T11. Wandering to learn: Geotourism as a medium for the dissemination of Geodiversity

In recent years, a new environmental awareness and a growing concern among some to behave more sustainably have led to a gradual increase in forms of tourism more closely linked to the natural environment. Parks, hiking trails and areas of particular natural value are attracting more and more visitors. Among the new forms of tourism, geotourism is becoming increasingly popular. The special geological features of an area, the landscape, the abiotic environment are attracting an increasing number of tourists. However, real knowledge of the geological phenomena that led to the formation of a particular area or site does not always go hand in hand with greater tourist enjoyment. Geotourism can be an engine of geological knowledge for those who, attracted by the particular beauty of an area, want to learn more about it. This can be achieved through better geological preparation by tour operators, through guided tours that focus more on discovering the abiotic aspects of the landscape. New technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, and less specialised and more popular communication, which can make geological phenomena easier to understand for non-experts without losing scientific rigour, can be valuable tools for disseminating knowledge of the geological heritage.