of local development. This paper contributes an historical perspective on small town destination development. Using archival sources the paper provides a window on the evolutionary development of one small town tourism destination in South Africa. The case study is Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape. During the late 19th century and early 20th century Oudtsthoorn experienced phases of economic boom and bust which linked to international fashion and the trade in ostrich feathers. The imprint of this era is manifest in the town’s landscape of ‘feather palaces’. In terms of early 20th century tourism growth it is demonstrate d geotourism was a critical driver with the asset of Cango Caves. In the period after the Second World War, the local tourism economy diversifies with the revival and reorientation of ostrich farming which incorporates ostriches as tourism attractions. The evolutionary pathway of this small town changes such that its local tourism economy is anchored on the dual foundations of its geotourism and ostrich attractions.

The aim is to recognise the importance and role of geodiscovery as part of a wider sustainable local development strategy to benefit residents and tourists alike. The research was conducted on a massive erratic boulder discovered in February 2024, in NW Poland. The study included the collection of data on dimensions, petrographic type, erratic boulder type and specific microforms indicating the influence of morphogenetic processes from subglacial, periglacial and modern environments on the erratic boulder. The Jarosik Boulder in northwest Poland is crucial for advancing earth sciences, ecological awareness, and regional economic development. Residents of Grabowo and Kamień Pomorski value and monitor the area's geo-diversity to anticipate environmental changes. The boulder has a strong emotional connection with locals, who actively engage in its preservation and online discussions. Promoting the boulder can enhance the region's environment, culture, and well-being, contributing to sustainable development. Local initiatives and effective promotion through media and community events are essential for boosting geotourism and benefiting both residents and visitors. Recognised as a cultural asset, Jarosik Boulder can realise its full potential through the commitment of local authorities to improving the community. As a unique aspect of geodiversity in NW Poland, Jarosik Boulder serves as a catalyst to promote geological science, support environmental education efforts, and foster sustainable economic and regional development.

Na Ngam, situated in the Chi River Basin, boasts rich water resources and notable geological features like the Chi River, Yang River, and Chi oxbow lake. These elements significantly influence local cultures, traditions, temples, and agricultural products. The area's identity is encapsulated in its slogan highlighting its agricultural wealth, educational an d healthcare development, Buddhism conservation, and traditional festivals. Utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR), Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), and SWOT analysis, the Na Ngam 101 project aims to enhance tourism by integrating cultural, geotourism, and gastronomic aspects. This model promotes local culture, community income, and environmental conservation, fostering sustainable regional development.

The aim of the work is to examine the possibilities of developing geotourism in the context of existing, but not yet recognised, geoheritage in the north-eastern Wielkopolska, western Poland. Pałuki is characterised by exceptional geodiversity, which has enormous potential for diversifying the present tourist offer. The valorisation method of selected 12 geosites was used, taking into account geomorphological, additional and utility categories. The results of the analytical part made it possible to identify the most valuable and geotouristically attractive geosites. They form two original geotourism trails under the common name of "Geodiversified Pałuki". In order to increase the possibilities of developing local geotourism, two proposals for thematic geotourism trail focusing on the most interesting, and highly rated, geosites in the research area are presented.

Ethiopia constitutes one of the most significant environmental, religious and cultural reserves on Earth. The study aims to assess the geotourism of the monuments. The study has been conducted using literature review, fieldwork, data collection and production of geotourism maps and interpretations. Geosites are important resources for geotourism development in Ethiopia along the Historic route of Ethiopian tourism. This route is the main tourism corridor of the country in which geotourism knowledge is very important. Among the major geotourism sites in the study area are, Axum Stelea and its Quary Site, archaeological sites, monasteries, Adwa Volcanic Mountain Chains, palaces, rock-hewn churches, and viewpoints. Therefore, the study has concluded that knowing and understanding the geotourism (which includes geosites and historical heritages) is very important for the development of tourism in Tigray, Ethiopia.

