Geotourist Potential Of Post-Mining Regions In Poland

Abstract

Abstract:The current article will attempt to confirm that Polish post-mining areas are characterized by high cognitive and aesthetic values and that they have great geotourism potential, which has been little used so far. Tourism is regarded to be one of the most dynamically growing sectors of the global economy and is a phenomenon that occurs in the landscapes of all ecological and altitudinal zones. Geotourism is among the relatively recent types of tourism. Poland is a highly attractive country for geotourism. The aim of this article is to analyze the distribution and size of post-mining areas in Poland and, based on these analyses, to assess the geotourist potential of selected post-mining regions. Based on the distribution of natural resource mining sites and their potential and actual use in geotourism, the authors selected 20 actual and potential geotourist regions in Poland. These regions were divided into three basic categories based on their attractiveness.

Geotourism and Local Development Based on Geological and Mining Sites Utilization, Zaruma-Portovelo, Ecuador

“…A viable alternative to exploit the geosites and mining sites may be the creation of a Geological-Mining Park [17][18][19]42] or, in the first instance, the creation of a Mining Route [39,43] connecting the different areas. The average global values of interest, DS, and Pp (Table 8) of all the sites included in the proposed route ( Figure 7) offer a complementary criterion when evaluating different sites of interest in a specific itinerary.…”

“…The development of proposals for the use of the areas of geological-mining interest, such as the one discussed here (i.e., itinerary to visit geosites and mining sites) would [17,24,25]: (i) foster the protection of the geosites and mining sites, (ii) advance the knowledge of these areas and (iii) offer new economic alternatives for the local population. This would contribute to the improvement of quality of life and to a social development in harmony with the environment [18,43].…”

“…In general, geotourism is a key factor in the socioeconomic development of the local population, enhancing, at the same time, the preservation and protection of the geosites and mining sites [17,24,44].…”

“…Geotourism understands, promotes and appreciates the environment. It recognizes the importance of geological and climatic phenomena also as a determinant factor in the biotic environment [17,24,25]. Nevertheless, if geotourism lacks the adequate control and prevision, it can itself pose a threat to nature [25].…”

Unraveling Hong Kong Geopark experience with visitor-employed photography method

“…As geotourism activities can promote socio-economic development (Zhao & Zhao, 2003) and raise awareness for geoconservation (Necheş & Erdeli, 2015), the endowed regions are earnest to join this fledging market (Newsome & Johnson, 2013). This is reflected by the vast amount of literature on geotourism potentials, such as recent studies in Western Australia (Pforr, Dowling, & Newsome, 2014), Nigeria (Anifowose & Kolawole, 2014), Poland (Nita & Myga-Pią tek, 2014) and Romania (Necheş & Erdeli, 2015). Geotourism may impose visitor impacts to conflict with the cardinal goal of geoconservation.…”