David Newsome

Geoheritage and geotourism are two important aspects of human appreciation of the Earth’s geological resources. Geoheritage refers to the elements of the Earth that we value, whereas geotourism is a type of tourism that is based on various aspects of the Earth’s geological and/or geomorphological heritage. Geotourism may have either positive (beneficial) or negative (adverse) impacts on geoheritage. At best geotourism fosters an understanding of, and a connection with, geological features through visitation, interpretation and education. However, if not planned and developed appropriately, geotourism may cause adverse impacts on geoheritage because of ineffective management of visitor and geological attractions. This chapter describes the relationships between geoheritage and geotourism and outlines the tourism link between the two through a series of examples of geotourism in selected geological settings.

This chapter examines the social impacts of hosting sporting events in natural areas, focusing on the potential conflicts between environmental conservation and recreational use. It discusses the challenges of balancing the economic benefits of such events with the need to protect natural landscapes and biodiversity. The chapter calls for more comprehensive planning and management strategies to ensure that sporting events do not compromise the ecological integrity of natural areas. It highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and sustainable tourism practices to address these issues.

This chapter explores the complexities of hosting motorised events in green spaces, highlighting the conflicting values involved. It uses social capital theory and environmental science to examine the social, political, and ecological impacts of these events. The chapter emphasises the need for a nuanced understanding of value conflicts and the importance of adopting sustainable event planning practices. It calls for a more critical approach to evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of motorised events in protected areas, considering issues of diversity, equity, and environmental sustainability.

The ecology of tourism refers to the importance of understanding ecology in the context of tourism. In this case, tourism is referred to as the activity of people traveling to destinations for various reasons. Such travel may involve short- or long-haul flights, car journeys, visits to places of interest, organized tours, and a range of recreational activities. Ecotourism is particularly important to consider where the focus is specific to the natural environment. When managed carefully and coupled with interpretive components, ecotourism is environmentally friendly and sustainable.

This chapter provides an overview of the tourism environment relationship set against the context of declining nature. Furthermore, at the same time an increasing number of people wish to enjoy and benefit from what the natural world has to offer. While global environmental degradation is a concerning trajectory, tourism can offer solutions if managed sustainably. The current tourism in nature scenario is reviewed and actual and potential problems identified. With greater awareness, there is room for a re-imagined tourism, but this depends on action at all levels in human society. Governments and agencies can play a pivotal role in designating more protected areas and in the provision of management effectiveness. The role of individuals and the way people think about their relationship with nature will determine the quality and success of nature tourism into the future.

It is widely accepted that best practice nature-based tourism can bring economic, social, and environmental benefits. Nature-based tourism worldwide enjoyed an active period of growth prior to COVID-19, with heavy tourist pressure causing environmental degradation and disturbance to fauna, especially in protected areas, being reported as a common phenomenon in many destinations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted travel across and within countries, causing the nature-based tourism industry to be severely disrupted on an unprecedented scale. On the other hand, lack of income due to the absence of visitors has negatively impacted management and conservation efforts at many nature-based destinations, including protected areas. At the same time, the pandemic provided much-needed space for nature-based destinations to rejuvenate while opening a window of opportunity for policymakers and destination managers to rethink and build a more resilient post-pandemic tourism in natural areas. In this light, this chapter discusses the need for a new direction in nature-based tourism and consolidates the transition to a more sustainable path in the post-pandemic era. The collective responsibilities of public and private sector actors, host communities, and academia in 'building back better' nature-based tourism are further discussed.

Sand cover is extensive in Middle Eastern countries where massive sand dunes provide a dramatic reminder of the power of the wind to fashion and create iconic landscapes. Sand is also a huge topic of human interest and provides immense scope for a sand focused geo-guide who can offer a range of learning opportunities for the tourist. Because the occurrence, origin, and expression of sand in the environment is complex manifesting as sheets or sandplains of various depth and/or as different types of dunes, engaging a tourist demands some simplification of the science. This can be achieved by the tour guide gaining some understanding of relevant theory and exploring interpretive themes with tourists. Such themes can include mega geomorphological landscape features, macro level landforms, such as dunes, and investigation at the micro scale, where individual grains of sand can be examined with the assistance of visual aids.

Ecotourism is of increasing importance in the Philippines and this chapter provides an account of the National Ecotourism Strategy and allied policy frameworks. Such undertakings emphasize the importance of natural destinations where ecotourism can lead to economic growth, environmental conservation, and development of local communities. In this chapter, we highlight the significance of the threatened biodiversity in the Philippines. Effective conservation needs to precede tourism development and we posit that if the natural environment is neglected, there cannot be any ecotourism; therefore, an effective conservation strategy must be part of tourism development. Thus, it is vital for the government and stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry to engage in and objectively define ecotourism when implementing the National Ecotourism Strategy. We call for regional planning and the application of national standards to avoid on-going damage and the unsustainable nature of some of the current ecotourism ventures currently operating in the Philippines. We emphasize that effective conservation is vital for sustainable tourism development as without conservation there can be no ecotourism.

There is a temptation to consider birders, or more specifically, avitourists, as a homogenous group of individuals that single-mindedly seek to add new and exotic species to their personal list of conquest birds. To make this generalisation under-appreciates the diversity of this niche tourism market as well as their drivers and motivators. Avitourists do indeed vary in terms of what tourism experience they seek and how the level of dedication to the act of birding is related to these experiential expectations. In this chapter, we will explore this diversity, but also the themes that unite avitourists. One of the most important unifying themes is the fact that almost all avitourists expect to see wild birds, as opposed to captive species. This underlines the need for effective management of the tourism product in natural areas and wild bird conservation, to ensure the avitourism industry can continue to provide the suite of benefits afforded to its participants and the communities avitourists visit.

This chapter provides an account of a premier wildlife tourism attraction, taking place at the Dolphin Discovery Centre (DDC), located within the regional city of Bunbury, Western Australia. The DDC currently provides the opportunity for visitors and locals to engage in a wildlife experience focused on wild Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins that are present where the shoreline meets the city. The chapter explores the history and development of the DDC and highlights that a significant wildlife tourism attraction is possible within an urban centre when appropriate recognition, tourism management, research and environmental considerations are put into place. Wildlife tourism and operations such as the DDC provide income to the community, job opportunities and an increase in tourist visitation to a city through personal and online word of mouth. Having significant wildlife tourism experiences such as those offered by the DDC are important for many reasons especially in small regional cities such as Bunbury, Western Australia.