Geoparks and Geotourism: New Approaches to Sustainability for the 21st Century

Publisher Marketing: This book aims to identify geotourism and geoparks as gateways to socio-cultural, socio-environmental, and socio-economic sustainability in rural areas. At present, geotourism is a new movement helping travelers to increase their knowledge about natural resources, the cultural identities of host communities, and ways of preserving them. The 'emerging tourism' niche of geotourism is still at an early stage of commercial development in most countries, and geoparks as a sustainable development model for protected areas are pioneers in the development of geotourism marketing. The establishment of the European Geoparks Network and the Global Geoparks Network are positive steps toward the preservation and presentation of geo-heritage as a new tourist attraction. Geoparks and Geotourism provides an opportunity for students, professionals, and authorities of geoparks to take advantage of emerging techniques to create new products, facilities, services, technologies, and management practices for geoparks in the future. Consequently, the book is a paradigm for geoparks who want to come under the umbrella of the Global Geoparks Network. The numerous examples provided of geoparks currently attracting travelers may contribute to the creation of innovative strategies for sustainability and geoconservation in rural areas around the world. Review Citations: Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 43 (EAN 9781612335513, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  Costa, Carlos Carlos Costa is Full Professor at the University of Aveiro and Editor of the Journal of Tourism & Development (Revista de Turismo e Desenvolvimento). His main research interests are tourism planning and management, organisations, networks, gender in tourism and tourism education.