Two approaches can be taken to understand geotourism, namely the geological approach and the geographical approach. This approach will lead to the creation of new geotourism products, initiatives, and experiences, one of which is geohazard tourism involving faults and earthquakes. To identify geomorphosites, the researchers examined rocks, outcrops, and geomorphology. Then various thematic maps are created using mapping software and other drawing applications to simplify textual material and aid synthesis. A synthesis of all that is then carried out to reconstruct the geological and geomorphological history of the study area. Furthermore, the West Lampung geomorphosite candidate was compared to the worldwide fault and earthquake geomorphosite theme. The Great Sumatran Fault depression landscape can be found in Balak Pekon, Batubrak Regency, and Pekon Padang Dalom, Balik Bukit District, West Lampung Regency. This depression is caused by both endogenous and exogenous factors. The endogenous activity takes the form of sediment from volcanism and fault movement, whereas exogenous activity takes the form of river water erosion. The valley's sediments are ignimbrite tuffs/sandy tuffs that form a cliff morphology with a height of + 75 meters and a trend of Southeast-Northwest. In the case of geotourism, initiatives have grown over time around two complementary approaches (geological and geographic) and the result is a geomorphosite in the geohazard area. One of the areas is the Sumatran Great Fault depression geomorphosite, this area was formed due to the movement of the Sumatran fault which caused the 1908, 1933, and 1994 earthquakes. Situations like these can be used as opportunities to enhance learning about the relationships between people, land use, natural processes, and large-scale events by providing real-life examples, this can be packaged into the form of geohazard tourism.

Geographical knowledge of the country can be one of the leading assumptions that allow the tourism development. It enables a more detailed specification of the dominant potential for its further development. Conside ring the current significant need to create a sustainable product, the natural conditions together with destination management can be key elements for the future course of the tourism sphere. The aim of the study was to find out the preferences of visitors to selected geolocations in the Spiš region, specifically within the offered geotourism products. To fulfil the goal, the questionnaire as a key method was used and subsequently tested by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman's Rho test, coefficient of determination R2, F-test with Fisher's criterion. It can be concluded that the potential of the Spiš region is perceived as attractive. Based on results, the uniqueness of the main geoproduct offer is in montanistics.

Batur is the first area in Indonesia that is considered worthy of being a geopark by UNESCO. This determination is an acceleration of the progress of the nature and culture-based tourism industry that helps the welfare of the surrounding community with the principle of sustainability. This study aims to examine the role of several parties in enhancing UNESCO global geopark in Batur Bali of Indonesia as well as promoting local economic welfare. The study adopted a qualitative study with case study approach to gain a comprehensive result of the phenomenon. The qualitative content analysis and narrative analysis was used to process various information. This study focuses in UNESCO Global Geopark Batur Bali in Indonesia as the first and most successful in creating a better economic welfare primarily during and post the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that the Penta helix model can be used to develop Geopark Batur Bali and Indonesia in general in which each party plays their role in this development tourism and local economic development.

Cao Bang Geopark is one of three UNESCO heritage sites in Vietnam, with unique geological, landscape and cultural properties of high value to tourism. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the potential for geotourism development in Cao Bang Global Geopark, thereby proposing reasonable development strategies in the future. The research using the multicriteria assessment and SWOT analysis tool found that Cao Bang Global Geopark has a high ability to attract tourists and exploit large tourism resources globally. However, the infrastructure, technical facilities, human resources and investment capital for geotourism are still limited and need to be improved. The research results can be considered useful references for academia and managers in finding strategies and solutions for sustainable geotourism development at Cao Bang Geopark in the future.

The purpose of the article is to study the geological objects of the Aktobe oblast and their use for the development of geotourism in the region. The analysis of published materials and field research data shows that the geological objects of the Aktobe oblast have all the properties and have much possibility to actively develop geotourism which depends on the level of local management and investments. The GAM method was used to assess geological objects. This method presents various estimates of main values (MV) and additional values (AV), which are very useful to preserve and develop the territory. As a result, the method provided different estimates in the development of geotourism.

Thailand is under the influence of the complicated tectonic settings, resulting in various geomorphological features, especially waterfalls. There has been no insightful research conducted to describe the relationship between the types of waterfalls and the lithology of basements. Thus, this work aims to classify representative waterfalls and describe their lithology, origin, and characteristics. The twelve selected waterfalls are distributed in ten provinces with different basements. Field investigations (lithology, structure, and geomorphology) and geoinformatics analysis were integrated and co-interpreted with geological interpretations, characteristics, classification, and assessment. High-grade metamorphic rocks associated with granitoids demonstrate fan-type waterfalls with high slopes, and limestone presents multi-tiered waterfalls with vividly coloured pools, while sandstone in the Khorat Plateau exhibits three types of waterfalls including cascade, plunge, and punchbowl. National park authorities manage all the studied waterfalls, so these areas have outstanding natural and tourism values, while education and international also present good scores.

