Geoheritage and Geotourism Contribution to Tourism Development in Protected Areas of Slovakia—Theoretical Considerations

Ľubomír Štrba, Jana Kolačkovská, Dušan Kudelas, Branislav Kršák and Csaba Sidor
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Ľubomír Štrba: Institute of Earth Resources, BERG Faculty, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Jana Kolačkovská: Institute of Earth Resources, BERG Faculty, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Dušan Kudelas: Institute of Earth Resources, BERG Faculty, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Branislav Kršák: Institute of Earth Resources, BERG Faculty, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Csaba Sidor: Institute of Earth Resources, BERG Faculty, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Slovakia is renowned for its remarkable and rare natural beauty, abundant in natural resources with several noteworthy geological features. However, the protection of nature has primarily been understood as the protection of biodiversity in Slovakia. For the conservation of geological diversity and landforms, very little has been done. Geoconservation or the protection of geodiversity is being applied to specific places known as geosites, where significant earth elements (geological, paleontological, geomorphological, hydrological and pedological) are protected, preserved and managed. Most geosites benefit from existing protected areas. Their protection is random and does not result from the recognition of their values. As discussed in the paper, geotourism related activities can undoubtedly contribute to promoting the protection of geosites in protected areas. Besides, through a geotourism approach, geodiversity can obtain public attention and positively influence the state of protected areas by its activities. Such initiatives not only can improve the protection of geological sites but also can play a crucial role in sustainable tourism development.

Keywords: geoheritage; geotourism; tourism development; nature protection; Slovakia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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