Book reviews / Tourism Management 32 (2011) 195–206
References
Cohen, E. (1979). A phenomenology of tourist experiences. Sociology, 13, 179–202.
Howard, P. (2003). Heritage: Management, interpretation, identity. London:
Continuum.
Kroeber, A. L. (1948). Anthropology. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Sagar Singh
Centre for Tourism Research and Development,
Lucknow, India
E-mail address: sagar_66@hotmail.com
doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2010.07.002
Geotourism: The tourism of geology and landscape,
D. Newsome, R.K. Dowling (Eds.). Goodfellow Publishers Ltd,
Oxford (2010). £39.99, 246 pp., (hbk), ISBN: 978 1 906884 09 3
The editors, David Newsome and Ross Dowling, are trained geol-
ogists who now focus on tourism research and have established
themselves as leaders in the area of geology and tourism. It has
been four years since they published their first book on geotourism,
which was intended to set the scene for the discipline as a distinct
sector of natural area tourism (Dowling & Newsome, 2006). The
current geotourism book is intended to be an update of the subjects
addressed in their first text and again aims to set the scene,
providing a clear definition and the characteristics of this field.
This publication is meant to be accompanied by a second case study
text, Global Geotourism Perspectives, which taken together seek to
provide an informed platform on which to build the field of geo-
tourism (Dowling & Newsome, 2010).
Geotourism: The Tourism of Geology and Landscape aims to stake
out the area of geology-based tourism or geotourism as one which
concentrates on connections to abiotic landscape features. The
book brings together some of the main aspects of this tourism
sector through the various topics presented in an effort to establish
geotourism as a distinct part of nature-based tourism.
The definition of geotourism seems to be highly contested. The
term can refer to the relationship between geography and tourism
(see National Geographic, no date) or the relationship between
geology and tourism, which is the focus of this book. Though the
editors emphasize the importance of having an accepted definition,
they do acknowledge the contentious use of the term and list
descriptions from various other authors and agencies before finally
providing their own definition (p.4).
Geotourism is a form of natural area tourism that specifically
focuses on landscape and geology. It promotes tourism to geo-
sites and the conservation of geo-diversity and an under-
standing of earth sciences through appreciation and learning.
This is achieved through independent visits to geological
features, use of geo-trails and view points, guided tourism, geo-
activities and patronage of geosite visitor centres.
This differs from the definition in their 2006 publication,
providing more specific and practice-oriented elements which
may be overly prescriptive. Though I am not a geologist, I would
stop the definition at the first sentence as it does sum up the
essence of what geotourism is for the purposes of this book. The
remainder of the definition does not define the term so much as
outline best practices or principles that geotourism can and should
achieve.
205
The editors provide an introductory and concluding chapter
summarising the topics explored in the text. The other 16 chapters
are written by various practitioners and academics from different
research fields such as geology, tourism, earth science, education,
palaeontology, heritage, visitor management, geoparks, social and
environmental sciences, scenic byways, economic development,
geoscience, environmental education, and physical geography.
Though the 2006 text sets geotourism within geographic
tourism, the 2010 publication does not mention geotourism’s asso-
ciation with geography to firmly establish this term in geology and
landscape. In the introductory chapter, the editors draw attention
to the relationships between geotourism, cultural tourism,
ecotourism, and to a lesser extent, adventure tourism while
defining the scope of geotourism as being based specifically on
geology, environmental education, tourist satisfaction, sustain-
ability, and providing local benefits. Though concerns regarding
the protection of the geological features are highlighted in the
introduction and concluding chapters as the key in sustaining
long term visitation, geotourism’s relationship to local economic
development is less clear. It seems that the aim is to place geotour-
ism within the sustainable tourism domain, similar to ecotourism,
but focused on abiotic features as opposed to living entities.
Organising chapters into sections might have helped to empha-
size the main geotourism themes that the editors wished to high-
light as well as provided a stronger logical flow for the reader. As
it stands, the chapters present diverse topics based on specific
geographic areas, making the text read more like a collection of
papers. However, chapters are written in a consistent style, each
one introducing the topic and the geographic area to the reader
before getting to the main focus. The book provides good diversity
of case study content discussing sites in Europe, North America,
Asia, and Oceania.
The chapters include some very useful information on geo-
tourism management issues as well as more detailed case studies
that can help in understanding the more practical or applicable
aspects of geotourism. Chapter 2 gives a historical overview of
geotourism with specific focus on the Lake District in the United
Kingdom. Chapters 3 and 4 provide a more technical approach to
geotourism, addressing data management and inventory issues.