Bakkara is a village with tourism potential in Geoarea Sibandang, Toba Caldera Geopark, one of UNESCO Global Geopark. This research was conducted to examine and review the geotourism development in Bakkara tourist destinations. Furthermore, the output of this research is to preserve the value of geotourism such as conservation, education, economy, and promotion, especially in public facilities. The method used in this study is a qualitative method through observation and focus group discussion. The results show that public facilities in the development of geotourism have been implemented but have not significantly affected tourism, and require some improvements.

The use of springs is becoming increasingly important in tourism. There are many springs in Western Kazakhstan that can be used to develop various types of tourism. Springs can be used for health, ecological, religious and other types of tourism. Today, health and spa tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of world tourism. The historical and cultural heritage, and biodiversity associated with the springs also fascinate people, and many of them can become unique tourist destinations with high visual impact. The article gives characteristics of springs, self-flowing artesian wells, underground cave lakes of Western Kazakhstan and indicates their tourist potential for travellers and local. However, despite the high recreational potential of springs, tourism as a whole is not developed enough to provide quality tourism services and attract a large number of tourists to the region. An analysis of the tradition of tourist use of springs has been carried out and the main types of modern recreation are justified based on an assessment of the tourist potential of springs.

As one of the oldest documented mines in Europe, Rudna Glava should be at the very top when it comes to geotourist visits in Serbia and the Balkans. The research goal is to point out the possibilities of geotourism development in this part of Serbia, while the findings aim to identify the existing problems for geotourism development in the area. Тhe study will analyze the geotourism potential of this archaeological site by using the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM), combining the main and additional values. The GAM involves grades given by experts and provides a relatively actual image of the geoheritage state based on which it is practicable to plan and enhance the activities for the observed sites. The outcomes showed that the observed site has a high score of the main, and a low score of additional values. This means that the site should be additionally protected, and included in various tourist programs.

Afghanistan is a wilderness and varied country in the geo-tourism sector. The aim of this study was to investigate the capabilities of geotourism and also to identify the capacities of geotourism development in Bamiyn province. In this area model Hadžić et al (2010) has been used, the survey was conducted using 20 tourists and 5 experts. Geographic information system were effectively used for identification of the potential ecotourism sites. It is the indicator of a vast range of geo logical and geomorphic forms in Bamyan state. The result indicates that the study area has strengths and opportunities for the development of geotourism that are not well identified and introduced.

In contrast to Europe, Asia and South America where geotourism is actively pursued, geotourism activities in South Africa have not to-date been a focus of tourism products. The purpose of this paper is to propose a field methodology that can be used to assess the potential for geotourism development. Existing procedures to establish geotourism site potential are reviewed and a new methodology that accounts for more characteristics than currently found in documented methods is proposed. This consists of three phases: creating a standardised manner of inventorying the sites; standardising field rank scoring for each site by geotourism value, cultural value, ecological sensitivity, accessibility, de velopment requirements, currently available academic literature, and, developing a final multi-site database assisting the South African National Parks to preserve geoheritage sites. Based on previous studies, the Kruger National Park has geoheritage sites that could form the basis for geotourism development: therefore, the methodology was piloted in its northern regions at well-known geoheritage sites. The findings of this study intend to assist the South African National Parks, local community leaders, the private sector (including existing tour operators) and government departments in achieving a national database of geoheritage sites to ultimately be associated with sustainable tourism activity led by local communities.

The objective of this study is to restore the value of Oued Noun Oases that has been less estimated for several centuries, without destroying the collective memory. Our duty is to look through certain models of geotourism and geoheritage practiced elsewhere, which would be the best approach to preserve this natural landscape that has become very fragile. A systematic survey was conducted on several selected geosites, including inventory, characterization, classification, evaluation and appreciation. That is to say, qualitative and quantitative assessments were carried out on the basis of geoheritage values of international significance. This paper is focused on the efforts should be made in all these sites to ameliorate and develop geoheritage and geotourism in Oued Noun Oases. This research is conducted not only for scientific research and indication of sites, but also to developing geological, ecological and cultural infrastructures within the reach of tourists.

