Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects
Geoparks currently form the basis for the development of geotourism and, therefore, proposals of new geoparks are developed in many countries, including Poland, where over 20 locations for geoparks have been proposed so far. Two national geoparks have been established thus far, while another two hav...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Resources |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/11/113 |
| _version_ | 1797508553564487680 |
|---|---|
| author | Jakub Skibiński Kamil Kultys Bogusława Baran-Zgłobicka Wojciech Zgłobicki |
| author_facet | Jakub Skibiński Kamil Kultys Bogusława Baran-Zgłobicka Wojciech Zgłobicki |
| author_sort | Jakub Skibiński |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Geoparks currently form the basis for the development of geotourism and, therefore, proposals of new geoparks are developed in many countries, including Poland, where over 20 locations for geoparks have been proposed so far. Two national geoparks have been established thus far, while another two have received the status of UNESCO Global Geoparks None of them are located in the Carpathian Mountains. Simultaneously south-eastern Poland—the Podkarpackie Province—boasts valuable geoheritage, biotic and cultural assets. In the past, having regard for the geological heritage, several research teams proposed the creation of three geoparks encompassing the existing landscape parks in that area. However, these were proposals based solely on scientific values. The objective of the study was to comprehensively assess their tourism potential, with a particular focus on geoheritage assets. The assessment has made it possible to determine to what extent these assets meet the conditions necessary for the functioning of this type of areas, i.e., the occurrence of diverse tourist assets, well-developed infrastructure and appropriate development potential. The assessment method used is based on 25 indices forming six groups. The analyses have been carried out for districts lying within the proposed geoparks. It has been found that the analysed area has a sufficiently high geoheritage potential that can be the basis for the functioning of two geoparks. The tourist infrastructure—particularly accommodation and catering facilities and geotourist trails—needs to be expanded and improved. It is particularly important to encourage local communities to become involved and engage in business activity within the geopark. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:05:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2ec7eb67684432dacd9682bec40c665 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:05:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2ec7eb67684432dacd9682bec40c6652023-11-23T01:22:30ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762021-11-01101111310.3390/resources10110113Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future ProspectsJakub Skibiński0Kamil Kultys1Bogusława Baran-Zgłobicka2Wojciech Zgłobicki3Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka Av. 2d, 20-718 Lublin, PolandInstitute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka Av. 2d, 20-718 Lublin, PolandInstitute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka Av. 2d, 20-718 Lublin, PolandInstitute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka Av. 2d, 20-718 Lublin, PolandGeoparks currently form the basis for the development of geotourism and, therefore, proposals of new geoparks are developed in many countries, including Poland, where over 20 locations for geoparks have been proposed so far. Two national geoparks have been established thus far, while another two have received the status of UNESCO Global Geoparks None of them are located in the Carpathian Mountains. Simultaneously south-eastern Poland—the Podkarpackie Province—boasts valuable geoheritage, biotic and cultural assets. In the past, having regard for the geological heritage, several research teams proposed the creation of three geoparks encompassing the existing landscape parks in that area. However, these were proposals based solely on scientific values. The objective of the study was to comprehensively assess their tourism potential, with a particular focus on geoheritage assets. The assessment has made it possible to determine to what extent these assets meet the conditions necessary for the functioning of this type of areas, i.e., the occurrence of diverse tourist assets, well-developed infrastructure and appropriate development potential. The assessment method used is based on 25 indices forming six groups. The analyses have been carried out for districts lying within the proposed geoparks. It has been found that the analysed area has a sufficiently high geoheritage potential that can be the basis for the functioning of two geoparks. The tourist infrastructure—particularly accommodation and catering facilities and geotourist trails—needs to be expanded and improved. It is particularly important to encourage local communities to become involved and engage in business activity within the geopark.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/11/113geodiversitygeoheritagegeotourismcultural heritagetourism assessment |
| spellingShingle | Jakub Skibiński Kamil Kultys Bogusława Baran-Zgłobicka Wojciech Zgłobicki Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects Resources geodiversity geoheritage geotourism cultural heritage tourism assessment |
| title | Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects |
| title_full | Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects |
| title_fullStr | Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects |
| title_short | Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects |
| title_sort | geoparks in se poland as areas of tourism development current state and future prospects |
| topic | geodiversity geoheritage geotourism cultural heritage tourism assessment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/11/113 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jakubskibinski geoparksinsepolandasareasoftourismdevelopmentcurrentstateandfutureprospects AT kamilkultys geoparksinsepolandasareasoftourismdevelopmentcurrentstateandfutureprospects AT bogusławabaranzgłobicka geoparksinsepolandasareasoftourismdevelopmentcurrentstateandfutureprospects AT wojciechzgłobicki geoparksinsepolandasareasoftourismdevelopmentcurrentstateandfutureprospects |