Evaluation of Geo-sites in the Podrinje-Valjevo Mountains with Respect to Geo-tourism Development

Abstract

The Podrinje-Valjevo Mountains (located in Western Serbia) constitute the longest mountain range in Serbia and possess numerous and diverse geo-heritage sites. In prior research, this region has been poorly investigated in terms of evaluating its geo-sites for geo-tourism potential. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare protected geo-sites in the Podrinje-Valjevo Mountains in order to determine their current state and potential for future geo-tourism development. This is done by applying the modified geo-site assessment model (M-GAM). Eight geo-sites were analysed and evaluated: Kovacevica Cave, Tresnjica Gorge, Taor Springs, Gradac Gorge, Crna River Gorge, Petnica Cave, Ribnica Gorge, and Ribnica Cave. The research results show the analysed geo-sites possess substantial geo-tourism development potential for making the Podrinje-Valjevo Mountains a geo-tourism destination. However, there is a lot of room for improvement of additional values such as promotion, tourist infrastructure, visitor centres, tour guide services, and interpretative panels. The results also show that there are certain differences between the evaluation of hydrological and speleological geo-sites within a region. Therefore, in order to comparatively analyse with maximum relevance, it is proposed to use the model to evaluate the same type of geo-sites.