This book covers all aspects of the economics and management of geotourism, an increasingly important sector of nature tourism that focuses on the geology and landscape of different territories, providing a pleasurable and educational tourist experience. Geotourism is a sustainable form of tourism that has the potential to deliver significant benefits to host communities. To date, however, geotourism has been examined primarily from the natural sciences perspective, to the detriment of issues related to local social and economic impacts, inter-organizational collaboration, tourist responses, and community participation. This book therefore fills a major gap in the literature. While a key focus is the impacts of geotourism on economic and social development processes and the quality of life of local populations, detailed attention is also devoted to topics such as geopark and geosystem management, innovative and entrepreneurial strategies in geotourism, and territorial marketing. In addition, readers will gain a clear understanding of the extent to which the opportunities and challenges facing geotourism reflect current trends in the tourist industry as a whole.

Covers both the economic and managerial aspects of geotourism Analyzes impacts of geotourism on socioeconomic development Explores innovative and entrepreneurial strategies

Autorentext

Vitor Braga, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Porto. He joined the school in 1999 and is currently head of the Business Sciences Department and the director of the Centre for Innovation and Research on Business Sciences and Information Systems. His main research interests relate to entrepreneurship (cooperation, internationalization, and innovation) with published research in many scientific journals and presented more than 100 papers, in this field, at international conferences. António Duarte is an invited lecturer at the School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal. Between 2000 and 2008 he was a member of the technical team of LEADER Local Action Group at ADRIMAG. In 2008, he was nominated Executive Coordinator of Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark and he became an expert and evaluator for UNESCO Global Geoparks in 2016. His research interests include geoparks and geotourism with a focus on local and regional development and territories. Carla Susana Marques is Assistant Professor at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal. Her PhD in Management Science (UTAD) evaluated Portuguese industrial firms' innovation strategies. Currently she coordinates the Innovation, Markets, and Organization research group at UTAD's Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies. Her research on innovation and entrepreneurship has been presented at numerous international conferences and published in international journals.

Inhalt
Geotourism as promoter of sustainability development: A systematic review and research agenda.- The Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark Territorial Development Strategy: a holistic vision for the 21st Century.- Leveraging landscape: The first four years of UNESCO Global Geopark Odsherred.- Geopark certification as an efficient form of Sustainability Management of a Geotourism Destination.- The management of Arouca Geopark ´s Route of Geosites: a strategic geologically based product in a geotourism destination.- Geotourism and Destination Brand Selection: Does Social Media Matter?.