Geotourism can be defined as visits to locations that fall within the Bgeoheritage^category, whether natural or man-made. This underscores all the definitions of this phenomenon in the literature. The notions of the role and agency of typical geotourist motivations are much discussed in the definition of geotourism (i.e., cognitive orientation aimed at acquiring or expanding knowledge of geoscience, the history of Earth and geomorphological processes, and the like). Among the conceptual approaches in the field are those that emphasize more the final cognitive results of travel to geosites (in the form of the acquisition of knowledge on geoheritage by tourists) than the potential initial geotourist motivations of tourists. This article considers the picturesque esthetic of a landscape as the sole, main, or an important pull factor for geotourism and even whether this esthetic is necessary to transform a geosite into a tourist attraction. The picturesqueness of a landscape has varying importance for different categories of geotourists, from Bunaware geotourists^to Bgeoexperts.^The iconic role of geotourist landscapes is illustrated by the Cretaceous landscape of the north-coast cliffs of Rügen (Germany), the rauks of Gotland and Fårö (Sweden), and the Trotternish Ridge with the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye (Scotland).

Geotourism is usually connected with two types of landscapes: natural and cultural, however in the second case these are usually industrial or post-industrial landscapes, where the subjects of tourists’ interest are mainly various relicts of mining (e.g. open pits, waste dumps, quarries). Although it is changing, urban landscapes or – more generally – landscapes of human settlements are not so often perceived as a place of geotourism development. We try to analyze reasons why such areas have a great potential to develop this type of tourism, illustrating them by selected case studies from Poland and the Czech Republic. We want to prove that geotourism in a city or a town can be understood as part of urban tourism not only in its traditional meaning (as all kinds of tourism located in such landscapes), but also as an important element of travels undertaken in order to search and experience a genius loci of a city.

The aim of the article is to assess the role of degraded landscapes in tourism. The authors try to answer questions about the contexts in which such landscapes may be found in relation to those complex phenomena concerning the human need for travel, leisure, cognition and experience. They also pose questions about the physical and symbolic limits to tourism and recreation in degraded landscapes. The work is based on a literature review and observations on chosen degraded landscapes (mostly industrial and post-industrial) located at the Czech foreground of the Ore Mountains (Czech Krušné Hory, German Erzgebirge).

Escape tourism seems to be difficult to define. It is related to many different kinds of tourism, including the so-called Robinson tourism. Given that escape tourists’ motives, ways of travelling and activities vary widely, the article deals with general conditions which may trigger the decision to undertake escape tourism. It also examines geographical spaces that are potential destinations for escapees thanks to their remote location or specific features. The article applies theoretical considerations to the consideration of Poland’s tourist space as a source of possible ‘escape destinations’, finding that geographical spaces traditionally considered suitable for escape tourism – borderlands, peripheries or geographical extremes – have decreased in importance as the phenomenon migrates towards less obvious places and forms of psychological refuge.

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