Geotourism in Almeria Province, southeast Spain

Abstract

Introduction Geotourism is a form of niche (Hose, 2005) and special interest tourism (Hall & Weiler, 1992) and travel (Read, 1980) focussed on tourists travelling to participate in a specific activity in an appropriate location.The native resource alone is insufficient to provide the tourism resource; transport and accommodation infrastructure must be coupled with interpretative provision based upon a sound knowledge and understanding of the resource base and its users, or geotourists.Geotourists are focussed on examining, often spectacular, landscapes and geological materials such as fossils and minerals in-situ and in museums.Geotourism can promote and fund the preservation and Thomas A. Hose Geotourism in Almeria Province, southeast SpainSoutheast Spain has since the 1960s been a destination for mass domestic and foreign with tourists attracted to Andalucia's resort regions of Almeria and Malaga.Attracted to the narrow coastal strip's sandy beaches and associated tourism infrastructure, the often dramatic and varied inland landscapes have until quite recently seldom attracted mass tourists.However, with central and provincial governments' acknowledgement of the need to develop environmentally and economically sustainable forms of tourism, new types of tourist and tourism provision have been sought since the 1990s.Geotourism is one form of such sustainable niche tourism; its development has been supported by a rapidly evolving and emerging range of landscape and wildlife protection measures and promotion.Because of its rich and varied geology, topography and wildlife, subsumed within 'natural landscape', Almeria Province has already developed the basis for considerable geotourism development.In late 2006 the success and national excellence of these measures was recognised with the award of UNESCO Geopark status to the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park.This paper summarises and analyses geotourism provision in Almeria Province.It also examines the management issues for geotourism in fragile landscapes.Finally, it indicates the role that such provision can play in the broader context of sustainable tourism in Spain's Mediterranean coastlands.