Analysis of Attendance and Speleotourism Potential of Accessible Caves in Karst Landscape of Slovakia

Vladimír Čech, Peter Chrastina, Bohuslava Gregorová, Pavel Hronček, Radoslav Klamár and Vladislava Košová
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Vladimír Čech: Department of Geography and Applied Geoinformatics, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Prešov, Ulica 17. Novembra 1, 081 16 Prešov, Slovakia
Peter Chrastina: Department of Historical Sciences and Central European Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Trnava, Námestie J. Herdu 2, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Bohuslava Gregorová: Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Pavel Hronček: Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Radoslav Klamár: Department of Geography and Applied Geoinformatics, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Prešov, Ulica 17. Novembra 1, 081 16 Prešov, Slovakia
Vladislava Košová: Department of Geography and Applied Geoinformatics, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Prešov, Ulica 17. Novembra 1, 081 16 Prešov, Slovakia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Caves represent natural phenomena that have been used by man since ancient times, first as a refuge and dwelling, and later as objects of research and tourism. In the karst landscape of Slovak Republic in Central Europe, more than 7000 caves are registered in a relatively small area, of which 18 are open to the public. This paper deals with the analysis of the speleotourism potential of 12 of these caves, administered by the Slovak Caves Administration. Based on the obtained data, we first evaluate the number of visitors in 2010–2019. Using a public opinion survey among visitors, we then evaluate the individual indicators of quality and each cave’s resulting potential. We use a modified standardization methodology and standardization of individual evaluation criteria weights for individual evaluation indicators. The resulting values of the potential of caves for speleotourism point to the great importance of these sites for domestic and foreign tourism and the protection of nature and landscape, as 5 of these caves have been part of the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List since 1995.

Keywords: cave; karst landscape; cave attendance; speleotourism; indicators of quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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