The interest of community administrations in geological heritage is now growing worldwide, the Egyptian history is the result of the confluence of many cultures that found their way to the River Nile, and influenced its native ancient civilization; one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The admix of these civilizations is what makes Egyptian geological and archeological heritage so unique. This paper focuses on an important geologic heritage in the Islamic period of Egyptian history starting in the seventh century AD. Evidence of the influence of Islamic architecture can be found throughout the city of Cairo. Cairo has a large number of Islamic archaeological sites of particular importance is the Saladin Citadel and the surrounding streets of old Cairo, these sites is considered as an important unique geosites from the point of geological heritage view. The Islamic age is well documented by historians. Whereas the hundreds of masjids (mosques) as well as the Saladin Citadel tell the story of Islamic Cairo, This article sought to demonstrate the first Islamic Geosite inventory in the old Cairo, Egypt, and to elucidate its value throughout the ages. Method: field and sample investigations used to recognize the geosites in the islamic age. The paper are showing unique segment in this age, converting the archeological Islamic sites into geosites and geological heritage value.

This research investigates names as brands of geotourism based on morphological and toponymic analysis tourism destinations in (UGG) Batur Bali – Indonesia. Qualitative descriptive method was employed by collecting data from UGG Batur. The purposes of the analysis are to describe the destinations and their branding function based on their word formations and toponyms. The research finds the morphological and toponymic patterns of the names. Their intersection generates the brands of geotourism namely characteristics of geotourisms, association to an event related to a person, memory or in honor of outstanding people, geographical peculiarities and names from one other location.

In the present paper, twelve erratic boulders in the Wielkopolska region of western Poland are described in detail, indicating their Scandinavian source area, location, form of protection, petrographic type and morphology. In particular, special attention is placed on an evaluation of these boulders’ current and potential significance for geotourism with the aim of promoting geotourism. The point bonitation method was used, which took into account scientific, educational, economic and protective values of boulders and other factors. The analysis demonstrated that the Boulder of St. Adalbert has the greatest potential to promote geotourism. All the erratic boulders studied are elements of the geological heritage and are important in the comprehensive geodiversity of the region’s natural environment.

Hormuz Island is a salt dome situated in the Persian Gulf waters near the mouth of Hormuz Strait in Hormuzgan province, at 8 kilometers distance from Bandar Abbas. The island is elliptical, and its rock is mostly of the igneous and often volcanic type. Hormuz is one of the most beautiful Islands of the Persian Gulf due to its geological phenomena and related landforms. This island is a mature salt diapir with great mineralogical and lithological diversity. In this research, we focused on fieldwork, which included data gathering and taking photographs and also a review of the published papers and books. The main geotourism attractions of the island include various landforms resulted from differential erosion, as well as very attractive geomorphologic structures such as rocky and sandy beaches, sea caves, colorful salt domes, coral reefs, etc. Besides the geological and geomorphological sites of the region, the ancient and cultural features are also potential attractions for tourism development on the island. Given its natural assests, territorial planning and developed infrastructure, Hormuz Island could be proposed and exploited as a geopark.

Indonesia has a great geotourism potential formed both naturally and engineered. Koja Cliff is an example of the latter built in the former mining area in Banten Province by local community. The purpose of this research was description geotourism development and relationship among economy and social-cultural for community-based-tourism in Koja Cliff, Banten, Indonesia. The research investigated with 39 respondents as a regular traveler to Koja Cliff and using puposive sampling method. Geotourism descriptive, validity, reliability, and multiple regression were conducted to answer research questions. This research finding shows Koja Cliff as had directly positive influences on social-cultural and economic of community-based tourism.