Chapter 5 highlights the possible promotion of geological
resources in Iceland while chapter 6 discusses mountain areas
as tourism destinations. Chapter 7 provides an overview of an
emergency management plan for Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Chapter
8 presents an evaluation of stakeholder relationships using Ger-
many’s Network History of the Earth. Chapter 9 gives a descriptive
overview of geotourism issues in the Hawaiian Islands and
Chapter 10 identifies and outlines possible geotourism develop-
ment initiatives in South Korea. In Chapter 11, the focus is on spe-
cialised geotourism education in Poland and the growth in
programs related to this area at the post-secondary level. The
following three chapters discuss interpretation. Chapter 12 pres-
ents results of a study conducted at a site in New Zealand which
assessed on-site interpretation and is one of only a few chapters
based on data collection and analysis, rather than a descriptive
discussion. Chapter 13 reviews geoheritage interpretation in
North Carolina’s state parks and presents results and implications
from data collection in this area. Chapter 14 is a very practical
examination of developing and designing interpretation programs
at geotourism sites, though the discussion is applicable for all
nature-based interpretation. Chapter 15 provides another over-
view of a geotourism site, but one with World Heritage status
and examines the implications of this. Chapter 16 discusses
geological aspects of the scenic byway program in the United
States and chapter 17 presents the history, current status, and
possible future of the geopark network.
206 Book reviews / Tourism Management 32 (2011) 195–206
The concluding chapter, written by the editors, does a good job of
summarising some of the major subject areas covered in the book,
forming a list of issues meant to act as an agenda for the future of
geotourism. This includes the need for an accepted definition, which
seems to be a very troublesome issue, as mentioned earlier. Many of
the chapters provide their own definition of geotourism, not all of
which match the one given by the editors in the introduction and
conclusion. This underlines the need for a more consistent and
established term within the tourism industry as well as within geo-
tourism texts themselves. The concluding chapter highlights the
need to address conservation, stakeholders, growth in attractions,
risk management, geotourist profiles, geotourism specific educa-
tion, interpretation, the role of technology, and the potential power
of the geopark brand. Many of the issues facing geotourism outlined
in the text are the same facing other areas of tourism.
There are many interesting lessons and ideas that can be taken
from the book, but few chapters discuss implications for other sites.
Many of the chapters are more of an introduction to a specific desti-
nation which could house geological interest and morph into geo-
tourism but specific discussion on geotourism is limited and could
be given more attention.
Overall the book is reader-friendly and accessible to non-geolo-
gists. This is a good resource for researchers and students interested
in the relationship between geology and tourism. The book would
also be a beneficial text for tourism practitioners involved with sites
that house significant geological features as it presents challenges,
provides ideas, and examines some successes in dealing with
geology specific issues in a tourism context, balancing the protec-
tion of abiotic features with visitation and interpretation.
Yet for all the discussion on how far geotourism has come in the
last decade, this book fails to really move the subject forward. The
infancy of this field constitutes the main weakness of this text as it
does present some very interesting ideas but without a solid foun-
dation from which to build on. Instead the chapters present various
spectrums of geotourism issues which are mainly site specific,
many of which could be related to ecotourism or other nature-
based tourism sectors. The introduction and conclusion try to reign
in the topics under a geotourism heading but the book’s contribu-
tion lies in presenting pieces of what geotourism is now rather than
a full investigation of what it should and could be.
This is a text providing a basis for discussion and research,
setting the scene for geotourism and providing information on its
characteristics. This moves the reader to a better understanding
of geotourism, but is not a seminal text for this field. Though this
is a comprehensive update on the editors’ first text and though it
does house useful resources for those interested and involved in
geology-based tourism it does not quite succeed in establishing
geotourism as a distinct discipline. Perhaps it is time for a more
definitive book on the subject, one fully addressing geotourism as
an entity, with more concrete and globally applicable arguments
and information.
References
Dowling, R., & Newsome, D. (Eds.). (2006). Geotourism. Oxford: Elsevier Butter-
worth-Heinemann.
Dowling, R., & Newsome, D. (Eds.). (2010). Global geotourism perspectives. Oxford:
Goodfellow Publishers Ltd.
National Geographic. (no date). Centre for Sustainable Destinations. About Geotour-
ism Retrieved 15 June 2010, from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/
sustainable/about_geotourism.html.
Sarah Quinlan Cutler
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
E-mail address: squinlancutler@wlu.ca
doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2010.06.021