Fieldtrips and Virtual Tours as Geotourism Resources: Examples from the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (NW Italy)

Luigi Perotti, Irene Maria Bollati, Cristina Viani, Enrico Zanoletti, Valeria Caironi, Manuela Pelfini and Marco Giardino
Additional contact information
Luigi Perotti: Earth Science Department, University of Torino, Via Valperga Caluso, 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Irene Maria Bollati: Earth Science Department “A. Desio”, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli, 34, 20133 Milano, Italy
Cristina Viani: Earth Science Department, University of Torino, Via Valperga Caluso, 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Enrico Zanoletti: Geoexplora, Geologia & Outdoor, V. Mussi 5, 28831 Baveno (VB), Italy
Valeria Caironi: Earth Science Department “A. Desio”, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli, 34, 20133 Milano, Italy
Manuela Pelfini: Earth Science Department “A. Desio”, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli, 34, 20133 Milano, Italy
Marco Giardino: Earth Science Department, University of Torino, Via Valperga Caluso, 35, 10125 Torino, Italy

Resources, 2020, vol. 9, issue 6, 1-35

Abstract: In the 20th anniversary year of the European Geopark Network, and 5 years on from the receipt of the UNESCO label for the geoparks, this research focuses on geotourism contents and solutions within one of the most recently designated geoparks, admitted for membership in 2013: the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (Western Italian Alps). The main aim of this paper is to corroborate the use of fieldtrips and virtual tours as resources for geotourism. The analysis is developed according to: i) geodiversity and geoheritage of the geopark territory; ii) different approaches for planning fieldtrip and virtual tours. The lists of 18 geotrails, 68 geosites and 13 off-site geoheritage elements (e.g., museums, geolabs) are provided. Then, seven trails were selected as a mirror of the geodiversity and as container of on-site and off-site geoheritage within the geopark. They were described to highlight the different approaches that were implemented for their valorization. Most of the geotrails are equipped with panels, and supported by the presence of thematic laboratories or sections in museums. A multidisciplinary approach (e.g., history, ecology) is applied to some geotrails, and a few of them are translated into virtual tours. The variety of geosciences contents of the geopark territory is hence viewed as richness, in term of high geodiversity, but also in term of diversification for its valorization.

Keywords: Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark; geodiversity; geoheritage; fieldtrips; virtual tours; multidisciplinary approach; Italian NW Alps (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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