South Africa’s geomorphological diversity offers spectacular landscapes recognized for their ecological and cultural/archaeological associations, making the landscapes important sites for geoheritage and geotourism activities. Evaluation of value types in geomorphosites has gained in popularity in geomorphological heritage research. This study aims to apply a comprehensive methodology for South Africa using several guidelines for geomorphosite assessment. Methodological procedures focusing on geomorphosite specificities were used with numerical assessment for fifteen geomorphosites. The approach integrated qualitative and quantitative procedures for the inventory and quantification of geomorphosites of South Africa. Using a modified criterion, geosite assessments and inventories of the Panorama Route were achieved focusing on specific attributes of the locality. Fifteen geomorphosites were studied and four geomorphosite obtained high scores in Geomorphological Value (GmV) and Management Value (MgV) and consequently high score in Total Value (TV) and Ranking Value (Rk). The results for each indicator are used for ranking and comparison between sites with the interpretation of the results used for supporting site management decisions. The assessment of the geomorphosites along the Panorama Route demonstrates the potential of this type of methodology has for the understanding of geomorphosites and tourism in the province.

Geotourism offers the opportunity to promote geoconservation as well as an understanding of geoheritage and -diversity. Though sites may have high quality geological resources, visitors to these sites have varied interests and motivations to visit. As such, the geological features of an attraction may make varied contributions to visitors’ experiences. Understanding these differences will aid in determining how specific features should or could be enhanced to facilitate the most appropriate experience dimensions. Aspects such as the content, learning, visitor management and fulfilment are argued to be especially relevant in the geotourism context. This paper explores these perception in the case of two diverse geosites namely the Augrabies Waterfall and Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. Results indicate how specific geological features and representation thereof contribute differently to visitors’ experiences. Recommendations for future research are made.

The geological heritage of Pruszków, although with an easy access, remains beyond the knowledge and consciousness of its inhabitants. Besides the short description of the area’s geodiversity, the article presents ten large erratic boulders and other stone elements occurring in the town. It is indicated that they have high scientific, educational, cultural-historical, and – not less important – aesthetic values. The promotion of these values can stimulate the development of urban geotourism. Geoconservation activities can contribute to the creating the image of the town, in which the principles of sustainable development are taken into account.

The article discusses the importance of the geographical names of the physical-geographical region - the Mugolzhar mountains in the Aktobe region, for the development of tourism in this region. Nomination of place names in the area for landscape features was based on geological, natural-geographical, historical and linguistic data. The origin and etymology of the name Mugulzhary is studied by actual data. It is identified that toponyms associated with plants, fauna and with features of the natural environment prevail, their range of distribution is revealed. Space images of sites that can become tourist sites are given, with justifications for the origin and characteristics of their name.

Geotourism is a relatively new tourism niche, representing a distinctive form of nature-based tourism. South Africa has a wealth of geological resources, many of which form the basis for tourism attractions within the country, but limited research has been conducted on the actual geotourism market. By means of a questionnaire informed by the Self Determination Theory, this study aimed to understand the motivations of visitors to the recently developed Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail in South Africa. The main findings revealed five main motivators including, to escape, for learning and novelty, to participate in activities and networking, for fun, and for personal importance. These findings have important implications for product development and marketing.

National Parks worldwide are natural heritages visited by millions of tourists with varying length of stay depending on the level of uniqueness in terms of scientific, historical, aesthetic, economic, recreational or educational values. Manas and Kaziranga are two ecotourism destinations of India located in the state of Assam, widely acknowledged for their universal values by UNESCO as world heritage sites. This paper is an attempt to make a comparison between the status of tourism in these two protected areas from the stand point of visitor satisfaction and overall sustainability aspects. A symbiosis between geotourism and wildlife tourism is the central goal. The study evaluates the exemplarity of the landforms with a focus on the paradigm shift in tourism planning and management of national parks.

