تقييم المواقع الجيومورفولوجية في محمية وادي الجمال لتطوير السياحة الجيولوجية

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Tourism Studies Department - Faculty of Tourism and Hotels - Suez Canal University

Abstract

Geotourism is one of the forms of sustainable tourism which implements its standards in preserving the natural resources for future generations. It works to support the economic and social development of the local communities. Geotourism is a tourist phenomenon that is mainly based on the promotion of the Geomorphological sites  and depends on learning the core values ​​of geological phenomena and deepening the sense of place with an integrated tourist experience. Over the past two decades, many attempts have been made to evaluate the Geomorphological sites as a main source of Geotourism  through objective and verifiable methods, to determine the most attractive and suitable locations for tourism development. These methods are based on several evaluation criteria, including the criterion of rarity, protection and the availability of scientific, aesthetic, educational, heritage and environmental values. This paper aims to evaluate the core values ​​of the geological and morphological sites in the Wadi El-Gamal protectorate area using the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM) for identifying the most attractive geological sites ,that should assist in the planning of Geotourism development and the sustainable management of natural resources within this area.

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