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Anna Faszcza Travelling That Makes All the Difference

Tourism is one of the most developing industries in the world. People are able to hand‑pick any destination in the deepest and farthest parts of the globe due to low‑cost flights and accommodation. We are searching for escape, inspiration, and fun. In the 2000s, tourists began to be more well‑read and started looking for more authentic experiences such as unique cultures, histories, and truly genuinegenuinegenuine natural attributesattributes [attribute]attributes of a chosen destination. No sooner had such a trend started to develop than a deep inner comprehension and need to preserve the natural beauty of these places was born.

Geotourism is an interest in geologygeologygeology, but is also a new philosophy of travelling. Some also say that it’s a sister category to ecotourism. It includes such sectors as: urbanurbanurban, ruralruralrural, dinosaurs, meteorites, aerial, volcanoes, wellnesswellnesswellness, miningminingmining, celestial, space, adventure, and underground tourism. According to National Geographic, geotourism is defined as tourism that “sustainssustains [sustain]sustains or enhancesenhances [enhance]enhances the geographical character of a place, its environment, culture, aestheticsaestheticsaesthetics, heritagegeological heritageheritage, and the well‑being of residents.” It was first defined by Thomas Alfred Hose in 1995 as a kind of tourism associated not only with flora and fauna, but also with abiotic natureabiotic natureabiotic nature.

The idea of geotourism is to add value through the knowledge of geositesgeositesgeosites so that the local residents, who are often unaware of what natural treasures they live among,  appreciate them more. Education is very important here. For the purposes of geotourism, local people are trained as guides to provide travellers with knowledge of the region. Educators reach out to as many people as possible in a particular region. Once that happens, the conservation of geological sitesconservation of geological sitesconservation of geological sites and geo‑diversitygeo‑diversitygeo‑diversity will be feasible. Local communities should involve government agencies, travel agencies, and private businesses to help them recognise, protect, and maintain geositesprotect and maintain geosites [protect and maintain geosite]protect, and maintain geosites. That will guarantee independent visits to geosites (together with their corresponding in‑situin‑situ in‑situ and ex‑situex‑situ ex‑situ artefactsartefacts [artefact]artefacts) and use of geo‑trailsgeo‑trails [geotrail]geo‑trails, guided tours and geoactivities. If more tourists come to a place, there will be more jobs given and more money earned by its local people.

The more communities integrate to preserve their geological heritagegeological heritagegeological heritage, the more geoparks appear on the UNESCO Global Geoparks list. At present, the list contains 169 geoparks from 44 countries across the world. A vast number of geoparks are found in China, Spain, and Italy. There are also two of them in Poland; The Holy Cross Mountains UNESCO Global Geopark in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship and The Muskauer Faltenbogen/Łuk Mużakowa UNESCO Global Geopark, which is a Polish‑German transnationaltransnationaltransnational geopark, situated at a midpoint of the geographical triangle formed by the three cities of Berlin, Dresden, and Zielona Góra.

We can travel long distances, take thousands of selfies, and eat tons of ice‑cream while being on holiday. Then, we can come back home recalling wonderful moments we spent. But we can also choose a holiday that makes a difference. Not only can you see breathtaking views, but also you can immerseimmerseimmerse yourself in the genuine culture and support local communities. We can leave footprints behind us or create hope, opportunities and dreams of a better place for the next generations of some local communities.

1 Źródło: Anna Faszcza, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.