In the mountain area, the relief is the element of the geographical environment with the highest degree of tourist attractiveness, due to the variety and spectacularity of its forms and processes. The geotourism potential of the Cozia Massif is due to the evolution of the relief, conditioned by lithology, tectonics and climate. The cumulative action of these factors has led to the development of distinct landforms with a high favorability for geotourism activity: sharp edges and picks, impressive slopes, arcades, towers. In order to ensure the access of the tourists to the main areas of interest, a network of marked and unmarked tourist routes and trails has been identified, along with the forest roads. The present study has as main objective the analysis of the geotourism potential and infrastructure as well as highlighting the impact of tourism activities on the present-day morphodynamics. In this respect, the geotourism map of the Cozia Massif was drawn-up, representative profiles were made for each touristic route in order to characterize them in detail and to quantify the quantity of eroded material within the tourist routes, the hydric erosion being the main geomorphologic process intensified by the tourism activity. The results of the study showed that the Cozia Massif has a high geotourism potential and the accessibility to the main geomorphositess is appropriate, being represented by a network of roads and paths with a total length of 162 km. The tourist activities involve the increase of the anthropic pressure on the environment and the land degradation by increasing the erosion. The erosion processes are accelerated on the tourist trails along the slope, in the case of forest roads and exploitation roads affected in particular by logging, with a value of 41.15 t/ha/year.

Geotourism is a segment of tourism that has developed and gained significance worldwide in recent years. It is of paramount significance in the trans-himalayan region that has diversity of geomorphosites located amidst extreme climatic conditions being geophysical stimuli leading to seasonality embedded in human response. The aim of this work is to provide geographical analysis of seasonal economy based on geomorphosites and associated geotourism in the study area in 2017-18. The research is based on field work and qualitative research methods together with remote sensing, GIS and GPS for spatial analysis. The result shows that Langza village is the most significant geotourist site in Spiti valley having fossil abundance and exposure, fostering geotourism. The site needs to be protected and regulated by creating a fossil park, in order to harness the tremendous potential of geotourism and thereby boosting the seasonal economy.

Assessment of valuable geological resources is critical in ensuring sustainable utilization of resources at geological sites for education, tourism, recreational and conservation purposes. This research aims to develop a comprehensive method of assessing heritage resources of geological sites based on four values, scientific, aesthetic, recreational and culture in Hulu Langat. The assessment method employed in this research utilised conservation geology approach in order to to establish criteria for the four values that incorperating knowledge of other discipline, namely ecology, history and economic. Specific weightage are given for each criterion in the four values, with an empahis on scientific significance. Based on the total score, each geological sites are classified into geofeature, geosite or geotop. Additional data consisting of basic info and environmental functions, support the classification of assessed geological sites. In Hulu Langat, it was found that most of the geological sites are geofeatures. However additional data obtained shows that they also already function as a recreational area or water catchment and located within forest reserve. Therefore, the geofeatures are proposed as sites for geotourism and as conservation area. The study also recognised the assessment method developed using gelogical landscape approach in this study be able to captured the intangible and tangible significant of the geological sites.

Chaiyaphum region in the westernmost edge of Khorat Plateau is the most famous natural land of northeastern Thailand. There are many spectacular landforms such as cliffs, pillar or pedestal rocks, and cascades. The selected geosites are located in Pa Hin Ngam, Sai Thong, Tat Ton and Phu Laen Kha National Parks and are covered by the Jurassic-Cretaceous (50-100 Ma) clastic sedimentary rocks of the Phra Wihan Formation, Khorat group. Based on geodiversity, scope and their values (scientific, tourism, natural, and aesthetic values) which are analyzed from field investigation data suggest this area is a highly valuable part for geotourism development. Promoting geotourism will help tourists understand the geological processes and realize the importance of the geomorphological heritage conservation. This research is the first step of geotourism announcement of the studied area, which is a powerful tool for sustainable economic and scientific development at both local and national scale.

The Archaeological Heritage of Lenggong Valley has a high potential to be developed as geotourism and archaeotourism destination. The diversity in geology and geomorphology of the area represent scientific, cultural, aesthetic as well as recreational values and together define the geodiversity of this area. This paper proposes a basic geotouristic itinerary connects a series of impressive geosites distributed in Lenggong Valley which can explain the high potential interest of the area in geotourism and archaeotourism terms. In order to enhance and highlight their importance to the geological and archaeological heritage, the location, accessibility, important geological-scientific features or historical-cultural interest, related activities as well as available facilities was described. The motivation for establishing this itinerary mostly resides in the great scientific and cultural interest of the geosites that will hopefully facilitate their conservation and the development of geo-archaeotourism to continuously attract a large number of visitors year by year. The itinerary can be used for teaching purposes at different educational levels, geotourists and geopark guides and for university courses. In addition, non-geologists may follow the itinerary guided by expert volunteers to discover the geological and archaeological heritage of the area.

