Category:Geotourism

Geotourism (from “geographical character”): is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. The concept was introduced publicly in a 2002 report by the Travel Industry Association of America and National Geographic Traveler magazine. National Geographic senior editor Jonathan B. Tourtellot and his wife, Sally Bensusen, coined the term in 1997 in response to requests for a term and concept more encompassing than “ecotourism” and “sustainable tourism.” Like true ecotourism, geotourism promotes a virtuous circle whereby tourism revenues provide a local incentive to protect what tourists are coming to see, but extends the principle beyond nature and ecology to incorporate all characteristics that contribute to “sense of place”—historic structures, living and traditional culture, landscapes, cuisine, arts and artisanry, as well as local flora and fauna. Geotourism incorporates sustainability principles, but in addition to the do-no-harm ethic, geotourism focuses on the place as a whole. The idea of enhancement allows for development based on character of place, rather than standardized international branding, and generic architecture, food, and so on. The concept supports biodiversity, cultural diversity, beautification, community-based tourism, even the place-based Slow Food movement. “Sameness is the enemy of geotourism,” says Tourtellot. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/

Geotourism (from “geology”): Used by geologists, especially in British Commonwealth countries, to refer explicitly to geological tourism, focused on landforms, mines and quarries, caves, rock formations, volcanoes, and so forth. In practice, many geological tourism projects often seek to incorporate associated cultural and natural aspects of a place, and so blur with the broader geographical meaning.

Geotourism (from “geocaching”): Some enthusiasts use “geotourism” to describe tourism benefits from the hobby of geocaching, whereby travelers used global positioning system (GPS) techniques to locate “caches” containing logbooks or other items.