The evaluation of geoheritage for geotourism development: Case study on the potential Geopark Djerdap

Abstract

Geotourism is a relatively new form of tourism with considerable European and global growth potential. Interest in geotourism is developing at a very rapid rate around the world. It is of great importance to support and enhance the global movement about geotourism generally and specifically into geoparks. Geoparks are different to other forms of protected areas, such as national parks, nature reserves etc. In this paper focus of the research is on quantitative assessments of the exceptional values of geoheritage for the science, education and tourism potential use in the area of the potential Geopark Djerdap. Five selected geosites are relevant to evaluate key values for science, education, and tourism with additional consideration given to degradation risk. All the post-assessment findings aim to improve the focus on the ultimate goal of the study, i.e. to justify the synergy between the protection of natural values (geoconservation) and the corresponding activities in the process of managing the development of geotourism in the study area.