Visit to geosites as geotourists constitutes a distinct subsector of natural area tourism, a specialized form of tourism concentrating on economic utilization of the geological resources under the umbrella of tourism industry. Subarnarekha basin, of India with its various hierarchies of geosites provides immense possibilities for geotourism development. Diversified topographic features, both multi-cyclic and polygenic landforms are geotourism resources of the regions. This paper is an attempt to classify the geosites of the Subarnarekha basin from geotourism mapping perspectives with wider goal of assuring sustainability in the field of geoheritage management.

Geotourism is one of the branches of tourism which is based on knowledge of geomorphosites and special geomorphic perspectives and by combining the cultural, historical and ecological heritage, it offers potentials in planning sustainable tourism. Geomorphosites of caves is a perfect example of complex systems. The multiple relationships between components and performance of these systems create unique and innovative forms which have great potential in stimulating aesthetic sense of people and attracting visitors. Ali-Sadr cave has a great potential in attracting visitors because of its diversity, uniqueness and convenient access. In this study, the potential geomorphosites of Ali-Sadr cave is under investigation applying Reynard and Pereira’s model. The results show that based on Reynard’s model, the additional value criterion accounts for 52% of the total mean score and has the utmost importance, which is due to the high rate of economic potential, the geohistorical importance, the variety of monuments and ecological effects. Then, the criterion of scientific value by 35% ranks the second due to the high points of Paleogeographic sub-criterion. The results of the evaluation of potential geomorphosites of cave based on Pereira model shows that the geomorphological value with an average of 6.86 has allocated the highest rank and management value with an average of 6.32 ranks next. In general, the results obtained from Pereira model show that the criterion of usage, with 39 percent of the total points of this model, allocated the highest rank of importance, which is due to the high rating of sub-criteria of accessibility and visibility. Scientific and additional value with a share of 21% of the total points rank the second.

The objective of the paper are to identify levels of bio-geodiversity of Bromo-Tengger-Semeru-Arjuno area, describes local community and factors triggering biodiversity disturbance and declines, and establishes recommendations for geotourism development in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru-Arjuno Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia. This study cundected a series of field observation, secondary data analisys and interview at the local and regional levels. Result shows that BromoTengger-Semeru-Arjuno has high biodiversity and is the most diverse highland region in East Java Province. There are a large number of flora-fauna and geological phenomena, reflecting the importance of biodiversity conservation and geotourism development in this area. While there are many positive impacts from tourism, there are also environmental problems. A number of identified problems encompass unsustainable agriculture practices, illegal hunting, illegal logging, forest fire, illegal plant collections and tourism. A large number of visitors at some attraction locationsare a critical issue in the biosphere reserve area. The development of other tourist spots has been important to reduce human impact to the biophysical environment of biosphere reserves. The challenges facing the development of sustainable geotorism in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru-Arjuno Biosphere Reserve are to find a balance between conservation and tourism as well as involve local people as active participants in tourism development.

The purpose of this research was to examine empirically the motivation of tourists in a geotourism context and also the relationships among the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and destination satisfaction for cave tourists in Alisadr Cave, Iran. The research conceptual framework was constructed, based on previous theoretical and empirical studies. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 400 respondents to collect the primary data. Descriptive statistics, Friedman test, Factor analysis, Pearson’s Correlation Analysis and Multiple regression were conducted to answer the research questions. As a result, enjoyment, relaxation, novelty seeking and escape were the major intrinsic motivations. In addition, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations had directly positive influences on tourists’ satisfaction in Hamadan.

Rural centres are among the most important of those which have affected world tourism trends. The increase in short-term trips has made these territories one of the main tourism destinations. In today's competitive world, a targeted effort is necessary to brand all products and services to compete for tourist attraction. It is noteworthy that, until this time (2016) 120 villages have been considered as rural destinations for the target of tourism markets in Iran, and therefore, it can be said that the existence of a particular brand is an encouraging and effective factor to attract tourists to rural areas. The Delphi technique is used to determine the benefits of making and managing a tourism brand for desert villages which are geotourism destinations in Isfahan, Iran. Analysis of the data summarized thirteen benefits of geo-branding for rural areas.